Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Konga Natural

The last few years have brought some amazing natural processed coffees out of Yirgacheffe and this one remains our absolute favorites. Lots of blueberry, sweet, a little earthy, and bright with a slight tang. Top shelf coffee for sure.

Arrival Date: March 16th, 2018

Acidity & Brightness: Crisp and sweet, slightly tangy

Balance & Finish: Complex and a bit twisty with a clean finish.

Body & Texture: Medium Body, silky mouthfeel

Flavors: Blueberry, floral, green apple and a hint of earth

Grade: Grade 3 (Highest grade of Natural Process)

Certifications: N/A

Processing: Natural (Dry) Processed

Varieties: Heirloom

Roasting: Most heirloom natural process Ethiopian coffees exhibit the best of their flavors in the light to light medium range (City to City +) which is right where we like this one best.

Our Review:

This Ethiopian Natural Yirgacheffe coffee is produced in the Konga Zone of Irgachefe, also transliterated as Yirgacheffe. A major town in south-central Ethiopia, Yirgacheffe is located in the Gedeo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region district and is one of the most famous coffee growing regions in the country and perhaps the world. Because a group of farmers were able to obtain prefinancing for their crop, the exporter was able to purchase this coffee outside of the ECX (Ethiopia Commodity Exchange) channels, enabling them to procure a selection of the most premium lots available.

The natural process method (also known as the dry process) used on this coffee is the oldest method of coffee production and is well-known for featuring pleasingly fruity and complex cup profiles.  Dry (or natural) process simply means that the coffee fruit was allowed to dry on the bean before being removed.  Getting a Yirgacheffe coffee that is dry processed is rare and I was excited about this coffee the moment I heard about it. In fact, we tracked this coffee down because we were looking for that classic heavy blueberry profile you find in Ethiopian Harrars and were amazed to find it in a Yirgacheffe! Don't be fooled, you could label this coffee a high quality Harrar and be none the wiser.

 How does it taste?  The very first thing I noticed in the aroma was blueberries, and that same fruity blueberry taste is in the cup.  This cup is fantastically sweet, fruity, and floral.  The bright crispiness that you expect in a Yirgacheffe is there in spades, but the sweet fruitiness with just a touch of tanginess makes it like eating a lemon blueberry pie in hot liquid form. It's complex and a bit on the delicate side with floral notes and a sweet, clean finish.