Ethiopian Sidamo Gora Kone
Ethiopian Sidamo Gora Kone Washed Filter Roast
It makes me very happy to be able to share this coffee with you. The very thought of us getting through three lots of washed Ethiopian coffee (although small volumes of each) within a month is a dream!
Gora Kona is a sweeter cup with less acidity, with more body. If I had to guess, I would say that it was a longer fermentation than our other two Ethiopian coffees Reko and Tabe Burka.
Top Trumps
Gora Kone Mill
Region: Sidamo
Sub Region: Nensebo
Nearest Zone: West Arsi
Altitude: 1900-2050 Meters above sea level.
Process: Hand-picked, sorted, pulped, and dried on raised beds. Fully washed.
Varietals: Mixed Heirloom.
Smallholder producers: 700-800
Cup Potential
Aromatics: Jammy & Citric| Body: Creamy | Acidity: Soft, Sweet Citrus|
Roast: Light (ish) Filter.
On opening, Gora Kona is shy. Every time I brew this coffee, I half expect it to jump into being a classic Kenya. There is the promise of currants and citrus that inter-mingle, becoming jammy, sweet and complex. On cooling, the body gets thicker and the citrus becomes curd-like. (sweet and creamy). Naturally, how you brew this and the water you use can make a huge difference.
Recipe: 60-70g per litre
If you want to brew this as espresso that’s fine. It’s lively and due to the soft acidity, it will make sweet, complex shots with the right equipment. I am steering away from this as an espresso offering because it is too shy and will be lost in milk.
Because Sidamo is such a huge area, mills like Gora Kone, in Nensebo have been grouped as part of the region. You may be familiar with Yirgacheffe, which is also a department within Sidamo itself too. Nensebo is recognised as a new sub-region of Sidamo, with finalists in the Cup of Excellence 2020 Gora Kona has been part of putting Nensebo on the coffee map too.
Gora Kone is remote and hard to get to by car. The mill is based on the banks of the river Nensebo and the edge of the village Werka. The mill sources its coffee from 7-800 smallholder farmers, that average up to 3 hectares.
Most of the coffee there is grown under shade, naturally, and much of that is Wanza and Acacia trees.
