Yabitu Tume washing station

Yabitu Tume is a village in the highlands of Uraga, one of the highest coffee-growing districts in Ethiopia’s Guji zone. The smallholders around it grow coffee in garden plots next to their homes, shaded by enset, albizia and acacia trees, at 1,900 to 2,300 masl. The cool climate at that altitude lets the cherries ripen slowly. Ripe cherries are picked selectively and delivered to the station the same day.

For washed lots like this one, the cherries are pulped and fermented for 36 to 48 hours, then the parchment is soaked in clean water before drying on raised beds for six to seven days. The station turns the discarded pulp into organic fertiliser for the surrounding farms.

About Nord

Nord, written Norð by the roastery itself, started in Oslo in 2011 as a small delicatessen and restaurant, and now roasts every week at Tveita on a 25 kg Diedrich. They roast light, in the Nordic Roast style, buy from small farms with traceability as the priority, and run cafés at Helsfyr, Bjølsen and Forskningsparken. Their roaster Alexander Monsen has twice been Norwegian Barista Champion.

Brewing it

Delicate washed Ethiopians like this show best as pour-over, where a paper filter keeps the jasmine and tea notes clear. An even grind matters more than usual with floral coffees, and a hand grinder built for filter brewing, such as the 1Zpresso ZP6 Special, helps keep the cup clean. Start with 15 g of coffee to 250 g of water just off the boil.