{"product_id":"ethiopia-banko-chelchele-lemongrass","title":"Ethiopia Banko Chelchele Lemongrass","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLemongrass, Sprite, Nectarine, Jasmine Pearl Tea\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis time each year, roasters get a twinkle in their eye. And while it can certainly be off-putting to encounter legions of twinkly-eyed craftsmen, there's good cause for it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's Ethiopia season!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat's right, the new harvest from the heavyweight champ of coffee origins is officially landing, and what better way to kick it off than with a rare Lemongrass co-ferment from Yirgacheffe?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis lot \u003cspan\u003ecomes from Chelchele in the Gedeb district of Ethiopia's Gedeo Zone (Ethiopia loves to make it as complicated as possible to announce provenance)\u003c\/span\u003e. It's an anaerobic natural that doesn't taste like an anaerobic natural. It's also a co-ferment that doesn't taste like a co-ferment. It's more like Ethiopia in technicolor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBanko Chelchele handled processing for this lot. The method began with a whole-cherry, lemongrass-infused, ten-day fermentation stage. That week and a half put the sugars on steroids and created deep herbal complexity. Next came a twenty-day drying phase—on raised beds, of course—to bring the coffee to 11% moisture. For the grand finale, the Banko crew set the coffee to rest for several weeks to settle water activity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is one of the more refined co-ferments you'll run across. There's no Mike Tyson flavor punch, no cymbal-clash fruit note. Instead, it proves that soft co-ferments, handled with care, can be salt to steak—a flavor enhancer rather than a flavor commander. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis coffee lands dry—dry as in the tannic essence of a jasmine tea. Lemongrass deserves credit for that dry feel. It's restrained and delicate and infinitely complex. It also feels very Ethiopian, the type of tea-like note that defines the origin's washed brews (kinda cool since this coffee isn't washed).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lemongrass yields to a Sprite note, and the two become so closely matched that it's hard to tell where one begins and the other ends. There's a bit of blueberry backing things up, a touch of nectarine acidity. And finally, there's Jasmine Pearl Tea—the tannic vibe boomeranging its way back. That tea-like impression defines the finish, which lingers for days. Weeks. Maybe years. It's a fitting close to a brew that manages to be both boundary-pushing and traditional.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Friend's Coffee","offers":[{"title":"8 oz","offer_id":48418567160049,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0415\/2062\/7867\/files\/Lemongrass_530d4a99-07b9-475d-98ff-92d47be385e5.png?v=1784298686","url":"https:\/\/myfriendscoffeela.com\/products\/ethiopia-banko-chelchele-lemongrass","provider":"My Friend's Coffee","version":"1.0","type":"link"}