Ethiopia Gera is from a single cooperative in the Gera Woreda of Jimma, Western Ethiopia. The coop draws from small-holder farms ranging in altitude from 1900 to 2100 meters, with a mix of local heirloom varietals planted by tradition.
Typically farms in this area sold only dry-processed coffee which was pooled into commercial lots of Jimma Grade 5. There wasn’t good money in this, certainly not enough to improve farms (or life quality either). This is a wet-process coffee, part of a new initiative in Ethiopia to work direct at the coop level. The program coordinates agronomists and managers for each of the coops they work with, but also has a business adviser assigned that helps the cooperative manage their debt, re-invest in quality improvements at the mill, and verifies distribution of income to all members.
A cooperative can make all kinds of quality improvements, turn out fantastic coffee, and sink deeper in debt all the while. Cooperatives often fail to return a fair and full amount of payment to their farmer-members. Often this is from poor management, and sometimes from graft as well. With this lot we can verify that the great price we paid will result in a fair distribution of funds, a better managed coop, investment in the mill, and even better coffee next year.*
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Ethiopia Gera, from PERC Coffee in Savannah, Georgia. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS:
origin: Gera, Limu, Ethiopia
farm: N/A
producer: smallholder farmers
association: N/A
elevation: 1800 – 1900 meters above sea level
cultivars: Ethiopia Heirloom
process: fully washed, raised bed dried
certifications: standard
CUPPINGNOTES:
The aroma of this Ethiopia Gera is wonderfully fragrant, and it fills the entire kitchen immediately upon ripping open the packaging. Intoxicatingly sweet notes of florals (jasmine and honeysuckle) and fruits (citrus, grape, plum).
The flavor follows the nose, and I couldn’t be more giddy about it. This coffee a medium (but dense) body and features a lovely honeyed mouthfeel which completely envelops my tongue, and each sip is absolutely packed with flavor. There is a ton going on in this cup, making for a somewhat complex profile. Cane sugar, vanilla, and honey provide sweetness while bright fruit flavors (red grape, cranberry, plum, Fuji apple, and a mellow lemon acidity) and floral aromatics (jasmine, rose hip, honeysuckle) make the coffee a little lively.
The Gera features soft, round edges, fantastic clarity, and a very clean profile.
Medium body; honeyed mouthfeel; citric acidity; clean finish.
FINALTHOUGHTS:
While Ethiopia might be more known for its coffees from Yirgacheffe and Sidama, there is a third region within Ethiopia’s borders that also features some dynamite coffees: Limu. And when I try coffees like PERC Coffee’s Ethiopia Gera, I have to say that the lack of Limu-grown coffees in the market is a real disappointment.
I’ve only had a handful of offerings from that district, but each of them (this one, especially) have been as good (if not better) than offerings from its neighbors in Yirgacheffe and Sidama. This washed Ethiopia Gera is packed with complex fruits and florals, features an incredible crystalline clarity and soft, round curves, and cleanliness, and, moreover, is just a tasty, pleasurable sipping experience.
If you’re looking to expand your coffee horizons, look into selections from Limu, Ethiopia—this Ethiopia Gera is an exemplary offering from that district.
*content provided by Coffee Shrub
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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.