This coffee comes from the Wuri Washing Station in Worka-Sakaro— one of the 16 kebeles (villages) that make up the Gedeb district in Ethiopia. Located just south of Yirgacheffe, the Gedeb area is quickly gaining its own reputation for producing some of the most incredible coffees in the world. Of the 1276 hectares that encompass Worka-Sakaro, 679 hectares are planted with coffee trees, showing just how important coffee is to the culture and economy of this area.
Randy Evans was able to visit the mill back in 2018, and thankfully in 2017, the Ethiopian government relaxed its regulations around exporting. This change opened a door for private washing stations to export directly to coffee buyers with full traceability, giving recognition to the hard work and intricate processes of washing stations and farmers.
The sorting and drying processes at the Wuri Washing Station are precise and laborious. After the beans are sorted and washed, they are left to sun dry on raised beds for 12-15 days. “Wuri”, meaning “‘high altitude”, contributes not only to the name of the washing station, but to the bean itself. The cool temperatures of high altitude farms slow down the growth rate, allowing the plant to focus on bean production, which results in more sugars in the bean that create amazing tasting notes.