Ethiopia Reko

Tasting Notes: Tangerine - Lemon Candy - White Peach - Orange Blossom

Named for the Reko washing station (which is named for the Reko mountain, itself — a word that means “challenge” in Afaan Oromo, a metaphor for the challenge of producing the highest quality of coffee in the area), Ethiopia Reko comes from the Kochere region of Yirgacheffe and truly is a special coffee.

There’s no denying the true terroir of a coffee from Yirgacheffe: floral, soft, sweet, fruit forward. At the same time, what makes this coffee special is the work the washing station does. Out of the 850 contributing farmers, the station separates cherry out by harvest time and region, as well as pushing for 36-48 hour fermentation and meticulous sorting.

This is our seventh year bringing Reko into our lineup, and we couldn’t be more excited. Constantly committing to this coffee year after year grew into Jared being able to visit the Reko washing station in November of 2017.

Specific steps that Reko pursues to ensure quality in the area: cherry arriving later than at other washing station, due to an emphasis that Reko placed on the ripeness of the fruit during picking, and a meticulous amount of maintenance was being performed pre-harvest on the depulper to ensure consistent processing of the coffee fruit.

Partnering with Reko is more difficult than with farms in Central America, due to how coffee sales are organized through the commodities exchange and sheer distance, but being able to commit year after year to Reko’s coffee is a source of pride at Ruby.