Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Konga Organic
From Konga Co-operative
Gedeo Zone, southern district of Yirgacheffe.
Undoubtedly one of the world’s most intriguing speciality coffees available today. A deliciously unique, floral aroma - reminicent of marigolds - greets you initially, while the cup itself delivers a satisying light to medium body with definite tones of sweet lemons and freshly cracked black pepper. Zesty and refreshing, this coffee makes a perfect partner to spicy and exotic dishes.
Acknowledged as the birthplace of Arabica coffee, where the tree and the rejuvenating properties of its berries were first noted. Ethiopia and the Yirgacheffe district in particular produces some of the most exotic coffees in Africa.
The country has five main growing areas which produces a range of coffees with an incredible diversity of flavour profiles unmatched by any other single country. In Yirgacheffe the coffee is distinctive with multilayered complexity and elegance. In this area most coffee is grown on the family plot just outside their thatched-leaved home as "garden coffee", intercropped amongst staple vegetables planted together under the canopy of the coffee trees. Some is harvested wild from the forest.
Konga is one of 21 smallholder Cooperatives founded in 2002 following deregulation of the government controlled Coffee & Tea Authority. Each Cooperative has a democratically elected board with 2000 members in each group. At Konga, which is named after the local river, the coffee has always been grown without chemicals and recently secured both Organic and Fairtrade status.