August 2022
Feature 48:
The H-Town boys are back for a third round. And its a knock out.
Far from lost on us is the fact that we chose this coffee because we recognised the name of the washing station. Something the now defunct Ethipoia Commodity Exchange (ECX) aimed to avoid. Read more on that here.
Chelelektu is one of the first, if not the first Ethiopia Yirgacheffe coffees we sampled in our career. When the Rocket boys presented us with a list what they had avalable, we ignored them all. Our Manicule pointed straight to the coffee they hadn't yet cupped, Chelelektu.
WASHING STATION:
Gedeb Coffee washing station is located in the Kochere district is the kebele (town) of Chelelektu, part of the Yirgacheffe growing region.
Built in 2010, Gedeb CWS receives coffee from 675 small lot holders, processing up to 950,000kg of ripe coffee cherry per year. The surrounding geography sees coffee farmed at altitudes ranging from 1300-2200m, an accolade very few other stations in Yirgacheffe can boast.
Since 2014 Gedeb CWS has strived for improvement. Their almost 3 hectare site, situated at 1700masl is furnished with 185 African raised drying beds, utilised for the 21 day drying cycle of their natural processed coffees.
This lot was processed as a fully washed coffee, from cherry grown in a unique microclimate between 1850-2150 masl, with its rich soil, this area has a long reputation for producing quality coffee.
EXPORT PARTNERS:
One of Ethiopia's major coffee exporters is Wonberta General Import and Export P.L.C (Womberta)
Located in the regional state of Oromia, producing coffee from both Guji and Yirgacheffe zones. Womberta was founded in 1996 and operates 7 coffee washing stations, all representing over 800 small lot holders for the past 20 years. Day-to-day operations employ over 300 permanent staff and more than 900 additional staff to fulfil seasonal duties.
As with many of our previously featured partners, Wonberta provides benefits such as housing and healthcare to the dependant.
Understanding the need to nurture the land, Wonberta undertakes environmentally restorative activities such as reforestation and preservation of water sources.
This lot then made its way to New Zealand with green specialty coffee trader, Opal coffee.
Established in 2000, Opal Coffee has operations in New Zealand, Australia, and the USA with a head office and farm, Wahana estate in Indonesia. Far from just a coffee trader, Opal’s Wahana estate, purchased in 2005 is home to a 250-hectare Arabica plantation and 30 hectares of nursery space.
Their values aligning with partners like Wonerta,
Wahana estate has a strong focus on preservative and restorative practices while providing access to free healthcare, housing, training and a policy of no forced or child labour.
THE ROASTER:
The year was 1995, H-Town.
With the lease of a shop, a 5kg roaster and a pair of 2 group La Cimbali, Rocket coffee had lift-off.
A journey that began when coffee was a flavour, Rocket evolved with a certain old-skool charm reflected in their retro styling that even the hipsters can’t match.Rocket's subtle tip of the hat to the past has endured with each rendition of their logo. The current rendition adorning their retail bags and takeaways cups is a hand-carved “R” from France rescued from the depths of old cabinets, inherited with their Barton St roastery.
When the smell of fresh coffee isn’t enough to direct the caffeine-deprived in the right direction, getting your mate to paint a Manicule or “pointy finger” that once adorned billboards on the neighbour's wall gets the job done in a characteristic Rocket fashion. Clearly, attention to detail doesn’t end with the beans in the bag, the uniquely Rocket-ness continues on the label too, the origins are colour coded to match the region in accordance with (in their words) the “slightly out of date” maps that adorn the roastery walls. As the boys note, the colours don’t appear to mean much as they’re different on most maps, but it's yet another subtlety that has a deeper back story.With nothing leftto chance.
TASTING NOTES:
Country:
Region:
Farm:
Growing region:
Altitude:
Process: Variety:
Tasting Notes:
Ethiopia
Kochere, Gedeo Zone
Various
Yirgacgeffe
1850 – 2150 M.A.S.L
Fully Washed Heriloom
Sweet with notes of black tea and citrus
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