Ethiopia — Banko Taratu Washing Station Heirloom (Washed, G1)

Tastes Like — 🌼 White Florals • 🍑 Apricot • 🍊 Citrus • 🍵 Black Tea

DETAILS

• Station: Banko Taratu (Guzguz Tatatu Wet Mill)
• Region: Gedeb, Gedeo, Ethiopia
• Varietal: Heirloom
• Process: Washed (listed as Double Washed)
• Elevation: 2,050–2,300 masl
• Crop: Picked October–December 2025, arrived July 2026

INTRO
From the Banko Taratu station in Gedeb, the southernmost tip of the traditional Yirgacheffe growing zone and its highest-altitude area. White florals lead, with apricot sweetness and a citrus brightness over a black tea structure. In the cup: white florals, apricot, citrus, and black tea.

THE PRODUCER
Gedeb Woreda sits at the southernmost tip of the major traditional Yirgacheffe growing zone and has the highest planting altitude in it, averaging over 2,000 meters against roughly 1,700 meters in Yirgacheffe town. The coffee trees here are a healthy 10–20 years old, an advantage over the ageing trees found in other parts of Yirgacheffe. The mill was built in 2020 and has an annual capacity of roughly 1,000 tons of fresh cherry, yielding around 150 tons of green coffee. Like several well-known neighbouring micro-regions, its coffees show typical flavour profiles of citrus, rose florals, and bright fruity acidity.

THE PROCESS
This lot is sourced from fully ripe cherries harvested mid-season in the 24/25 crop year. After pulp removal, the cherries undergo 36 hours of washed fermentation in tanks, then dry on raised beds for 15 days of sun drying. At roughly 12% moisture, the coffee is stored in warehouses to rest, then transported to Addis Ababa for hulling shortly before export.

The 36-hour tank fermentation followed by 15 days of slow sun drying is the defining combination. It's what builds the clean citrus and white floral character behind this cup.

THE CUP
Bright and clean: white florals lead, with apricot sweetness through the middle, a citrus brightness, and a black tea finish.

Flavour Notes
🌼 White Florals 🍑 Apricot 🍊 Citrus 🍵 Black Tea