Ethiopia Koke

Roast Description / Brewing
A light-roasted Ethiopia from Yirgacheffe with a vibrant and complex profile. Expect lots of blueberry aroma, honey-like body and sweetness. Best brewed as a pour-over with a 1:15 ratio to highlight its clarity, but it also performs well in a regular coffee maker.

Delivery Terms
Our coffee is roasted and shipped only between Tuesdays and Thursdays to ensure the best possible quality and freshness. Since each coffee has its own specific profile, roast dates may vary, but we guarantee that it will never be older than two weeks from roast date at the time of delivery. What we can promise is that the coffee will always be fresh and taste great when it reaches you.

History
Coffee from Yirgacheffe in Ethiopia’s Gedeo Zone is often composed of so-called heirloom varieties, many of which have been distributed to farmers over the past 40 years. The coffee grows in fertile red-brown soil under natural shade from native trees such as Bibira and Cordia Africana, alongside food crops like Ensete ventricosum.

In this southern region of Ethiopia, coffee is carefully handpicked. Farmers selectively harvest only fully ripe cherries, returning to the same trees every eight to ten days during the harvest season. A typical picker collects between 100 and 200 pounds of cherries per day, which results in approximately 20 to 40 pounds of finished coffee. Each delivery is weighed and compensated based on quality and quantity before being transported to the washing station.

Due to increased demand for the distinctive cup profile of Koke Honey, production expanded in 2022 to include the Birbes Kela washing station, located near the Koke kebele. Together, the Koke and Birbes Kela stations process cherries from around 1,200 smallholder farmers across several kebeles, including Birbes Kela, Koke, Konga, Wedessa, and Tisho.

The Koke washing station, established in 2011, has undergone continuous improvements, particularly since 2015 when focused quality initiatives were introduced. Long-term collaboration and feedback have contributed to consistently high-quality lots. The Birbes Kela washing station, founded in 2020 and operated by Semira Negash, has quickly gained recognition for producing exceptional coffees, including strong placement in Ethiopia’s 2021 Cup of Excellence.

This coffee is processed using the honey method. After harvest, cherries are fermented intact for two days before pulping. The beans are then dried on raised beds until reaching optimal moisture content, resulting in a sweet and fruit-forward profile.

Final preparation for export takes place at Tracon Trading’s facility in Addis Ababa. The modern dry mill is equipped with advanced processing and sorting technology, ensuring consistency and preserving quality. The facility includes large-scale storage with excellent conditions for maintaining the integrity of the coffee.

Farmer: Approximately 1,200 Smallholder Farmers
Washing Station: Koke 
Region: Yirgacheffe
Varieties: Kurume, Dega, Wolisho
Altitude: 1800m
Process: Honey
Flavor Profile: Peaches, Blueberry & Jammy