Ethiopia Bule Adado Yirgacheffe

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What’s the story?

If you want to set out on the path to classy, complex and intricate coffees, then please get hold of this one, whilst you can as we only have two sacks of it! Sweet vanilla and apricot layered with lemon cake and jasmine floral notes, It’s an exceptional coffee for filter lovers, and one of those coffees that you are safe venturing into if you haven’t tried top scoring Ethiopian coffee before. If Grade 1 Ethiopia Gedeo Naturals are familiar ground for you, then this is a must

It’s such a fine, fine example of what coffees from this region can be: floral, sweet and citrus with layers of flavour from the first sip to the last. We found sweet lemon and vanilla paired with dried apricot and that distinctive jasmine note that is found in the best coffees from around Yirgacheffe. There is also that distinctive mild tea note, which always sounds odd to explain, but there it is!

Coffee production is vital to the Ethiopian economy with about 15 million people directly or indirectly deriving their livelihoods from it. It is mainly produced in the southwestern and southeastern parts of the country. It is predominantly produced by small holder farmers on average farms of less than 2 hectares. The Adado Cooperative is made up of 1273 smallholders, and the coop brings in 185 Seasonal staff.

Adado is a primary cooperative part of Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU). Unions such as YCFCU were created with government support to help primary co-operatives market and sell coffee. Coffees from a union will always be traceable down to the kebele (local district). In a market where coffees from different areas are sometimes blended to fulfil contracts based on price points, YCFCU only exports coffee from the Gedeo zone. And, as they don’t own the coffee, they can’t blend lots from different washing stations unless all parts agree and state the mix transparently on the lot name.

Created in 2002, YCFCU is a Union of 28 primary cooperatives split into 43 washing stations with over 38,000 farmers supporting over 300,000 family members. These are all part of the Gedeo people, who produce some of the most prized Ethiopian coffees with natural techniques. It is part of Gedeo culture to preserve their environment, combining traditional ways with specialised agronomist advice. The union also invests in the community, building a school in Dila and bridges to link isolated areas.

All coffees are sorted by hand when brought in by farmers for weighing. The process usually starts at 5 pm and can continue until after dark. All naturals are sun-dried on raised beds and covered overnight and on the warmest hours of the day. The process can take up to 30 days until moisture levels average around 11%.

Brewing Recipe