ETHIOPIA - Gerse

Bergamot, lemon, honey.

Floral at first, then citrus, with honey sweetness running through the cup.

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Washed process.

Heirloom and local landrace varieties.

Whole roasted coffee beans.

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Producer

Gerse is a small coffee-producing area in the highlands of Yirgacheffe, in Ethiopia’s Gedeo Zone, with only around 300 bags produced each year.

Mikiyas Bogale took over his family’s washing station in 2020 and works with smallholders around Gerse Kebele, at around 2,000–2,200 meters above sea level.

Processing

Only ripe cherries are selected before being pulped at the washing station and density-sorted in water.

The coffee ferments in concrete tanks for 48 to 72 hours, depending on the weather, before being washed and dried slowly on raised beds. Sorting continues throughout drying before the coffee is prepared for export in Addis Ababa.