Ethiopia, Chelchele - Single Origin Espresso

Chelchele Washing Station takes its name from the kebele in which it sits, within Kochere Woreda in Ethiopia’s Gedeo Zone. Coffee arrives from several hundred smallholder households, most farming less than a hectare and growing coffee alongside enset, root vegetables and native shade trees. The station pools cherry into daily processing lots, so individual farm attribution is not possible, but returning to Chelchele each harvest preserves a genuine continuity of place. Padre has purchased coffee from the station for many years, and we’re very happy to share this harvest.

Like most coffee from Kochere, this lot is a field blend of native Ethiopian landraces rather than a single variety. Kurume contributes concentrated sweetness, Dega brings citrus lift and stone fruit clarity, and Wolisho adds body and depth. These selections grow intermixed with other regional landraces, shaped over generations by this particular pocket of highland forest rather than bred to a formal specification.

For the Natural process, ripe cherry is delivered to the station on the day it is picked, hand sorted and rinsed clean without pulping, keeping the fruit intact around the seed. The whole cherry is spread across raised beds and turned constantly to prevent mould and encourage even drying as it ferments within its own skin. Depending on the weather and ambient humidity, drying can take between 8 and 25 days.

Coffee at Chelchele grows across mixed clay soils weathered from the volcanic highland geology of the Rift Valley escarpment. Native hardwoods, including Albizia and Acacia, form an upper canopy above coffee, enset, root crops and legumes. This layered garden structure moderates light and temperature, slows cherry maturation and helps limit erosion on steep terrain. Warm days, cooler nights and clearly defined wet and dry seasons support the sugar development and structure found in the cup.

Within the coffee trade, Yirgacheffe describes a growing area broader than the woreda of the same name, encompassing Kochere alongside Gedeb, Wenago, Bule and Yirgacheffe woreda. The region is known for high elevations, plentiful water sources and a remarkable concentration of washing stations, yet cup character can shift noticeably from one community to the next. Coffees from Kochere, including Chelchele, are often recognised for a tea-like structure layered with stone fruit and floral aromatics.

The cup opens with ripe, concentrated cherry, followed closely by rose with a musk stick-like aromatic lift. Crisp peach moves through the mid-palate before settling into panela, bringing a raw cane sugar sweetness that gives the cup weight. The finish is perfumed and lingering, with a fuller, juicier body than a washed Yirgacheffe and a sweet, confectionery-like character that carries across espresso, milk and filter.