Tabe Burka, Ethiopia

The Tabe Burka washing station is located in the Uraga woreda, part of the Guji zone. It was founded by Tadesse Edema in 2008, being the first washing station in the region. A native of Guji, Tadesse is more than just a coffee producer, but also a community leader, building schools and roads in the region, setting up much-needed infrastructure.

In addition to washing stations, he owns two farms - one in Shakiso and another in Anasora. During the ten years when the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) restricted direct exports, Tadesse delivered his lots to the regional warehouse where traceability was obscured. This changed in the 2019/2020 season, where Tadesse is now finally able to deliver his world-class coffees directly to us.

This natural processed coffee first starts off with handpicked cherries, which are delivered to the Tabe Burka Station. The cherries are floated, and then visually inspected for damaged, over-ripe, and under-ripes. Then, cherries are laid out to dry in a single layer and raked every hour for even drying. After a few days, the thickness of the cherries layer is increased to slow the rate of drying to 3 weeks, which helps to create a fuller and sweeter cup profile.