03 Single Origin Coffee Beans

The 03 Single Origin series will change seasonally as the Coffee Manufactory changes the source of their coffee beans. 

Currently featuring Ethiopia Kolla Bolcha

Kolla Bolcha, ETHIOPIA

Wet Mill & Cooperative: Kata Muduga         

Region: Jimma

Elevation: 1900 - 2200 masl

Variety: Ethiopia Landraces       

Process: Washed

CUPPING NOTES: Floral, Black Tea, Red Currant, Mandarin Orange. 

Kolla Bolcha comes from the Agaro Woreda (county) located in the Oromia Region of Western Ethiopia. The weather is usually sunny and dry, but the short rains, or “belg”, occur from February to April and the large rains, or “meher”, from mid-June to mid-September. Over the greater part of Ethiopia, as well as the Oromia highlands, the climate is very healthy and temperate, perfect for growing coffee! (Which makes sense as Ethiopia is where coffee cultivation all began!) However, the Agaro coffees we know and love today didn’t find their way to market until just ten years ago. Previously this area was known for producing low-grade naturally processed coffee. However, in 2010, the USAID’s Technoserve project invested in this region and brought in brand-new processing equipment, allowing the area’s coffees to truly showcase their best characteristics and Kolla Bolcha represents that investment to the fullest. Luckily for us, we reached out to our friends at Red Fox Coffee Merchants in early 2019, who have been working with Kolla Bolcha for many years, and were able to taste the some of the first lots coming out of this washing station- we were sold after one sip!

Thanks to Technoserve’s initial investment and the stellar leadership of Kolla Bolcha and the greater Kata Muduga Union, Kolla Bolcha’s processing is now immaculate. After Penagos processing equipment mechanically removes most of the fruit and mucilage from the seeds, they soak overnight in fiberglass tanks, allowing any remaining sugars to be fully removed from their surface so that the coffees are perfectly clean by the time they hit the drying beds for the eight-plus days they’ll need to dry.

As a result of the longstanding relationships with Kata Muduga, Red Fox was given the opportunity to be the first to select lots coming out of Kolla Bolcha and thankfully for us, they were willing to share! Kolla Bolcha is bursting with florals and notes of red currant, mandarin orange and black tea. You can think of this new 03 offering as your last sip of summer.