Ethiopia | Tagel Alemayehu

by Ilse

This lot comes from Tagel Alemayehu’s Hambela washing station in the Gui zone of southern Ethiopia. 130 small holder farmers with farms at 2350 MASL deliver their cherries to be processed by Tagel at this site. The primary varieties grown here are Kurume and Dega. Expect a lovely, complex cup with crisp acidity and great clarity. We taste notes of watermelon, nectarine, lime and jasmine.Tagel Alemayehu has a long history in coffee within Ethiopia, growing up in Bule hora, his father was a coffee trader who built the first washing station in their community. He began managing a washing station in Guji in 2004, and in 2018 when the government regulations opened up he founded Olkai to begin exporting coffee. Tagel now operates 6 washing stations in southern Ethiopia along with his wife who is the export manager.Cherries are collected at peak ripeness. Once sorted they are depulped and the seeds are submerged in water and fermented for 48-72 hours. Following this stage the seeds are rinsed