Ethiopia — Chelchele Washing & Dry Processing Site Heirloom (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍋 Lemon Ice Tea • 🍑 Apricot Jam • 🌸 White Florals

DETAILS

• Station: Chelchele Washing & Dry Processing Site

• Region: Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia

• Varietal: Heirloom

• Process: Washed

• Altitude: 2,100 MASL

• Roast: Filter

• Size: 200g

INTRO

DAK's summer coffee — hand-selected during their Ethiopia visit earlier this year from the Chelchele washing and dry processing site in Yirgacheffe. A refreshing, lemon-forward washed Ethiopian of the kind DAK love most: clean, bright, and perfectly suited to warm-weather drinking. In the cup: lemon ice tea, apricot jam, and white florals.

THE PRODUCER

Chelchele is a washing and dry processing site in the Yirgacheffe region of southern Ethiopia — one of the most celebrated and historically significant coffee-growing areas in the world, widely credited with introducing washed Ethiopian coffee to the global specialty market. At 2,100 MASL, the cool temperatures and slow cherry development of Yirgacheffe's highland environment build the aromatic concentration and bright citrus acidity that define the region's finest washed lots.

Ethiopia's extraordinary biodiversity — with DNA testing confirming over 60 distinct varieties growing across the country — means that most Ethiopian coffees are blends of many co-existing heirloom cultivars, referred to collectively as Ethiopian Landrace. At 2,100 MASL in Yirgacheffe, this diversity finds ideal conditions to express itself with the clean, florally complex, and citrus-forward character that the washed process reveals with exceptional precision.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Chelchele involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Heirloom 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 washing and fermentation management is the defining step — by stripping back all fruit influence with precision, the process allows the intrinsic lemon tea brightness, apricot jam sweetness, and white floral delicacy of the Chelchele Heirloom and the distinct Yirgacheffe terroir to express themselves with the exceptional clarity and refreshing character that made DAK pick this lot during their visit.

THE CUP

A refreshing, bright, and beautifully clean washed Ethiopian from one of Yirgacheffe's most celebrated processing sites — lemon ice tea clarity, apricot jam sweetness, and a delicate white floral character in a crisp, clean cup that is everything a summer coffee should be. Hand-selected by DAK during their Ethiopia visit, and well worth the journey.

Flavour Notes

🍋 Lemon Ice Tea 🍑 Apricot Jam 🌸 White Florals