The WORKA Cooperative was established in 2005 and joined the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative
Union (YCFCU) the same year. There are 305 member farmers who cultivate coffee on 762 hectares in Worka, Gedeb in the Gedeo Zone.
YCFCU currently has 24 member coops, and each primary cooperative elects their own governing committee and professional farm managers. The governing committees make decisions about investing in new equipment purchases, scheduling tree maintenance, and how to structure payments to the cooperative members. The professional managers for each primary cooperative oversee the harvest and processing procedures and are accountable to the coop’s members and other committees.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Ethiopia Worka, from Sunergos Coffee in Louisville, Kentucky. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS:
region: Gedeo, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
farm: N/A
producer: smallholder farmers
association: Worka Cooperative
elevation: 1850 meters above sea level
cultivars: Ethiopia Heirloom
process: natural
certifications: standard
BREWINGSPECS:
method: Kalita Wave
grind: 18, Preciso
coffee: 30 g
water: 480 mL
bloom: 1:00
pour: 2:30 concentric pour
CUPPINGNOTES:
Oh my goodness. The aroma of this Ethiopia Worka is absolutely bonkers. My nostrils are filled with incredibly sweet, bright, and lively scents of ripe berries, grape bubblegum, and apple.
Diving into the first few sips of the coffee immediately post-brew, my palate is greeted by a full-bodied coffee that is characterized by both the flavors and texture of mixed berry jelly. Wow. Incredible flavors of milk chocolate and honey lay down a foundation for a complex mixture blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, grape, cherry pipe tobacco, and brandy to play out through each sip.
As the coffee cools, it continues with its dynamic complexities and intricacies. Its mixed berries mellow while further flavors of apricot, apple, peach, honeysuckle, rose hips, vanilla cream, and a mellow tangerine acidity play out through the finish.
Full body; jelly mouthfeel; berry acidity; clean finish.
FINALTHOUGHTS:
Once again, Sunergos Coffee has provided me a very difficult coffee to review with their Ethiopia Worka; not difficult because of its incredible complexity (which it certainly possesses) nor because of its intricate layers of dynamic and unique flavors (which it also possesses), but because of its drinkable deliciousness. Honestly, I had to cup this coffee five times because the first three times I enjoyed the coffee so much that I forgot to jot notes down.
And, personally, I don’t think I can pay the Worka any higher tribute than that—it’s so good that it made this coffee reviewer forget to review it three times. That’s pretty damn good.
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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.