Tagel Alemayehu - Ethiopia - Washed 74110

Origin: Ethiopia
Region: Hambella Wamena, Guji
Producer: Smallholder farmers delivering to Tagel Alemayehu’s washing station
Altitude: 2300 masl
Variety: 74110
Crop: Dec/Jan 2025
Process: Washed

Rooted in Guji: The Story of Tagel Alamayehu & Hambela Goro

A Legacy Reclaimed

In the specialty coffee world, every cup tells a story, but few are as deeply personal as that of Tagel Alamayehu. Tagel’s roots in the Ethiopian coffee industry are generations deep. In the early 2000s, his father—a revered figure in the Guji coffee community—built the very first coffee washing station in the Bule Hora area. Tragically, financial hardships forced his father into bankruptcy, resulting in the loss of their family’s coffee-growing lands.

Driven by a profound respect for his family's heritage, Tagel made a quiet promise to himself: he would buy back the land his father had lost. Years of dedication and hard work made that dream a reality. In 2018, capitalizing on the liberalization of Ethiopia’s export laws, Tagel founded Olkai, his own exporting company, and took the helm as the coordinator of the Hambela Goro washing station. Today, he doesn't just process coffee; he stewards a family legacy.

The Land and the Community

Nestled in the breathtaking highlands of Hambella Wamena within the Guji zone, the Hambela Goro station sits at a staggering altitude of 2,300 meters above sea level. Coffee grown at this extreme elevation matures slowly beneath a dense forest canopy, developing incredibly dense beans with complex, concentrated sugars.

But great coffee requires a great community. Tagel partners with 460 local smallholder farmers, most of whom tend to just a few hundred trees on micro-plots. Through Olkai, Tagel ensures these producers are paid well above market rates. Beyond fair compensation, the company invests directly back into the region by distributing fresh coffee seedlings annually and funding the construction of local schools and vital infrastructure.

The Coffee: Varietal 74110

The coffee cultivated by the Hambela Goro network is primarily the 74110 varietal.

While often grouped under the broad "Ethiopian Heirloom" umbrella, 74110 has a specific and celebrated history. In the 1970s, the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) scoured the Illubabor forest for disease-resistant coffee strains to combat a severe outbreak of Coffee Berry Disease. They identified and selected the 74110 strain not only for its robust resilience but also for its exceptional yield and vibrant cup profile. It is renowned for producing a brilliantly floral and citrus-forward coffee.

The Washed Process: Precision and Patience

To let the pristine terroir of Guji and the delicate genetics of the 74110 varietal shine, Tagel utilizes a meticulous fully washed process.

Here is how the harvest is transformed:

  1. Selective Harvesting & Sorting: The process begins with the careful hand-picking of only the ripest, deep-red cherries. Once delivered to the Hambela Goro station, the cherries undergo rigorous hand-sorting to remove any underripe or defective fruit.
  2. Depulping: The sorted cherries are passed through a mechanical depulper, which gently squeezes the fruit to separate the outer skin and pulp from the coffee seed, leaving behind a sticky, sugary layer called mucilage.
  3. Underwater Fermentation: The mucilage-coated seeds are then transferred into large water tanks. They submerge and ferment for 48 hours. During this critical window, natural enzymes break down the sticky mucilage, while the water regulates the temperature, resulting in a remarkably clean and crisp flavor profile.
  4. Washing & Grading: After fermentation, the coffee is washed thoroughly in clean water channels. This step removes any remaining mucilage and allows the beans to be naturally graded by density (the highest quality, densest beans sink to the bottom).
  5. Drying on Raised Beds: Finally, the clean parchment coffee is spread in thin layers across raised African drying beds. Over the course of 10 to 12 days, the beans are turned continuously to ensure even drying and are covered during the hottest parts of the day and at night to protect them from the elements.

In the cup

The result of this rigorous process is a brilliantly clean, sparkling cup characterized by complex florals, crisp sweet lemon, honey, and a deep, jammy stone-fruit sweetness.

Roasted for filter and modern espresso.

Available now at our locations.