Bean Talk: Stumptown - Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Tumticha

Let's have a little chat about the beans I picked up today!


Roasters: Stumptown Coffee Roasters (Brooklyn, NY)
Roast Date: December 6th, 2010
Beans: Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Tutimcha
Varietal: Ethiopian Heirloom
Location: Gedeo, Yirgacheffe
Region: Africa
Elevation: 1900-2300 metres

TO Connection: LIT Espresso Bar (639 Queen Street West)
Price: $14 for 3/4lb - 12oz - 340g



From Stumptown:

Tumticha is a small village in the Dilla Zuria district of the Gedeo Zone, within the famous Yirgacheffe growing region. It’s a green and fertile region with mountainous slopes peaking out a fantastic 2,300 meters above sea level. Tumticha is the quintessential example of a classic Yirgacheffe flavor profile. It’s another offering from the famous Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmer’s Cooperative Union.
The traditional Gedeo farming system relies on the natural forests with diverse and complex poly-cropping. The system, which has been passed down for many generations, promotes natural soil enhancement and wildlife diversity. When coffee cultivation came to the region, it fit in well with the engrained farming system. Coffee trees are grown alongside Enset, a plant used to make the staple food kocha, and Millittia a fast growing shade tree that is used for building materials and fuel, as well as with the old growth hardwood trees. Coffee is the major source of income for people in Gedeo. The majority of families own as little as 1⁄2 a hectare of land, with an average of 90 coffee trees. Farmers consider coffee an insurance crop which pays for taxes, school fees, clothes and food items.

"The Tumticha Cooperative is composed of 2109 farmer members, 218 of which are female. The Coop produces 1800 megatons of green coffee annually. The majority of the coffee cherries are naturally processed while about a third of the highest quality cherries are washed processed.
After cherry selection, these heirloom Ethiopian varietals are depulped with McKinnon depulping devices, fermented upwards of 24 hours, carefully washed in channels and dried carefully on raised beds in the sun. Over the last year, funds have been donated from their exporting partners to the washing station in order to repair and build additional drying beds. Tumticha’s leaders are excited and dedicated to working on continued improvements and education for their farmer members. Being a farmer owned entity, the Tumticha Cooperative is able to bypass Ethiopia’s newly imposed commodity exchange and sell their coffee directly to Stumptown."
Prepartion: Chemex
Grinder: Hario Slim (Hand Grinder)

Tasting Notes: Black Tea, with rich berries. Blackberries and fresh raspberry with a sprinkle of blueberries bursting in your mouth.
Mouthfeel: rich chocolate and subdued acid in the form of citrus. Residual mouthfeel, was very similar to the taste and texture after eating a bunch of green seedless grapes; a refreshing feel.

I highly recommend Chemex if you haven't had a chance to give it a whirl.

Espresso: Bunch of berries rolling in my mouth, with rich cocoa powder sprinkled on top.
End result: Try this classic Yirgacheffe if you haven't had a chance.