September KaffeBox – Langøra

Langøra Kaffe

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Wote – Ethiopia

Region: Gedeo, Yirgacheffe
Variety: Yirgacheffe Heirloom
Process: Fully Washed
Altitude: 1800-2000 m.a.s.l.
Producer: Mr Mergya
Tase Profile:  Clean, sweet cherries, citrus, floral

This specific coffee is from a private wetmill in the local community of Wote.
Yirgacheffe is known for its clean, floral and acidity driven washed coffees and “high quality” sundried with genuine and unique fruit and berry flavors.

Cherries are hand sorted for unripes and overripes by the farmers before they go into production. A 3-disc pulper removes the skin and pulp. The coffees are then fermented under water for 24-36 hours, depending on the weather conditions. It’s then graded in washing channels in to two grades based on density, and then soaked under clean water in tanks for 12 hours.  Sun dried 10 – 15 days days on African drying beds on hessian cloths. Coffees are covered in plastic during midday and at night.
The coffee is from an area with a lot of competition among the private producers and the Cooperatives. Mr. Mergya have spent the last years to improve the preparation and processing of the coffees to meet the quality standards of the high end coffee market.

 

13732127_1071934449560117_1696794594_nBurtukaana – Ethiopia

Region: Guji
Washing station: Adola washing station
Variety: Guji Heirloom
Process: Natural
Altitude: 2100 m.a.s.l.
Producer: Adola Washing Station
Soil: Red brown, fertile and well drained
Taste Profile: Tropical fruit, strawberries, sweet, juicy
This coffee from Guji is prepared as a natural grade 1. Meaning the producer has been selective and put a lot of effort in to the cherry selection, drying, sorting and grading. The result has been great and the outcome is a clean, stand out complex and juicy Guji natural.

Some hundreds smallholder farmers delivering tiny amounts of cherries daily to the wet miller.  On average farmers are having a farm size of less than 1 hectares. Most coffees are organic by default. Organic compost is common, pruning less common. A farmer can typically have less than 1500 trees pr hectar, and 1 tree is typically producing cherries equal to less than 100 – 200 grams of green coffee.

A mix of local improved variety’s like Certo and local Wolisho . Such as native coffee of forest origin transferred to family smallholder plots. The varieties are referred to collectively as Ethiopian Heirloom, which is a myriad of local native Typica hybrids and new improved varietals based on the old strains.

Drying times 15 – 18 days.

Producing great natural coffees is challenging and it requires at least as much attention to details as producing good washed coffees. This producer is targeting the highest quality grades there is, grade 1. They have site collectors in the local villages carefully selecting the ripe cherries with better qualities, as well as the near by farmers delivers cherries to the mill. The cherries are the hand sorted for un-ripe and over ripe cherries to get a sweeter and cleaner product. The Natural coffee is normally processed at the later part of the harvest and that’s when the harvest is peaking at the higher altitudes.

The first phase of drying is crucial and are in relatively thin layers on the tables to avoid fermented flavors and it should reach what’s called the “raisin” stage at about 25% moist in a few days. It’s important to move the cherries carefully to avoid damage on the fruit.

In the second phase, from 25% – 12% moist, the layers are built up, and it’s constantly moved during daytime, and needs some rest mid day and at night. An uncontrolled drying sequence can increase the very fruity flavors and make it unstable, and if to slow it can create mold and other off flavors. It’s a costly process that requires good labor and attention if you want it at the highest quality levels.

stabburet1Langøra Kaffe

Langøra Coffee Roasters are based in a little red ‘ Stabbur ‘, a traditional storehouse at Hjelseng Farm in Stjørdal, Norway. We select and purchase traceable speciality coffees, in season, with characteristic flavour profiles that excite us.
The quality of coffee depends on factors such as region, terroir, variety and processing. Together they contribute to form each coffee’s unique flavour. Through the roasting process the team at Langøra wish to highlight these characteristics, so that the natural flavours and aromas of the coffee are preserved.