Adorsi is a beautiful washing station located near the village of Aricha in the heart of Yirgacheffe, one of the world’s most celebrated coffee-growing regions. Many in specialty coffee associate the town with some of the most floral and elegant coffees produced in Ethiopia

The site is in a prime position to receive coffee cherry from some of the best farmers in the region, whose farms sit at 1,900 – 2,000 meters above sea level. The washing station itself also sits at a high elevation, and this, combined with Aricha’s cool climate, allows coffee to dry slowly, and develop greater complexity and sweetness.

Adorsi receives coffee cherries from smallholder farms in ten neighbouring villages (kebeles). These include three that informed Adorsi’s name: Aricha, Idido and Gersi. The coffees from each of these villages is processed seperately, to provide added traceability and preserve and showcase a unique taste of place. This particular lot comes from the village of Aricha.

Each outgrower that delivers to Adorsi receives payment on delivery of their cherry, including a premium above the annual market rate set by the Ethiopian government. Farmers who are registered with the washing station also receive a second premium payment three months later or after the lot has been sold, based on what they have delivered. This usually happens around June or July (coinciding with the Ethiopian winter), which is when they would be preparing for the next harvest.

This coffee was processed using the washed method, using clean water from the Wogida river. 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 hand-picked coffee cherries were delivered to Adorsi washing station to be meticulously sorted by hand and 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 were then pulped within six to eight hours of harvesting, to remove the fruit and skin, and graded by weight; heavier beans are of superior quality and deliver a sweeter cup. After grading, the parchment-covered coffee was 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 was then re-washed and graded again by density in washing channels and soaked in clean water for 12 hours. While doing this, mill workers kept a close eye on the clarity of the water being used (and replaced it with fresh water as necessary), and checked the parchment manually to feel how much mucilage was left on the seeds. As the texture of the washed seeds changed, and millworkers notice slightly more traction, parchment was just about ready to be dried.

The coffee was then dried on raised drying beds and under a parabolic shade net for 5-7 days depending on weather conditions. Whilst drying, the coffee was carefully hand-sorted, and defects were removed. It was also turned regularly to ensure that it dried evenly and consistently. Once the coffee was dry and had reached its desired humidity, it was rested in parchment until it was ready for milling and export.