Ethiop - Aricha Origin: Ethiopia Region: Yirgacheffe Processing station: Aricha Producer: 650 small producers Altitude: 1 900 - 2 000 metres Soil: Natural mineral-rich soil of volcanic origin Harvest: from October to January Variety: arabica / Ethiop variety Processing: dry / Natural Flavour notes: apricot, tropical fruit, punch, rum raisin Ethiopia is considered the cradle of coffee. Coffea Arabica is wild grown in the forests of Kaffa province. Yirgacheffe is one of Ethiopia's best known coffee growing regions. The high altitude and the long tradition of coffee cultivation give this area an outstanding cup profile. Its coffees are generally known for their floral and citrus notes. Today, the country's coffee production has a special "smallholder" structure. This means that the cherries are collected by a large number of farmers, usually with small yields, and transported to a central washing station, rather than processed by their own machines. Immediately after harvesting, the ripe red cherries are carefully selected and dried gently in the sun on so-called 'African beds' until their moisture content reaches about 12%. During the day the cherries are constantly rotated to ensure an even drying process. There is also a nice story intertwined with the Aricha in this area: as one grows grey with age, the bark of the older trees turns whiter. The older the trees get older, the older the bark gets. There is a tradition, called 'Aba-Geda', during which people gather under the leadership of an elderly person of great respect, listen to the master's plea for peace and harmony in the community, and pray together to God for sufficient rainfall.