Chelchele, Ethiopia

Summary 

Fresh, citrusy and soft, Chelchele is a coffee perfect for those who enjoy drinking espresso and filter coffees. With a syrupy orange body, mandarin sweetness and soft floral overtones, this coffee is slightly less intense for those who prefer more delicate flavours. Named after the region in which this coffee was grown, the care of the smallholder farmers in the area have done an excellent job of showcasing Ethiopian coffee.

Producer 

Chelchele is the collective product produced by many small-scale farmers in Gedeb, just south of Yirgacheffe. Many families in the region have small plots of land which measure less than 5 hectares. While each individual farm may not produce enough coffee to be able to sell for export, the producers come together at the Chelbesa wet mill to process all of their coffee as one crop. While the spread of contributing farms means that there is no single variety, many of Ethiopia’s JARC varieties are very similar to each other, particularly when all grown in the same region.

At Chelbesa, the cherries are fermented for up to 3 days in concrete tanks before being sorted and graded to remove any defects. The beans are then dried on raised beds, rotated regularly to ensure that all the coffee is evenly dried. For this washed coffee, this process typically takes 8-12 days. Once dried to its optimal moisture content, the beans are ready to be sold.