This Yirgacheffe coffee comes from the Adado Cooperative washing station in the southeastern Ethiopian highlands within the Gedeo Zone, south of the capital Addis Ababa. The Gedeo people (often referred to in literature as Darasa) are considered to be a culturally and linguistically distinct group. They are bordered by the Sidama in the East, the Alaba in the North, the Burji in the West and the Guji in the South. All of these groups belong to the Eastern Cushitic speaking people, who traditionally occupied the upper reaches of the Rift Valley escarpment in northern Sidamo. Today the Gedeo Zone is one of the most densely populated parts of Ethiopia.
The Gedeo Zone is the main production area for the world famous Yirgacheffe and Sidamo coffees. The Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU), which began in 2002, represents over 50,000 farmers within 24 primary cooperatives. The 1250 member Adado Cooperative is one of these.
Located in the lushly vegetated mountains, members’ coffee farms reside at altitudes between 2000 to 2400 meters above sea level. In this area, the soil is fertile with infrequent erosion due to traditional Gedeo agriculture practices combinbing coffee and enset (aka false banana), both semi-permanent species, as the predominant crops.
The Adado Cooperative is a major success story. As recently as 2005, the cooperative was almost totally defunct without any working equipment to process their coffee. In 2007, a new eco depulper was installed which allowed 25 farmer members to process a small amount of coffee. Over the next three years, membership soared as the co-op implemented these additions to the infrastructure in and around the washing station: repairing roads, purchasing a generator for the depulper, building new drying beds, educating the local farmers about sustainable practices, and offering farmers pre-financing. Adado now produces both exemplary natural processed and washed processed coffees.
Strong cooperation between the farmers, the cooperative and the exporter agent has been vital to the success of this operation.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Ethiopia Adado, from Coffee Mojo in Wicklow, Ireland. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THE BASICS:
region: Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
farm: N/A
producer: smallholder farmers
association: Adado Cooperative
elevation: 1780 – 1860 meters above sea level
cultivars: Ethiopia Heirloom
process: natural
certifications: standard
THE COFFEE:
Just opening this bag of Ethiopia Adado is like a bluberry bomb going off in my kitchen, while incredible scents of chocolate, honey, bright berries, and violet bloom out of the cup.
Taking my first few sips of the coffee immediately post-brew, a full-bodied coffee that is absolutely brimming with flavor. Big, voluptuous notes of chocolate and honey slowly roll over the palate, ushering in syrupy flavors of blueberry jam and raspberry.
As it cools off, the coffee absolutely floods the palate with incredibly bright and juicy flavors of watermelon, cherry, cantaloupe, pomegranate, nectarine, and a zesty lemon acidity.
Full body; juicy mouthfeel; citrus acidity; clean finish.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
The Ethiopia Adado is always a treat, and that’s even truer when it’s roasted by the pride of Ireland—Coffee Mojo.
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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.