Ethiopia: Koke Honey Process

We’re very excited to introduce this delicious honey processed offering - grown by 96 small-scale farmers and sourced by our friends at Ally Coffee. Predominantly containing indigenous heirloom species locally known as Kurume, Dega, and Wolisho, this coffee gets its name from the Koke washing station where it is first processed.

Located in the Ethiopian district of Yirgacheffe - considered by many to be the birthplace of coffee - this family-owned washing station was built in 2011. With time, the staff at the washing station have been able to collaborate with farmers, providing education and feedback, resulting in better quality coffee. For the last five years, the washing station managers have been separating out the higher elevation cherries for Ally Coffee importers, who purchase and bring this coffee to the states.

Coffee growers in Yirgacheffe often have only a few acres of land, and typically, coffee farming in the region is a multi-generational family affair. Their product is generally sold to centralized washing stations as whole cherry, and the washing station helps with quality control.

The Koke Honey process begins similarly to that of a natural process, where the coffee is dried for two days in the cherry. These cherries are then de-pulped and left to dry on raised beds, usually between 18 and 21 days. The extra time during which the mucilage is in contact with the coffee beans contributes an interesting fruity complexity to the profile of the finished cup. After initial processing, the cherries are sent to a centralized milling facility in Addis Ababa where they are further sorted, dry-milled, and packaged for storage or export.

From this coffee, you can expect bright forward notes of raspberry and peach, with rich dark chocolate and tangerine on the backend. A distinctive, well-balanced, and easy-drinking cup.