RARO - ETHIOPIA

TROPICAL ACIDITY, CREAMY SWEETNESS, VELVET

CUPPING NOTES:  Mango Lassi, Berry Kefir, Pink Guava, Lychee, Elderflower
VARIETAL: Wolisho, Dega
ORIGIN: Uraga, Ethiopia
WASHING STATION: Raro Coffee Washing Station
PRODUCER: Various Smallholder Farmers
HARVEST: February 2022
PROCESSING: 48 hours Whole Cherry Anaerobic Fermentation, Dried on Raised Beds for 15 days
WEIGHT: 200g
RECOMMENDED FOR: Filter & Espresso

This is easily one of the most exciting coffees we’ve been looking forward to! Raro Washing Station is situated at an incredibly high altitude - this premise alone makes us excited at its potential. We’re also calling this our “EXPERIMENTAL” coffee for March & rightly so, this is the first couple of years that Raro has utlitised the anaerobic fermentation method, starving the whole cherries of oxygen to prolong fermentation as well as create unique flavour compounds. 

In this part of Ethiopia, the farm structures are largely smallholder farmers who own 4-6 hectares of land & grow other crops besides coffee to supplement their income. They grow mostly improved strains of heirloom cultivars such as Wolisho & Dega before transporting them to the washing station. Raro supports up to 1500 neighbouring smallholder farmers & most of these cherries are processed as specialty. 

This particular lot is an experimental processing technique, utilising black plastic bags! Whole ripe cherries are placed in black bags & tied tightly before being placed on raised beds. During the hottest period of the day, the bags are opened up to allow just enough air to come in to simply avoid the formation of fungus. The total fermentation time takes roughly 48 hours after which the coffees are spread into a thin layer over the raised beds. 

This is simply one of the most unique coffees we’ve tasted! We experience intense tropical notes like mangoes with an underlying gentle tartness of mixed berries. This is a great example of yet the largely untapped potential of Ethiopian coffees. Despite the fermentation, the taste is unmistakably “Ethiopian” - distinct fruit qualities with a floral backdrop! We hope you will enjoy this coffee as much as we do!