Organic Revelry Holiday Blend

Winter in the Driftless brings a beautiful sparkle to the rolling hills and valleys. The shimmer of fresh snow puts a skip to our step even on the chilliest of days. To celebrate, we’ve created a holiday blend that captures the brilliance of this time of year. Expect tones of fig pudding and fruitcake, followed by notes of sweet black tea, and a honeysuckle finish. 

Revelry pairs two staff favorite, fresh crop Ethiopian coffees — Chelbessa Danche and Worka Chelbessa. Together, they generate a dynamic and spirited experience in the cup. These neighboring washing stations consistently provide us with coffees that remind us why we love the Ethiopian flavor profile: bright citrus tones, playful stone fruits, and mystical floral aromas. 

We teamed up with our sourcing partners, SNAP, to source these unique expressions of coffee terroir and variety. This exceptional blend of heirloom varieties, and the mix of natural and washed process makes for a cup worthy of the season: spirited, fruity, and luminous, Revelry is a true celebration of coffee at its best.

Ethiopia Chelbessa Danche

Harvested at the peak of ripeness, this coffee comes to us from the Danche Washing Station, the highest altitude washing station in Worka Chelbessa. Chelbessa is one of the largest kebeles (towns) in Gedeb, a county tucked within the renowned Yirgacheffe region. Thought to be the seedstock of all coffee, the Ethiopian heirloom varieties grown in Yirgacheffe have been cultivated for centuries. 

The Gedeo zone is broken down into six different woredas (counties). These micro-regions are like appellations in wine––each known for their own distinctive flavor palate. Gedeb is one of the more celebrated of these counties, and coffees from the area carry a refined take on the region’s iconic floral and fruit profile. While all of the coffee from the region is remarkable, the higher altitude lots we’ve identified from Danche rise a hair above the rest.

The Danche Washing Station is run by our friends at SNAP. They partner with some 486 smallholder farmers in and around Chelbessa to sort, process, and export their coffees at a number of small, private washing stations. This agricultural community’s dedication to their craft is apparent when you sift through the cherries at harvest, revealing an almost unblemished crop. 

This care in cultivation is matched by the attention brought to processing. At the washing station, professional coffee processors remove the skin and fruit of the cherries to reveal the coffee seeds before submerging them underwater for 48 hours. This extended underwater fermentation slightly germinates the seeds, a process unique to Ethiopia. After soaking, the coffee is carefully dried on raised beds, ensuring slow and even drying.

All of this work, from near-obsessive picking to the finesse in processing, reveals the true potential of coffees from this region. The product of hundreds of years of thoughtful cultivation and a tradition of care, Ethiopia Chelbessa Danche continues to be one of our most anticipated coffees of the year.

Ethiopia Worka Chelbessa Natural Process

This coffee comes to us from a private washing station in Worka Chelbessa, Ethiopia. Chelbessa is one of the largest Kebeles [towns] in Gedeb, a county tucked within the renowned Yirgacheffe region. Thought to be the seedstock of all coffee, the Ethiopian heirloom varieties grown in Yirgacheffe have been cultivated for centuries. Bursting with multi-dimensional fruit flavors, Ethiopia Worka goes above and beyond.

It is a natural process coffee, meaning the cherries are dried whole before removing the flesh to expose the bean, this cup offers an even more pronounced fruit profile. 

The Chelbessa Washing Station is also run by our friends at SNAP. SNAP partners with some 486 smallholder farmers in and around Chelbessa to sort, process, and export their coffees. This agricultural community’s dedication to their craft is apparent when you sift through the cherries at harvest. Consistency in picking is some of the best we’ve seen, yielding an almost unblemished crop. 

The care in cultivation and harvesting is matched by the attention brought to processing.  Drying beans outdoors, with the flesh of the cherry left intact for a natural process, has its challenges and requires constant attention to yield the desired results. This is one of those coffees where it all goes right. 

Aromatic and complex, Organic Ethiopia Worka brims with dynamic notes of peach compote, forest berries, and a lovely floral finish.