The Story
Agaro is in western Ethiopia, where the growing season runs earlier than the rest of the country. What makes these coffees particularly special is what happens after they land. While most Ethiopian coffees bloom and peak in the weeks following arrival, Agaro coffees keep opening for six months or more.
At the Telila washing station, cherry from 579 smallholder farmers across the Wanja Kersa community is mechanically depulped using Penagos equipment, soaked overnight in fiberglass tanks to fully strip any remaining sugars, then moved to raised beds where it dries for six to eight hours a day over six to eight days with frequent turning for even drying.
Wanja Kersa sits within the Geera Woreda of Jimma zone, a kebele defined by high rainfall distributed across the entire growing season and farms ranging from 0.1 to 2 hectares at altitudes between 1,800 and 2,200 meters. Producers intercrop with false banana trees and maize, selected based on the age and needs of the coffee plants. The soil is a fertile sandy loam with strong water retention and drainage that requires no fertilizer to produce exceptional quality.
The farmers here are Oromo people whose lives and livelihoods are built almost entirely around coffee. The variety is Ethiopian Landraces, native heirloom varieties growing across western Ethiopia's highlands as they have for centuries, and in Agaro they produce some of the most distinctive and expressive cups.
All this expertise results in a super complex final cup that is highlighted by fresh peach, lemongrass, and crisp sugarcane sweetness.
