Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Biloya Anaerobic Natural

Coffee Review: 92 Points

Blind Assessment

Tangy, sweet-savory, berry-toned. Raspberry candy, baking chocolate, lemon zest, fir, sarsaparilla in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory structure with brisk acidity; very full, creamy mouthfeel. Very long, lingering finish, crisply chocolaty and berry-driven.

Notes

Produced by smallholding farmers, from local landrace varieties of Arabica, and processed at the Biloya Station by Tracon Coffee using the anaerobic natural method, in which whole cherries are fermented in an oxygen-free environment before being dried in the whole fruit. RamsHead Coffee Roasters is a family-owned company operated by Bozeman, Montana natives Patrick and Sarah Flemming that specializes in direct trade microlot coffees. For more information, visit www.ramsheadcoffee.com.  

Bottom Line

A crisply berry-forward, chocolaty anaerobic natural Ethiopia with intriguing savory-tangy undertones.

Farm Bio:

Tracon Coffee, has been experimenting with new processing methods as a way to increase value and stand out among a growing number of specialty washing stations in Ethiopia. Tracon has been trialing anaerobic fermentation with several of their washing stations in Yirgacheffe  since 2015 and have been producing Anaerobic Natural coffees at Biloya washing station since 2018 and this coffee shines like many of the others Tracon has produced. 

Farmers selectively handpick ripe cherry and deliver it to Biloya. At intake, employees visually inspect cherry and accept only fully ripe cherry for anaerobic fermentation. Selected cherry is tightly packed in GrainPro bags and sealed shut. Cherry ferments anaerobically (without oxygen) for 18 to 24 hours.  

After fermentation, cherry is carefully removed from bags and laid to dry in direct sunlight on raised beds. Workers turn cherry frequently to promote even drying. It takes approximately 2 to 3 weeks for cherry to dry. 

Tasting Notes:  Raspberry, Lemon, Sarsaparilla, Bubblegum, Taffy-sweet