Ethiopia Kochere Bonde Yeast Fermentation
If you're new to yeast fermented coffee, I can assure you this coffee doesn't taste at all "yeasty"! All yeast does is make coffee's normal fermentation process more controlled and focused. This Grade 1 Kochere is a perfect example: super clean, floral and tea-like with a dash of vanilla and passion fruit sweetness.
If experimental coffee processing is new to you, don’t let the “yeast” in this coffee’s name fool you! I promise, it tastes nothing like bread, or yeast or whatever bakery influenced taste your mind is conjuring. You see, all coffee undergoes a period of fermentation at the very beginning of processing. Traditionally, this is a very short period intended to allow wild yeast just floating in the environment to get to work breaking down the flesh and mucilage of the coffee cherry, which aids in the rest of processing. Depending on the length of fermentation, this period can also add quite a bit of flavor and intensity to the final product, but it can be difficult to control. By adding exactly the kind of yeast and amount of it that a producer wants, they’re able to exert more fine control over the cup’s flavor and acidity. And don’t worry, the friendly, helpful yeast that made all this possible is long gone by the time the coffee finishes processing!
On top of this additional layer of fermentation, we of course have the rest of the coffee’s journey through processing. This coffee from the Bonde washing station in Kochere was carefully selected and sorted to Grade 1 specifications and fully washed. In contrast to much of the coffee we source from Ethiopia which is natural processed, this combination of fully washed and yeast fermentation leaves the cup crystal clean. We got a tea-like vibe, somewhere between white and green tea. The acidity is crisp and almost effervescent with notes of fresh picked lime followed by a lovely floral tone we noted as verbena, but honestly it seemed like a bouquet with a variety of flowers! The ones that dominate will largely depend on your roast style and brew method. Finally, there’s a rich vanilla undertone and a subtle fruity sweetness that came through as passion fruit in our cups. If you’ve never tried yeast fermentation, this coffee is an excellent way to see what it’s all about without clouding the cup with super intense, fruity flavors like you might get in a natural process!
Reminder! This coffee is raw, you must roast it before brewing
Arrival Date: March 1st, 2024; US Arrival: 2023, Packed in GrainPro
Acidity & Brightness: Crisp, effervescent acidity
Balance & Finish: Balanced with a clean finish
Body & Texture: Tea-like body, delicate texture
Flavors: White tea, floral, lime verbena, vanilla, & passionfruit
Grade: Grade 1, grown at 2100 masl
Processing: Washed (wet process), yeast added to the 48-hour fermentation period to enrich and speed up the fermentation process
Grower: Iseral Degefa | Bonde washing station
Region: Kochere (SNNP) region, Ethiopia
Varieties: Indigenous cultivar 74158, heirloom genetics
Recommended Roast Range: City to Full City (Light to medium)
Start at City (light) or just in to a rolling first crack and go a bit darker as desired. We find it best not to go any darker than Full City (Medium, after the end of first crack) and our favorite roasts were ones that ended under a minute into first crack. Lighter roasts will be a bit more vibrant with more clear floral tones. Medium roasts will have more a bit more sweetness but with muddier flavor notes while minimizing citrus zing.
De La Finca - "Over 884 small coffee producers bring their coffee for processing to Bonde washing station in the Bonde, Kochere region of Ethiopia. This particular coffee was selected especially for experimental process. With this experiment processing method, yeast is added to the 48-hour fermentation period to enrich and speed up the fermentation process.”
