Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Konga Washed

This is the WASHED version of our favorite natural processed Ethiopian for 2 years running: Yirgacheffe Konga. Delightfully similar to it's brother yet distinctive enough to separate it from the pack, this coffee is surprisingly full bodied and flavorful for a washed Ethiopian coffee.

Arrival Date: February 6th, 2017

Acidity & Brightness: Crisp and sweet, bright.

Balance & Finish: Somewhat balaned with a long, sweet finish

Body & Texture: Mediumto full body with a silky texture.

Flavors: Strawberry, lemon, floral honeysuckle and a touch of lime.

Grade: Grade 2 (very few defects)

Processing: Fully Washed

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 Washed 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.

This coffee's natural processed brother has been our favorite natural Ethiopian for 2 years running, so we decided it was time to give the washed version a try! When we cup fully washed Ethiopian coffees, we usually expect gentle floral notes with a light body but we were blown away with this cup. The body is surprisingly full and silky for a washed Ethiopian Yirgacheffe with a long, sweet finish. The gentle floral and honeysuckle notes are there, but there's an unusual (and pleasant) amount of complexity with the addition of bold, juicy strawberry (maybe even a hint of blueberry) and crisp notes of lemon and lime. We couldn't be happier with this coffee.