Apollon's Gold - Chelchele | Ethiopia

---

Ethiopia — Chelchele Washing Station JARC 74110 & 74112 (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍑 Peach • 🌸 Honeysuckle • 🍋 Lemon

DETAILS

• Station: Chelchele Washing Station
• Region: Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
• Varietal: JARC 74110 & 74112
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,900–2,100 MASL

INTRO

A first washed release from Chelchele — a washing station Apollon's Gold have long admired for their natural process coffees, now making its debut as a washed lot. A classic Yirgacheffe, but more bold, sweet, and juicy than typical expressions of the region. In the cup: peach, honeysuckle, and lemon.

THE PRODUCER

Chelchele is a washing and dry processing site in the Yirgacheffe region of southern Ethiopia — one of the most celebrated specialty coffee growing areas in the world, widely credited with introducing washed Ethiopian coffee to the global specialty market. The site processes cherry from farms at 1,900–2,100 MASL, with well-developed infrastructure including fermentation tanks, drying beds, and water storage. Coffee varieties are intercropped with Enset, beans, and avocado trees in Chelchele's characteristic red-brown fertile soil.

JARC 74110 and 74112 were both developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre in 1974 for resistance to coffee berry disease and quality potential at high altitude. At 1,900–2,100 MASL in Yirgacheffe, they deliver the clean, aromatic, citrus-forward character that the washed process reveals with full precision — and in Chelchele's case, with more boldness, sweetness, and juiciness than most.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Chelchele involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — JARC cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 🔧 Pulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 🧪 Fermentation — Beans fermented to break down remaining mucilage 💧 Washing — Thoroughly washed after fermentation to remove all residue ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried on raised beds to optimal moisture content

The meticulous washed processing is the defining step — by stripping back all fruit influence, the process allows the intrinsic peach sweetness, honeysuckle florality, and lemon brightness of Chelchele's JARC varieties to express themselves with the bold, sweet, and juicy character that makes this first washed release so compelling.

THE CUP

A bold, sweet, and juicy washed Ethiopian from one of Yirgacheffe's most beloved stations — peach sweetness, honeysuckle florality, and a bright lemon acidity in a classic Yirgacheffe profile with more intensity and sweetness than most. A first washed release well worth waiting for.

Flavour Notes

🍑 Peach 🌸 Honeysuckle 🍋 Lemon