Girma Tamiru

This extended anaerobic lot comes from Aricha in Yirgacheffe, supplied through Girma Tamiru washing station, with whom the site is in its second year of working. Local heirloom cultivars are grown focusing on organic farming methods (though uncertified due to cost) by smallholder farmers on farms averaging around 0.5 hectares, under false banana shade at elevations of up to about 2,150 metres, and harvested between November and January.

The cherries are fermented anaerobically in plastic barrels for nine days, then dried for 13 to 18 days, a process chosen to maximise intense, juicy flavours while keeping quality consistent. This season brought unusually high rainfall that made drying harder, alongside high cherry prices and tighter access to finance, but Ephtah financed 90% of the coffee and the supplier paid the remaining 10% directly to farmers, keeping careful processing and quality control at the centre of the work. The coffee is stored at Moplaco in Addis Ababa, prepared for export, and sent by train to Djibouti before shipping. It reflects Yirgacheffe’s reputation for high-elevation, smallholder coffees with distinctive clarity and aromatic complexity.

Tasting notes include Blueberry, Lychee and Peach Sorbet