Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Chelchelle Espresso

Tasting notes: Apricot marmalade, Werther's Original.

Coffee breakdown:
Origin: Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
Variety: Ethiopian Landraces
Process: Washed
Producer: Smallholder farmers

Grown in the high altitudes of Ethiopia’s Yirgacheffe region, this coffee is the result of generations of traditional farming. Smallholder farmers cultivate their coffee alongside other crops using organic-by-default methods—without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides—relying instead on natural soil fertility and manual labor.

To support these farmers, Worka Chelchele washing station provides training on best practices for harvesting and transporting cherries. Once delivered, each batch is hand-sorted to remove underripe or damaged cherries before processing. The cherries are pulped and fermented in one of 12 standardized tanks for 36 to 48 hours. After fermentation, the beans are thoroughly washed and transferred to traditional raised drying beds, where they dry for approximately 18 days. Frequent raking ensures even drying, and a coded tracking system maintains full traceability.

This careful process, combined with Yirgacheffe’s high altitudes and unique climate, results in a beautifully clean, sweet coffee—one that truly showcases the terroir of this region. Looks for notes of butterscotch and marmalade.

Parchment is laid on raised beds to dry. Pickers go over the drying beans for damaged or defective beans that may have been missed in previous quality checks. Usually, each table holds 800kg of parchment. In the peak of the season, the maximum load for a table is 1000kg. Each table has its traceability tag with the lot info. Parchment is left to dry from sunrise to sunset and is covered with a sheet during the evening or when it rains. During this time, parchment is turned regularly. The moisture level is carefully monitored and any parchment with visual defects is removed.