Jimma is one of the traditional coffee producing regions of Ethiopia, situated north of the famous Yirgacheffe. Traditionally, coffees from the Jimma region are called “Limu” and are produced using the washed process. Whereas Washed Yirgacheffe and Sidamo coffees typically have a light body and black tea flavours, the coffees of Jimma are known for a fuller texture and bright acidity.
As well as producing coffees with a unique flavour profile, Jimma is also home to the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre (JARC). This is the home of coffee plant research and development in Ethiopia. Coffee plant varietals is a tricky conversation in Ethiopia, where there is a huge range of genetic diversity in plants, and we often have to describe them as “heirloom”. These might be truly wild plants, but in many cases these are actually plants which came originally from the JARC selective breeding programs.
This particular mill - Telila Washing Station - is situated near Kecho Anderacha in Gera woreda. the washing station is owned by Mike Mamo. Mike is a coffee exporter and also partner in the importer for this coffee, but in 2019 he decided to buy this Washing Station. It’s taken him a while to get it organised and get good practices in place, so this is the first opportunity we’ve had to taste the coffee - but if it’s this good already, we’re excited to see what the future brings!
Like most Washing Stations in Ethiopia, Telila takes coffee cherries from local smallholders. Unlike many Washing Stations, Mike has focused on controlling and separating the coffee cherries the mill takes in lots can be kept apart. That’s where the second part of this coffee’s name comes in - this lot (which we have all of) has come from one day’s worth of coffee processed from the nearby Yukro village.
