Ethiopia Tega and Tula Farm - Gera

Region: Tega and Tula villages, Bonga, Kibo, Limu

Farm: Tega and Tula

Altitude: 1830–1890 MASL

Variety: Heirloom Ethiopian Varieties

Processing Method: Washed Process

Flavor Notes: Blackberry + Meyer Lemon

We are very excited to bring back this coffee from Tega and Tula Farm in Ethiopia!  Over the years, we have brought in several coffees from this farm - both washed and natural processed - and they are always delicious!  Coffees from Ethiopia are simply a standout in the specialty coffee world, and for good reason.  Ethiopia is widely considered to be the birthplace of coffee. If you look back far enough in the history of other coffee growing countries throughout the world, you’ll see that the coffee tree was imported to be used as a cash crop.  In Ethiopia, however, coffee grows wild, and was incorporated into the country’s lifestyle and culture long before the rest of the world even knew about it.  Since coffee was originally cultivated from the wild, coffees commercially cultivated today tend to be of heirloom varieties that have unique characteristics not found outside the country.  Most Ethiopian coffee farmers have small plots - described as coffee gardens - and have only relatively small amounts for sale after their own consumption.  The majority of these coffees are sold through the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange, or ECX.  And it is out of the ECX that Ahadu Woubhset founded Tega And Tula Farm.  

Ahadu Woubhset is an entrepreneur who was one of the founding members of the executive team at the ECX.  He left the ECX, however, to invest in a farm of his own that focused entirely on specialty coffee.  In 2000, he founded Tega and Tula Farm.  It is actually comprised of two adjacent farms located in between the villages of Tega and Tula (hence the name).  The land is 500 hectares and is in an ideal area in the Limu growing region.  Coffees produced on the farm are all organic and are processed both as naturals and as washed processed coffees, with traceability down to subplots. 

For this offering, we selected a washed processed coffee from the Gera sublot. Though there were many great selections from Tega and Tula Farm this year, this one stood out to us.  When tasting this coffee, we noted big flavors of blackberry, nectarine, Meyer lemon, and complex florals all supported by a heavy, round, and winey body.  As we are entering into the late winter months, we really start to appreciate these fruit-forward flavors, reminding us of the bounty that the spring and summer months ahead will offer.  Enjoy!