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Ethiopia-Gedeb Worka Sakaro
(Anaerobic Natural Processed)

(Photo Credit: ironcladcoffee.com)

(From Balzac Brothers Coffee Importers)

Worka Sakaro Washing Staion is located in the Gedio Zone. The washing station works with over 400 smallholder farmers in the region. These farmers grow their coffee on the steep mountain slopes at approximately 2,000 to 2,200 meters above sea level. The coffee is grown in the shade of Birbira, Corsica Africana, and Ensete Ventricosum trees. The coffee is picked when the cherries are ripe and then dried on raised beds for 18 to 21 days. Once the coffee is dried it is then milled to remove the husks and stored in a local warehouse before being transported for final processing before shipment. This lot follows suit with the wave of groups now experimenting with various methods of anaerobic processing. It follows all the same steps as a typical naturally processed coffee, except after the coffee is floated, it is placed into special plastic bags, flushed with carbon dioxide and nitrogen gas, and monitored over 3-7 days until fermented adequately (this varies based on mucilage content and environmental conditions). Once the cherries reach the desired pH and color, they are removed from the bags and transferred to drying tables to complete the process.