This is a zesty, crisp, herbaceous washed coffee from the well-known Dara district, in southern Sidama. Sidama Zone & Dara District The Sidama zone is one of Ethiopia's most productive, supplying over 40% of the entire country's washed coffee to its central market. Compared to Yirgacheffe, further south, Sidama is a sprawling and varied landscape that transitions from the Great Rift Valley to beyond 2000 meters in elevation. Sidama’s Dara "woreda", or district, is one of the zone's southernmost areas, and one of its highest. Some of the region's best washed coffees are produced here. Despite having a robust cooperative presence, Sidama is also home to many independent processors and exporters. The Teferikela washing station is one of these independent sites, owned and managed by Siz Agro PLC, a private exporter with a handful of processing stations throughout southern Ethiopia. Processing at Teferikela Washed lots at Teferikela are fermented slowly—24 to 48 hours—due to the low ambient temperatures in the high elevation region and the replenishment of cold groundwater throughout the process. Once fermentation is complete, the wet parchment is washed clean with fresh water to remove all remaining mucilage. Clean parchment is then dried on raised beds in full sun until moisture content reaches a final 11%. Drying beds are routinely covered during the mid-day hours to prevent the searing hot sun from cracking the brittle parchment; also at night to keep encroaching humidity from settling on the coffee. After drying is complete the finished parchment is transported to Addis Ababa for final milling and export.
