Ethiopia — Raro Boda Wet Mill, SNAP Specialty Coffee Landrace Blend (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍑 Dried Apricot • 🍋 Lemonade • 🍇 Berries • 🍵 Earl Grey

DETAILS

• Wet Mill: Raro Boda
• Exporter: SNAP Specialty Coffee
• Region: Uraga, Guji Zone, Ethiopia
• Varietal: Wolisho, Dega, Kurume, 74110 & 74112
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,900–2,300+ masl
• Sourced through: The Coffee Quest

INTRO
Some coffees surprise you, and others you come back to because they're just exactly right. A great washed Ethiopian belongs to the second category: bright, clean, and layered, the kind of cup you never feel you've had enough of. Dried apricot sets the tone, with lemonade lifting the acidity, berries adding depth, and an Earl Grey finish. In the cup: dried apricot, lemonade, berries, and Earl Grey.

THE PRODUCER
Raro Boda sits in the Uraga district of Guji, at elevations from 1,900 to over 2,300 meters, where cool temperatures slow cherry maturation, concentrating sugars and producing exceptionally dense beans. Between 250 and 700 smallholder farmers deliver cherry each season, cultivating the indigenous landraces Wolisho, Dega, and Kurume alongside JARC selections 74110 and 74112.

The mill operates under SNAP Specialty Coffee, founded in 2008 by Negusse Debela Weldyes, an entrepreneur who came to coffee after discovering specialty pour-overs in the United States. SNAP manages multiple wet mills across southern Ethiopia, runs its own dry mill in Dukem for tight quality control, and has built schools, roads, and healthcare clinics for communities around its processing sites. Quality control at Raro Boda is handled by Q-Grader Medhin Tamiru, a national Cup of Excellence judge.

THE PROCESS
The Washed process for this lot involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — selective picking of ripe cherries
⚙️ Depulping — with a Penagos eco-pulper, chosen for its efficiency and gentleness on the bean
🏺 Underwater fermentation — 48 to 72 hours in ceramic-tiled tanks
🚿 Washing and density sorting — washed in channels and sorted by density
💧 Spring-water soak — soaked in clean spring water before drying
☀️ Raised-bed drying — 10 to 14 days on raised African beds, shielded during intense midday sun to protect brightness and clarity

The ceramic-tiled fermentation tanks are the defining detail. Smooth ceramic prevents bacterial accumulation, giving a cleaner, more controlled fermentation than conventional concrete and letting the terroir and variety come through cleanly.

THE CUP
Bright, aromatic, and endlessly satisfying: dried apricot, sweet and slightly concentrated, anchors the cup, lemonade lifts it with a clean, sparkling acidity, and berries add a gentle fruitiness through the middle. An Earl Grey, bergamot-like finish lingers softly. Floral and citrus notes open up as it cools.

Flavour Notes
🍑 Dried Apricot 🍋 Lemonade 🍇 Berries 🍵 Earl Grey