About This Coffee
Testi Specialty Coffee built Jigesa, their first washing station, in 2015. Named for the nearby village, Jigesa station now receives cherry from 600 outgrowers. Farmers cultivate local landraces and JARC varieties at 1,880 to 1,900 meters above sea level. The high altitudes create the ideal conditions for cultivating sweet, dense cherry.
Testi focuses on supporting the local community. They established a primary school that caters to children in Jigesa village and the surrounding area.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Farmers selectively handpick ripe, red cherry and deliver it to Jigesa station. At intake, cherry is visually sorted again before being pulped and fermented for 36 to 48 hours in a fermentation tank. Following fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and laid on raised beds to dry. Parchment is raked frequently to ensure even drying.
Grade 2
In the Ethiopian grading system, grade 2 refers to the cup quality as well as physical quality of a coffee. A grade 2 allows between four and 13 full defects per 300gr green sample. The cup typically has fruity and clean characteristics without any off-flavors.
Ethiopia Sidamo 2 is a classic in every coffee range and is especially popular in blends. The cup quality can be very surprising for prices well below the grade 1 price point. For us, grade 2 coffee typically sits around an 83-84 cup score.
Coffee in Ethiopia
While Ethiopia is famous as coffee’s birthplace, today it remains a specialty coffee industry darling for its incredible variety of flavors. While full traceability has been difficult in recent history, new regulations have made direct purchasing possible. We’re partnering directly with farmers to help them produce top quality specialty lots that are now completely traceable, adding value for farmers and roasters, alike.
The exceptional quality of Ethiopian coffee is due to a combination of factors. The genetic diversity of coffee varieties means that we find a diversity of flavor, even between (or within) farms with similar growing conditions and processing. In addition to varieties, processing methods also contribute to end quality. The final key ingredients for excellent coffee in Ethiopia are the producing traditions that have created the genetic diversity, processing infrastructure and great coffee we enjoy today.
Most producers in Ethiopia are smallholders, and the majority continue to cultivate coffee using traditional methods. As a result, most coffee is grown with no chemical fertilizer or pesticide use. Coffee is almost entirely cultivated, harvested and dried using manual systems.