Ethiopia, Yaye - Odakko Project Coffee Beans

The Yaye Washing Station, built in 2021, is dedicated to quality through experimentation. Around this washing station are 50 smallholders from neighboring villages of Yaye and Chericho. Yaye has become a top notice washing station in Ethiopia with its dedication to quality and meticulous processing practices as well as putting cleanliness as a priority. Good clean practices result in good clean coffee.

This particular coffee is part of the Odakko Project that Cafe Importis is involved in. This is what they say about the project:

“The Odakko Project cherry was collected from producers at elevations ranging from 2150 to 2300 MASL within a 10-km radius of the washing station, who were all identified as growing the 74518 variety. To manage the processing logistics, the coffee was harvested over a four-day period. Each day’s yield was collected between 3:00 and 7:00 PM to prevent uncontrolled fermentation. The cherries were immediately transported to Yaye and immersed in water, where any floaters were removed. The cleaned cherries were then poured onto the drying beds, 300 kilos per bed, and sorted by hand to a strict tolerance of 95% full-ripe and 5% overripe to balance sugar content and complexity.

After sorting, the raised beds were covered with a shade net to slow down the drying process. In fact, the drying beds used are situated in an area of greater wind circulation and less direct sunlight compared to the rest of the station’s drying beds. This extends the drying time to 28 days, carefully reducing the seed’s moisture content to an optimal 12%, maximizing flavor development, transformation, and preservation. Following the 28 days, the dried cherries are removed from the raised beds and rested for six weeks before being delivered in air-tight GrainPro bags to Testi’s mill in Addis Ababa. Every step is deliberate, resulting in cups with notes of jammy red fruit balanced by dark chocolate, red wine acidity, and mild sugary sweetness.”