Ethiopia- Gediyo, Yirgacheffe, Konga (Washed)

This is a Swiss Water Decaf,ﾠGrade 2, fully washed coffee from Wote Konga wetmill in the Yirgacheffe region. This coffee is cultivated by 800 local smallholder farmers growing heirloom varieities at altitudes of 1,800 - 2,000masl.

Ripe cherries are delivered to the wetmill for careful sorting and pulping, before fermentation for 36-48 hours, depending on the climactic conditions. After this point the parchment coffee is thoroughly washed and graded by bean density before being dried in the sun on raised African beds for 12 - 15 days (until the ideal moisture level has been reached). In the daytime the parchment needs to be raked and turned periodically to ensure a consistent drying process. The coffee is also covered between 12pm and 3pm to protect it from the hot sun, and at night time to protect it from rainfall and moisture. Once the coffee has dried to the right level it is transported to Addis Ababa for dry-milling, grading, intensive sorting and handpicking, before being bagged in GrainPro for export.

The Swiss Waterﾮ Process uses pure green coffee extract and proprietary carbon technology to remove caffeine from green coffee beans. The beans are first soaked in very hot water and caffeine is leached out of the beans' cellular material to create green coffee extract. The solution is then passed through a carbon filter. They have specified the pore size of the carbon to match the caffeine molecule to ensure only the caffeine is trapped when the caffeine is captured from the green coffee extract. The Swiss Water Process is certified organic and 100% chemical free. In addition, they are also certified Kosher by the Kosher Overseers Association.

Konga is a village (kebele) in Yirgacheffe district, in the ﾑSouthern Nations, Nationalities & Peoples (SNNP) region of Ethiopia. Over a number of years the region has developed a distinguised reputation for fine coffees, producing some of the most sought-after microlots in the world. The combination of high altitude (up to 2,200m in some areas), fertile soil, consistent and plentiful rains, and an abundance of local knowledge are all contributing factors to the high status of Yirgacheffe coffees. The indigenous ﾑheirloomﾒ varietals - which grow wild in Ethiopia - are responsible for the unique flavour notes which make for an unusual but beautifully refined cup, characterised by strong citric acidity, sweet chocolate and floral/ herbal notes of lavender, jasmine, bergamot and thyme.