Gera (Washed) - Ethiopia

This washed lot is made up of coffees grown and processed in the ‘kebele’ (town or village) of Gera, in the ‘woreda’ (administrative district) of Gera, in Ethiopia’s Jimma Zone. The coffee was processed at Gera Washing Station, which is part of a 500 hectare coffee farm owned by Tracon Trading. This family-run exporting company manages quality control and operations at the estate, and prepares the resulting parchment for export at an impressive dry milling facility in Addis Ababa.

Tracon is committed to improving conditions for the communities surrounding their farms and washing stations. Not only are all employees paid above market rates, but farmers can access advance payments for their contributed cherries, as well as educational and training materials. The company has also constructed gravel roads to their washing stations, improving accessibility for contributing farmers and workers alike.

This lot is predominantly made up of JARC varieties 74110, 74112, 74158 and 74165, as they are well-suited to Gera Estate’s terroir. Along with these, this lot includes a number of native or “landrace” varieties that grow at the estate.

This coffee has been processed using the washed method. It is classified as Grade 1, the highest quality classification for Ethiopian coffees, indicating a great deal of effort has been put into the selection and grading during processing.

Each day, carefully picked coffee cherries are delivered to the Gera washing station and are meticulously sorted by hand and placed in a floatation tank prior to processing to remove unripe, overripe, or damaged fruit, in order to enhance the quality and sweetness of the cup. After sorting, the coffee cherries are pulped to remove the fruit and skin and graded by weight. Once graded, the parchment-covered coffee is soaked in tanks of clean water for 36–48 hours to remove the mucilage (sticky fruit pulp) by allowing it to ferment and detach from the coffee. The coffee is then re-washed and graded again by density in washing channels and soaked in clean water for 12 hours. The coffee is then dried for 10–12 days on raised African drying beds, firstly under cover (for around 3–5 hours) and then subsequently in the sun. Whilst drying, the coffee is carefully hand-sorted, and any defects are removed. It is also turned regularly to ensure that it dries evenly and consistently. At midday, the coffee is covered to protect it from full sun. It is also covered overnight to prevent damage from morning dew. Once the coffee reaches its optimum moisture level, it is hulled and rested in bags in parchment until it is ready for export.

PLEASE NOTE: Monastery Coffee process orders on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Coffee is always shipped within 7 days of roasting.