The Tabe Burka washing station was built in 2008 by Guji-native Tadesse Edema, near the town of Suke Waragata. As well as his pioneering work in coffee, Tadesse is a community leader who has built schools and roads in the region.
Now managing the Barkuma Coffee Export company in Addis Ababa, day to day operations at the washing station are looked after by his brother, Dembelash.
The fertile lands of the Ethiopian highlands here support a polyculture agricultural system which allows farmers to combine food crops and coffee on their same plots. False banana trees ("enset") are an important piece in the agrarian systems. This tree whose root, pounded, is the basis of the diet of this region, has important nutritional qualities.
The enset also has the distinction of retaining water in its trunk for many months. Its presence in the middle of coffee trees provides constant humidity to the entire plot and promotes the resistance of trees to drier periods. Due to traditional farming methods, Tabe Burka is certified organic.
The Uraga district borders on those of Odo Shakisso and Hambela, all three very famous for the quality of their Guji appellation coffees. Coffee growing in Uraga is probably even older than in these two other districts.
The Process
Farmers selectively handpick cherry and deliver it to the Tabe Burka station. The cherries are visually inspected and floated to remove defects, then pulped and fermented for 36-72 hours.
Throughout the fermentation, the water is changed three times to preserve clarity. Cherries are then washed in channels to remove remaining mucilage and separated by density.
The highest grade of beans are then soaked again for 8 to 12 hours to produce an exceptionally bright coffee, full of clean flavour.
