Ethiopia Shenta Wene - Limited Release 002

Our first Limited Release project was a big hit, and we are incredibly thankful for the support and interest of our customers. Working on these limited releases is one of the most fun exercises our roasting room team gets to do, encouraging us to broaden our coffee knowledge and flex our creative muscles. It also comes with the added benefit of being well-received by our community, so thanks again.

As you might remember, Limited Release 001 was a double-fermented and double-washed coffee from Kenya. For Limited Release 002 we thought we’d go in a different processing direction, but one that might be familiar. LR-002 is a raised bed natural from Shenta Wene, Ethiopia, specifically the Testi Ayla washing station.

Admittedly, there’s nothing outwardly bizarre about this coffee’s specs. It’s a tried and true processing method from the birthplace of coffee. And yet we’re still excited about it, and not in spite of its seeming familiarity, but because of it. Innovation is essential, it propels things forward and gives us experiences we didn’t even know we were missing, but there’s a place in the world for returning to the basics as well. That’s what this Shenta Wene coffee is, a return to the basics, but a return done so well and so meticulously that it deserves being highlighted.

So let’s get a little into the specifics of this coffee. Like I mentioned, this coffee comes from Shenta Wene Kebele in the Sidama Zone of Ethiopia. The washing station, Testi Ayla, is operated by Faysel Yonis and sources cherries from around 1000 local farmers in the region. Each of these farmers averages about two hectares of coffee trees and are situated in some of the highest elevation regions of Sidama. This coffee specifically was grown between 1900 and 2100 meters above sea level, which is pushing the upper limit of coffee growing elevation. The cultivar is Kurume, a high density Ethiopian landrace. 

Our “teaching moment” for this coffee is gonna be about washing stations, an essential and sometimes overlooked step in the crop to cup process. Washing stations are based at the coffee’s origin, because processing needs to begin almost immediately after the cherries are picked. As soon as the fruit is off the tree it will begin fermenting, and this fermentation needs to be carefully controlled to prevent spoilage or off flavors.

In the instance of this coffee, the Testi Ayla washing station processes beans from multiple farms in the area, some washed and some natural. Natural process coffees, like the Shenta Wene, are laid out to dry with the cherries still on the bean. This gives natural coffees their distinct fruity and sometimes fermenty flavor, because the longer contact time with the cherry infuses sugar into the bean. The Shenta Wene is a “raised bed natural” because the cherries are laid out to dry on large elevated platforms. This allows air to circulate around the entire cherry, resulting in a more even drying. For natural coffees the drying phase can take weeks, and the cherries have to constantly be raked and rotated on the beds throughout. They also must be covered with tarps or sheets during extremely hot days and when it rains. 

Once the coffee cherries with the bean inside reach a particular water content, the cherries are sent to milling machines to be further processed. The mills will hull the coffee, removing the outer layers and leaving behind just the green coffee bean. The hulled coffee will then be sorted and bagged for export.

As part of our Limited Release Projects we thought we should include a little something extra and special with each bag of coffee. Every order will receive a postcard with this release’s artwork on it. Send it to a friend to share the love or keep it for yourself as a collectors item. Thank’s for supporting us and inspiring the coffee community.