How does the Konga Cooperative grow Yirgacheffe coffee?

The Konga Cooperative sits in the Gedeo area of Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe region, a few kilometers south of Yirgacheffe town and above 1,800 meters. It joined the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union in 2002 and now covers 2,292 farmer households farming 3,361 hectares. The cooperative holds both Fair Trade and Organic certification.

The area's deep soil, more than 1.5 meters, is high in iron, which supports chlorophyll synthesis in the coffee trees. The harvest runs from October to February, and the Wote processing station produces Natural G1 lots. On the farm, high altitude slows cherry maturation and concentrates sugars in the bean.

In Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe region, the Konga Cooperative is a model organization holding both Fair Trade and Organic certification, with over two thousand farmer households cultivating high-altitude land in the Gedeo area. In this article, Front Street will take you deep into the Konga Cooperative's geographical background, soil advantages, TOH Natural Group championship honor, and the complete picture of the Wote processing station's Natural G1 coffee—from cultivation, processing, roasting, cupping, and brewing—so you can experience this bean's complex fruity mouthfeel and bright acidity.

Ethiopia's coffee-growing regions are home to numerous cooperatives of varying sizes, each serving the coffee farmers in its surrounding area, helping to improve cultivation standards and expand sales channels. In this article, Front Street continues to focus on cooperatives in the Yirgacheffe region, introducing the Konga Cooperative, which holds both Fair Trade and Organic certification.

Konga Cooperative

The Konga Cooperative is located in the Gedeo area, a few kilometers south of Yirgacheffe town, and administratively belongs to the Yirgacheffe coffee region. The cooperative takes its name from the nearby Konga River and the local Konga village. The cooperative sits at an elevation of over 1,800 meters, and the coffee harvest season runs from October to February of the following year.

The Konga Cooperative is a member of YCFCU (Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union), officially joining in 2002. According to data published on YCFCU's official website, the Konga Cooperative has a total of 2,292 farmer households, with coffee cultivation area reaching 3,361 hectares. The cooperative has obtained Fair Trade certification and Organic certification.

The Gedeo area where the Konga Cooperative is located generally has high iron content in its soil, with a soil layer exceeding 1.5 meters in depth. The deep soil provides ample room for coffee tree roots to spread, helping them absorb water and nutrients more fully. Iron is an indispensable trace element for chlorophyll synthesis; once a plant is deficient in iron, it cannot properly synthesize chlorophyll even with sufficient light. Front Street believes that soil with high iron content enables coffee trees to produce sufficient chlorophyll, thereby carrying out photosynthesis more efficiently and accumulating nutrients, ultimately having a positive impact on coffee fruit quality.

Konga Cooperative Wins New Harvest Season TOH Natural Group Championship

According to foreign media reports, the 2020 new harvest season Ethiopia TOH (the taste of harvest) Natural Group championship was won by the Konga Cooperative. T.O.H (Taste of Harvest) was initiated by the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA), and is held annually in 12 African coffee-producing countries as a harvest-season cupping competition, similar in nature to the C.O.E Cup of Excellence competition. The T.O.H competition process is as follows: in the preliminary round, lots scoring below 80 points in cupping are eliminated first, then the highest-quality green beans from each region are gradually selected to enter the national-level competition, and finally domestic and international judges cup and score together according to Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) standards, with the highest scorer becoming the annual national champion.

Front Street Coffee — Yirgacheffe Konga Cooperative Wote Processing Station Natural G1

Region: Yirgacheffe Konga Cooperative

Washing Station: Wote Konga Processing Station

Altitude: 1850-2050m

Variety: Local Heirloom

Processing Method: Natural Processing

Grade: G1

Wote Processing Station

The Wote Processing Station is located in Konga village, Yirgacheffe, and Wote is the name of a river flowing through the station; the station's production water is also drawn from this river. The Wote Processing Station purchases coffee cherries from more than 600 to 700 surrounding coffee farmers. These farmers have an average cultivation area of less than one hectare per household, with fewer than 1,500 coffee trees planted per hectare, and the coffee trees are often intercropped with sweet potatoes, mangoes, avocados, and other crops. The Konga coffee beans Front Street has acquired use the natural processing method, which can give the beans a complex fruity mouthfeel and the sweet-and-tart profile of ripe berries.

After harvesting ripe coffee cherries, initial foreign matter removal is carried out first, picking out impurities and defective beans. The coffee cherries are then poured into a water tank; ripe, plump cherries sink to the bottom, while immature or defective cherries float on the surface. The ripe cherries at the bottom of the tank are scooped out and spread on raised drying beds in the drying yard for sun drying, avoiding direct contact with the ground to prevent earthy off-flavors during drying. During the drying process, moisture content drops from 70% to around 10-12%, and the cherries must be turned multiple times each day to dry evenly, while at night they must be covered to prevent moisture absorption. After about two to four weeks of sun drying, the outer layer of the coffee seed has become dry and hard, at which point a huller is used to remove the outer shell, completing the process.

Coffee Variety

The variety of this coffee bean from Front Street is labeled as Heirloom, a name used for most coffee varieties in Ethiopia. In reality, the number of local coffee varieties is extremely large, making it a natural gene pool for Arabica. On one hand, the varieties are so numerous that identification and classification are very difficult; on the other hand, the Ethiopian government, for protection reasons, is unwilling or unable to disclose specific information about these varieties. This also explains why Ethiopian coffee beans often vary in size.

Front Street Coffee Konga Coffee Bean Roasting Recommendations

Front Street's roaster uses a Yangjia 800N semi-direct-fire roaster with a 480g charge: when the drum temperature rises to 175°C, the beans are dropped in, the damper is set to 3, the heat is set to 130, the damper remains unchanged, and the turning point is at 1'28"; when the drum temperature reaches 140°C, the damper is adjusted to 4; at 150°C the damper stays unchanged, the heat is lowered to 110, at which point the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell completely disappears, and the dehydration phase begins;

At 8'00", obvious wrinkles and dark streaks appear on the bean surface, and the toasted bread aroma transforms into coffee fragrance, which can be regarded as the prelude to first crack; at this point, the sound of the first crack needs to be carefully distinguished. First crack begins at 8'48", the damper is adjusted to 5, development after first crack is 0'50", and the beans are dropped at 189°C.

Front Street Coffee Konga Coffee Bean Cupping Report

Front Street Coffee conducts cupping within 8-24 hours after roasting the sample coffee beans. Cupping uses a 200ml ceramic bowl with a water temperature of 94°C. The cupping grind size is 70%-75% passing through a No. 20 standard sieve (0.85 mm). The ratio is 11 grams of coffee grounds to 200 milliliters of hot water, i.e. 1:18.18, so that the extracted concentration falls exactly within the golden cup range of 1.15%-1.35%. The steeping time is 4 minutes.

Dry Aroma: Citrus

Wet Aroma: Jasmine

Flavor: Citrus, Honey, Green Tea, Jasmine

Front Street Coffee Brewing Tips for Konga Coffee Beans

Dripper: V60 #01

Water Temperature: 90-91°C

Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine / caster sugar size (80% passing through a No. 20 sieve)

Front Street brewing method: First rinse the filter paper and preheat the dripper and coffee pot. Bloom with 30 grams of water for 30 seconds, then pour in a slow circular stream up to 125 grams for a stage break; when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225 grams, then stop; when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Timing starts at the beginning of the bloom.) Total extraction time is 2'10".

Brewed Flavor: At high temperatures, it presents berries, cream, honey, citrus, and a juicy mouthfeel, with bright acidity. After the temperature drops slightly, it shows berries, cream, smoothness, and citrus.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.