Detour - Ethiopia Gerse Red Honey

WHOLE BEAN

Tasting notes: Bergamot, Bartlett Pear 

It feels delicate, crisp, and floral like a juicy honeydew melon, a jasmine tea with a spoonful of creamed honey, and a serene late-night walk on a snow-covered trail through perfectly falling snowflakes.

Grown in the acclaimed Gedeo zone in the legendary Yirgacheffe region of Ethiopia in the Gerse Kebele by smallholder farmers between 1900 and 2200 MASL. This specific lot comprises regional local landraces grown by local smallholder farmers in naturally occurring semi-forested or garden conditions and have undergone red honey processing after picking at the washing station.

Harvesting Red Honey lots boasts going through a meticulous multi-phase process to achieve the consistency we see today after multiple rounds of hand sorting and floating cherry to ensure consistency across the coffee. Floating cherries are a standard part of processing in water-accessible areas, where coffee can be tested by whether or not it floats or sinks. Higher-density, deemed acceptable cherries will sink and continue through further processing and de-pulping.

Next, the disc pulped is calibrated to allow for control during red honey processing efforts, which actively controls the speed of pulping coffee from their cherries, done slowly to minimize parchment and seed damage while still mucilage content intact and undergoes a short time of fermentation before moving on to the final drying phase.

Red honey-processed coffees are classified as those that have approximately 30%-50% of their mucilage removed during processing. Therefore, they are left with a deep red, brown colour on the green coffee’s exterior while it’s drying.

Fun fact! ZemCoffee Importers are proud to have shared honey processing education with Producers in the Gedeo, Yirgacheffe region, including providing education for producers, washing station owners, and coffee quality approvals, and brought buyers to demonstrate the market for the process — quite the feat!

Origin - Gerse, Yirgacheffe Gedeo Zone, Ethiopia
Variety - Local Landraces
Process - Red Honey
Producer - Various Smallholders
Farm - Various
Altitude - 1900 to 2200 MASL

Detour Coffee Roasters, based in Hamilton, Ontario, is committed to delivering a fresh and dynamic coffee experience through thoughtful sourcing and innovative roasting. With a focus on ethical partnerships and sustainable practices, Detour works closely with farmers to ensure quality and traceability at every stage of production. Their approach highlights the unique flavours of each origin, creating coffees that are bright, balanced and full of character.

From their signature blends to vibrant single-origin offerings, Detour crafts coffees that are both approachable and complex, catering to everyday drinkers and coffee enthusiasts alike. Their dedication to consistency, flavour and sustainability has made Detour a standout in the Canadian coffee scene, redefining what it means to enjoy a truly great cup.