Ethiopia

Chelbesa Natural

Floral aromas and rich stone fruit

Bright floral aromas are contrasted with complex fruit notes in the cup in this lot from Moplaco’s Yirgacheffe station.

This lot was produced at Moplaco’s mill in Yirgacheffe, composed of cherries collected in the nearby village of Chelbesa.

Producer
Moplaco
Coffee expression
A floral & rich coffee

Regular price: $26.00
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Sale price: $26.00
incl. vat/tax
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Natural Heirloom

Chelbesa

We have been purchasing Ethiopian coffees through Moplaco for six years now, and have grown to trust their buying practices and the quality that they are able to offer, both in coffees they produce themselves, and those they purchase from neighbouring mills. This lot is an example of the former. Moplaco’s Yirgacheffe mill is located just outside the iconic town of the same name, and collects cherry from several surrounding villages. The cherries that comprise this lot have been collected from the village of Chelbesa.

The clear florals and bright and citrus and peach notes lead to an excellent representation of the Ethiopian profile.

Yirgacheffe

The potential of these cherries is unlocked by Moplaco’s team at the Yirgacheffe station. This was the first Moplaco mill to start processing natural coffees in the region, more than 20 years ago. The first natural coffee to win the ‘Taste of Harvest’ was also produced here, cementing Moplaco’s intent to innovate and progress. The natural coffees from Moplaco’s mills have been some of the most elegant we have tasted in recent years. The clear Yirgacheffe aromatic signature of white florals and citrus is maintained, while softening the fruit in the cup towards stewed stone fruit, and enhancing a deep brown sugar sweetness.

Moplaco

Moplaco was founded in 1972, by Yannis Georgalis. They established themselves in the town of Dire Dawa, to the north east of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Crucially, Dire Dawa is located on the edge of the iconic Ethiopian region of Harrar, and is home to the region’s largest ECX coffee delivery centre. Harrar produces a markedly different expression of Ethiopian coffee when compared to the regions further south surrounding the Great Rift Valley.

"The Georgalis family take their responsibility to the community seriously, giving back to the area of Addis they have called home for so long."

Yannis’ daughter Heleanna took over Moplaco 10 years ago, leading the company’s expansion into the south, and focussing on speciality coffee. The company invested in their facility in Addis Ababa, actually downsizing from their commercial days, allowing them to mill coffees from all over Ethiopia while maintaining traceability. The previous second warehouse has been converted into a shared creative space, where artisans work with textiles, ceramics and more, alongside a small coffee shop. The Georgalis family take their responsibility to the community seriously, giving back to the area of Addis they have called home for so long.

Moplaco own processing stations in some of the most well known regions of Ethiopia; Yirgacheffe, Guji, Sidamo, where experimental processing is carried out, and agronomic advice is given to the smallholder farmers who deliver cherry. Most recently, Moplaco purchased the Logita processing station near the town of Bensa, in the North-East of the famous Sidamo region. Moplaco also work with neighbouring mills, assisting them with finance and quality work in order to secure a consistent supply of excellent coffee. We are proud to be involved with Heleanna’s work, an inspirational woman blazing a trail for a new level of speciality coffee in Ethiopia.

Technical Data

Producer
Moplaco
Region
Yirgacheffe
Altitude
2100 masl
Varietal
Heirloom
Process
Natural
Harvest
January 2023

Natural Process

The natural, or dry process, is the traditional process, going back generations. When accomplished in a controlled and careful manner, dry processed coffees can produce flavour experiences not found in wet processed coffees, deep fruits and florals, normally with heavier mouthfeel and lower acidity. The cherries are first sorted, and then laid out on in thin layers (2-6 cm) on raised drying beds. These are almost always used for high quality naturals, as they aid airflow around the coffee as it dries, enabling more even drying.

It is very important that coffees are sorted very carefully early on in the drying process, as all of the cherries quickly turn dark brown, making it impossible to separate under and overripe cherries. The cherries are turned frequently to avoid mold formation or over-fermentation, until they reach a moisture content of below 20%, and the outer cherry layer shrinks and blackens. This process takes between 2 and 4 weeks, depending on weather conditions.