How Do Liko Natural Coffee Beans Perform in Pour-Over?

The Yirgacheffe Liko Cooperative natural lot comes from Kochere in Ethiopia, grown above 1,850 meters and dried in the traditional sun method. It shows delicate acidity and strong sweetness, with layered notes of jackfruit, mango, ripe peach and berries. Officially graded G3, the green beans arrive close to G1 in appearance, and the roasted beans are plump and even.

The lot was found through Dutch trader Trabocca's Red Cherry Project, which blind-cupped micro-lots and encouraged the washing station and nearby farmers to raise quality; it scored 93 points on Coffee Review. Liko washing station was founded in 2011 and receives cherries from about 850 smallholders between late October and mid-January. For pour-over, a medium grind and steady pulse pours help separate the fruit notes from the sweetness, so the delicate acidity stays clean in the cup.

In Kochere, within Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe region, there is a naturally processed coffee from the Lico合作社 cooperative that, thanks to its high-altitude growing environment above 1,850 meters and traditional sun-drying, displays delicate acidity and outstanding sweetness. Although officially graded G3, the actual green bean appearance is close to G1 quality, and the roasted beans are plump and uniform with rich flavor layers. This coffee was selected through Dutch trader Trabocca's Red Cherry Project and once scored 93 points on Coffee Review. This article will introduce the background of Lico Cooperative, how the Red Cherry Project operates, and the green bean information and cupping flavors of this coffee. Front Street Coffee will also share pour-over recommendations to help you fully bring out its captivating intertwining flavors of jackfruit, mango, ripe peach, and berries.

This coffee comes from the Yirgacheffe Lico Cooperative in the Kochere region of Ethiopia. It uses the local traditional natural processing method and is grown at an altitude above 1,850 meters, giving the finished cup especially delicate acidity and excellent sweetness. The official grade is G3, but the actual green beans received are almost at G1 level, and the roasted beans are plump and beautiful, unlike other natural beans that are uneven. This green coffee was discovered when the Dutch trading company Trabocca conducted large-scale blind cupping of various micro-lots. They first noticed that Lico washing station's washed Yirgacheffe unexpectedly carried distinctive peach, mango, and stone fruit aromas, and believed it was very suitable for producing natural-processed lots. This lot is the result of joint efforts by Lico washing station and nearly a thousand nearby farmers. With the guidance and encouragement of the Red Cherry Project, quality was improved, and it was selected from many Red Cherry Project samples. It also received a high score of 93 points on the well-known cupping website Coffee Review.

Lico washing station was established in 2011 in the Kochere region of Yirgacheffe, at an altitude of about 1,850 to 2,100 meters. During the harvest season from late October each year to mid-January of the following year, 850 nearby smallholder coffee farmers deliver their harvested coffee cherries to Lico washing station. After receiving the cherries, workers immediately place them on raised beds to sun-dry for 15 to 20 days. Once the moisture of the green coffee drops to about 12%, it is stored in warehouses until it needs to be exported, at which point it is depulped and hulled.

Introduction to the Red Cherry Project:

The Red Cherry Project was initiated by the Dutch trading company Trabocca BV. It aims to improve coffee production capacity and quality in remote areas of Ethiopia by providing producers with professional technical and technological assistance. Part of the funding comes from the Dutch government. Since 2005, it has implemented small-scale farm quality improvement projects. The project mainly selects high-altitude small coffee cooperatives in the three regions of Yirgacheffe, Limu, and Sidama, encouraging and assisting producers to improve washed, semi-washed, natural, or other experimental processing methods in order to enhance coffee quality. Professional cuppers are stationed in coffee-producing areas to directly monitor coffee flavor and ensure the quality of each batch produced. Before the harvest season, Trabocca invites selected smallholder producer organizations to participate in producing micro-lot coffee (about 1,500 to 3,000 kg), with 100% ripe red coffee cherries carefully hand-picked in multiple passes, hence the name Red Cherry Project.

In addition, Trabocca also provides financial loan support, new hardware equipment, and production and processing knowledge and technology to assist coffee farmers. It promises that as long as the actual quality meets the cupping standards in the cupping rooms in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Amsterdam, the Netherlands, it will purchase at a favorable price. This year, the passing standard set by Trabocca is 88 points. After processing at origin is completed, Red Cherry Project beans are immediately packaged in separate plastic inner bags (GrainPro bags) or vacuum boxes, then transported to Djibouti to await shipping. Through real-time monitoring, safe transportation, and timely and appropriate handling, it strives to pursue perfect quality.

Below is the green bean information for this Lico Cooperative coffee:

Region: Yirgacheffe Kochere

Producer: Lico Cooperative

Processing method: Natural process

Altitude: 1,850-2,100 meters

Roast level: Light roast

Variety: Heirloom

Grade: G3

Certification: Red Cherry Project

Cupping flavor: Rich fruit aromas of sweet jackfruit, mango, ripe peach, strawberry, starfruit, wafer, and berries, with a finish carrying the whisky-like acidity fermented from ripe fruit.

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