CHELCHELE - ETHIOPIA

CLASSIC - CHELCHELE
HEIRLOOM | NATURAL

RIPE ACIDITY, HONEY SWEETNESS, SILKY MOUTHFEEL

CUPPING NOTES: Tinned Peaches, Floral Honey, Mango Sorbet
VARIETAL: Heirloom
ORIGIN: Gedeb, Ethiopia
WASHING STATION: Chelchele
PRODUCER: Various Smallholder Farmers
HARVEST: February 2024
PROCESSING: Dried on Raised Beds for up to 2 Weeks
WEIGHT: 200G
RECOMMENDED FOR: Filter & Espresso

From the heart of Gedeb district in Yirgacheffe—where coffee trees grow semi-wild under the shade of Cordia Africana and Ensete trees—comes this exceptional lot processed at the Chelchele washing station. Here, 481 smallholder farmers tend plots smaller than 5 hectares in a climate shaped by high-altitude mist and equatorial rhythms: cool nights (15.5–17.8°C) slow cherry maturation, while annual rains (1,400mm) nourish iron-rich soils, coaxing out layered sweetness. The station, part of Tracon Coffee’s network, empowers these growers with training and infrastructure, transforming their heirloom cherries into a coffee that sings of Gedeb’s legendary terroir.

At Chelchele, cherries are hand-sorted twice before drying whole on raised beds for up to 2 weeks, with hourly rotations to harness the region’s arid drying winds. This unhurried natural process—refined through Nordic Approach’s rigorous curation—amplifies fruit-forward brilliance while preserving the delicate florals hidden in Gedeb’s terroir.

The cup is pure joy—tinned peaches steeped in floral honey take center stage, with a flicker of mango sorbet brightness and a silky, nectar-like body. It’s a coffee that mirrors Gedeb’s climate—gentle yet vibrant, uncomplicated in its charm yet complex enough to surprise.