Bokasso

Roaster: Koppi
Origin: Dalle, Sidama, Ethiopia
Region: Wonsho
Cooperative: Bokasso – 1650 smallholders
Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom. Improved varietals and native coffee of forest origin transferred to family smallholder plots and gardens. In this case referred to as Sidamo type.
Grade: Screen 14 and up.
Altitude: 2,000 MASL
Production: Pulped and wet fermented, graded in washing channels, soaked in water and sundried.
Process: Cherries are hand sorted for unripes and overripes by the farmers before they go in to production. A 3 disc Agaarde pulper removes the skin and pulp. The coffee is then fermented under water for 24-36 hours, dependent on the weather conditions. It’s then graded in washing channels into two grades based on density before soaked under clean water in tanks for 12-24 hours.
Drying: Sun dried 10 – 15 days on African drying beds on hessian cloths. Coffees are covered in plastic during midday and at night.
Soil: Volcanic deposits, rich in minerals and nitrogen.
Notes: Bokasso is part of a project by Techno Serve to improve lot separation. They are using trace ability sheets to track coffees from days of production at drying tables all the way to the warehouse
The Cup: Citrus, spicy black tea in the aroma.  Warming flavors of peaches, melon, red berries. Creamy, intense, rich and complex.. Fruit tea, lavender, rosemary. Great structure and sweetness.  Juicy finish.

Ethiopia is known as the birthplace of coffee. There are more than 1.1 million coffee farmers (smallholders) representing 95% of the production. The varieties are referred to collectively as Ethiopian Heirloom, which is a myriad of local native Typica hybrids and new improved varietals based on the old strains. The two main growing areas are in the west and south. Most coffees are organic by default.

Sidamo is famous for its clean, floral, and citric washed coffees and “high quality” sundried with genuine and unique red berry flavors. The Sidama zone covers a large area with very different growing conditions. Bokasso is located in the highlands and have two different washing stations in the same area. The coffees are truly unique and have proven to be distinct in flavors. The coffees are brought in from more than 2000 meters above sea level. There are mainly small family plots of both recently planted trees of improved varietals and traditional old varieties. The variety is called Sidamo type. Organic fertilizer is common, pruning less common. All the cooperatives in Ethiopia belong to a Union, in this case the Sidamo Union that sell and export the coffee. They also take care of dry milling and grading before export.