The Table is, as a collective whole, a massive fan of coffee from the Kochere Cooperative; it has seen several of their coffees served upon it over the past couple years. I remain impressed with the care and pride the members take in the cultivation and preparation of their coffees, as it shows beautifully in the cup on a very consistent basis.
Kochere is growing in popularity, showcasing the consistent diversity of Yirgacheffe’s unique terroir.
Close to 100,000 local inhabitants rely on coffee as their main crop with which to feed their families. Of those 100,000 residents, the Kochere Cooperative consists of about 500 smallholder farmers who use shared wet mills to process their coffee, where it is washed and then dried on elevated drying beds.
The Kochere micro-region has long been known as one of the best origins for fully washed southern Ethiopian coffees. So much so, in fact, that now, about thirty percent of all coffee bearing the Yirgacheffe name comes from this specific area. The combination of very high altitude and iron-rich, acidic soil creates the ideal growing situation to produce the bright, floral Yirgacheffe profile.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Ethiopia Kochere, from Bluebeard Coffee Roasters in Tacoma, Washington. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THE BASICS:
region: Kochere, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
farm: Kochere Washing Station
producer: smallholder farmers
association: Kochere Cooperative
elevation: 1800 – 2000 meters above sea level
cultivars: Ethiopia Heirloom
process: semi-washed, patio dried
certifications: standard
THE COFFEE:
Whoa! The aroma when I open the package (and particularly when I start brewing the coffee) is an explosion of a blueberry bomb. Little pieces of cocoa, violet, and citrus aromatic shrapnel come hurtling out of the cup along with it.
The flavor is every bit as explosive as the aroma. Post-brew, huge flavors of chocolate and bergamot come rushing in on a sheet of silky velvet, with a honey sweetness, that coats the palate. The coffee is full-bodied and the flavor from each sip, no matter how small the sip is, expands over the tongue, really hitting the sides and back.
As it cools off, a fruity sweetness, like a geyser, erupts; cracks the surface of the chocolaty soil with a deluge of blueberry, raspberry, peach, grape, plum, melon, and nectarine. The cup retains all of its post-brew qualities too—cocoa, honey, bergamot, each sip finishing off with a smack of nuttiness.
Full body; velvety, silky mouthfeel; citrus acidity; clean finish.
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Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.