Layo Teraga produced one of our favorite coffees from Ethiopia four years ago. We have waited year after year for an experience that matches that one magical season. This year they managed to produce it once again. In the cup we find bright lemonade, hibiscus florality, and peach juice.
Ethiopian Landrace
Uraga, Guji
2,300 masl
January, 2021
Harvested at peak ripeness. Hand sorted, then floated to further remove defects. Depulped. Wet fermented for 48-72 hours. Soaked in clean water for five hours. Dried on raised beds until moisture content reaches 10.5%.
Layo Teraga is a cooperative located in northern Guji, Uraga. The cooperative has about 500 members, all of whom have small personal coffee gardens around their homes. Coffees being delivered to this washing station are among the highest grown in Ethiopia (and the world), with peaks upwards of 2,300 masl. The coffee is mainly grown in semi-forested environments, using natural vegetation for shade cover.
Ethiopia is widely acknowledged as where coffee originated, and its production continues to represent about 10% of the country’s gross domestic product. DNA testing has confirmed over 60 distinct varieties growing in Ethiopia, making it home to the most coffee biodiversity of any region in the world. Given the tradition of coffee production in Ethiopia and the political interworkings of the Ethiopian coffee trade, it is virtually impossible to get single variety coffee lots from Ethiopia. This is changing, albeit very slowly. Most Ethiopian coffees are blends of the many Ethiopian varieties, and referred to simply as 'Ethiopian Landrace'.
The cost of getting a coffee from cherry to beverage varies enormously depending on its place of origin and the location of its consumption. The inclusion of price transparency is a starting point to inform broader conversation around the true costs of production and the sustainability of specialty coffee as a whole.