Ethiopia Guji Kercha Banko Michicha

Tasting Note: Mandarin Juice | Orange Peel | Lime | Grapefruit | Black Tea

Varietal: Heirloom

Processing Method: Washed

Growing Altitude: 1800-1950m

The delicious cup of coffee in your hand doesn’t come by chance – it has come a long way from the farm on to your hand after different people poured their souls into it.

Anyone who has dabbled in gardening or farming would know that to keep the plants healthy and fertile is hard work, not to mention maintaining a huge field of crops. It is even more stressful when you live by your own harvests – one failed season may equate to one hungry year.

Feeling suffocated yet? That’s just one farmer.

Imagine sustaining 800 farmers whose livelihood depends on your ability to properly sort and process their harvest into highly marketable green beans before the berries turn bad. Wow.

And that brings us to Mr. Degefa Sema, the owner of Banko Michicha washing station.

It is nothing if Mr. Degefa is just another businessman profiting from the hard work of the local farmers – because that’s not the case. Being in the industry for nearly 30 years, Mr. Degefa deeply understands the various plights of his fellow farmers. To battle the lack of knowledge and inadequacy in professional farming practices, one of Mr. Degefa’s lifeworks was establishing a learning centre in Kercha woreda to support the local farmers with agricultural training and support network.

Knowing the story behind has pushed us to approach Kercha Banko Michicha Washed G1 even more carefully because we want to make sure we do it justice. This coffee is roasted and developed carefully to highlight its citric acidity which reminds us of citrus fruits such as lemon, orange peels, and grapefruit, with an aftertaste of black tea.