This beautiful coffee comes to us from the Agaro region of Western Ethiopia, where the meticulous washing station Nano Genji resides. Born out of the major success of its sister mill, Nano Challa, this washing station was opened in 2019 to support more of the local producers who saw their premiums for their carefully hand-picked coffees continue to rise. Between the two mills, there are now 630 small-holder farmers who contribute to the coffee that is processed and sold. The success and support from Red Fox Coffee Merchants, who sourced this coffee, has also allowed the washing stations to purchase and use Penagos processing equipment, which has spent decades developing commercial demucilaging equipment that uses much less water and resources than traditional methods. After the cherries have been depulped, they then ferment overnight in fiberglass tanks to remove excess sugars from the exterior of the coffee seeds before being laid out for 8+ days on raised drying beds, where they are watched over with care until they reach the desired moisture content. All of this careful consideration and attention manifests in a true classic washed Ethiopian coffee profile: deeply sweet and full of flavor. Hibiscus and honeysuckle intermingle with brown sugar to create a lovely aromatic indicator of what’s to come as you take your first sip, leading into a juicy brew with notes of lemon, black tea, and blueberry, which linger on your palette for a short while. Do yourself a favor and pick up our first fresh-crop Ethiopian of the year!
How to Brew It:
Best brewed as a hot or iced filter coffee where all of the distinct flavors and qualities will be able to shine (an immersion brew would also taste great, but flavors would be a bit more muddled and harder to disentangle from one another), with a coffee to water brew ratio of 1:15 or 1:16, at 201-205 degrees.
