Ethiopia Worka Chelchele White Honey - December 2025
Ethiopia Worka Chelchele White Honey
December’s Roaster’s Choice takes us to Ethiopia’s Gedeo Zone, where cool mountain air mingles with the scent of jasmine and wild honey. Here, 705 smallholder farmers produced something extraordinary: Ethiopia Worka Chelchele White Honey. Delicately processed by Tracon Coffee, reveals crisp apple brightness, floral lift, and a gentle sweetness. This selection is a perfect reflection of what happens when Ethiopia’s rich coffee heritage meeting modern processing craft.
Grower: 705 farmers organized around Tracon Coffee
Region: Worka Chelchele, Gedeo, Ethiopia
Cultivar: Kurume, Dega, Wolisho
Altitude: 1944 masl
Process: White Honey
Drying: Dried on raised bed
Roast Level: Light
Roast Body: Mild
Cupping Notes: Apple Tart, Jasmine, Wildflower Honey
A Collaborative Craft From The Birthplace Of Coffee
Ethiopia has always been more than coffee’s birthplace. It’s coffee’s beating heart. Here, beans don’t just grow; they live, nurtured by thousands of smallholder farmers who have perfected the art over generations. This White Honey lot comes from 705 farmers in the Worka Chelchele kebele of Ethiopia’s Gedeo Zone, an area that has long defined what the world recognizes as Yirgacheffe coffee.
Each farmer tends to a “coffee garden”, or a mix of coffee trees, fruit, and native shade species growing in harmony. These aren’t massive estates or uniform plots. They’re living ecosystems, cultivated by hand, harvested by family, and delivered in baskets to Tracon Coffee’s Worka Washing Station.
The Gedeo Zone’s iron-rich soils, high altitude (1,944 masl), and mild year-round climate create the perfect stage for slow-growing cherries. That slower pace allows sugars and acids to develop in balance, resulting in a coffee that’s both bright and deeply layered.
The Art of the White Honey Process
Honey processing is one of those methods that sounds sweet but is really all about control. The “honey” refers to the sticky layer of mucilage that clings to the bean after depulping, not to any ingredient added to it. In a White Honey process, nearly all of that mucilage (about 80–100%) is mechanically removed before drying.
What remains is a whisper-thin coat of natural sugars that caramelize under the sun as the beans dry slowly on raised beds. The result? A coffee that carries the cleanliness of a washed process but keeps a soft sweetness and rounded texture you’d normally associate with naturals.
Unlike fully washed coffees that rely on fermentation tanks and water-intensive rinsing, honey processing conserves water and highlights the bean’s inherent character. The White Honey method is the most delicate form of the style. It requires meticulous timing, constant hand-turning, and a watchful eye for moisture.
The payoff is a cup that’s crisp, floral, and balanced, with a sweetness that hums quietly rather than sings loudly. It’s Ethiopia, refined.
Cultivars Rooted in Tradition
This lot is composed of Kurume, Dega, and Wolisho—three indigenous landrace varietals that have adapted to Ethiopia’s highlands over centuries.
Kurume produces small cherries but abundant yields. It’s known for its structured brightness and floral lift, often forming the backbone of Yirgacheffe’s classic flavor.
Dega, named for the Amharic word meaning “cool highland,” thrives in higher elevations. It contributes the coffee’s smooth body and lingering sweetness.
Wolisho, with its larger cherries and irregular yields, adds depth and complexity. Its broader flavor range creates a balance between citrusy top notes and mellow undertones.
These aren’t modern hybrids. They’re Ethiopian heirlooms, or landraces, passed down through generations, grown beneath canopies of Cordia Africana, Acacia, and Ensete trees. Each variety plays its own role in the cup, blending into something distinctively Worka Chelchele.
Meet Tracon Coffee
Behind this coffee is Tracon Coffee Export, a third-generation, family-owned Ethiopian company that’s been shaping the country’s coffee landscape for over 35 years. Founded by Omer Ali Shifaw and Leila Mohammed Hussen, Tracon started as a small trading operation and grew into one of Ethiopia’s most respected exporters, known for both innovation and integrity.
Tracon operates over 30 washing stations and runs a 30,000-square-foot processing facility in Addis Ababa, where coffees are milled and finished for export with precision.
At the Worka Washing Station, Tracon handles everything from cherry collection to quality grading, ensuring that even small-volume producers can access specialty markets. Their commitment to sustainable, transparent practices has helped shape Ethiopia’s reputation as a global leader in coffee quality.
Tracon’s mission is simple but powerful: to connect the world to Ethiopia’s heritage through ethically sourced, expertly processed coffee. They’re a bridge between old-world farming and modern specialty roasting, proving that tradition and innovation can thrive side by side.
In the words of Iman Elias Oumer, Tracon’s third-generation coffee trader:
"Our mission has always been to deliver the finest Ethiopian beans to the global market while preserving Ethiopia’s rich coffee." heritage.
Why We Love This Coffee
Worka Chelchele’s White Honey process amplifies everything Ethiopia does best. The apple tart note brings crisp acidity that dances across the palate. Jasmine aromatics linger like a spring breeze, and the wildflower honey sweetness gives it a soft, velvety finish. It’s elegant but not fussy, bright but not sharp.
We fell for this coffee because it feels like a conversation between past and present. Ethiopia White Honey bridges the line between the country’s deep-rooted traditions and the experimental spirit driving today’s specialty scene.
It’s proof that innovation doesn’t have to mean abandoning heritage, it can mean refining it. With Tracon Coffee’s careful processing and the dedication of hundreds of farming families, this lot captures everything we love about Ethiopian coffee: collaboration, craft, and the pursuit of clean, honest flavor.
One sip, and you’ll understand why Ethiopia remains the world’s coffee capital: one brilliant, honey-sweet cup at a time.
How Do I Get This Coffee?
Fresh Roasted Coffee’s Roaster’s Choice program is your passport to the world’s most captivating coffees, and this month’s journey takes us to the cool, elevated hills of Worka Chelchele, Ethiopia.
Our Ethiopia White Honey is a graceful yet vibrant cup—shimmering with notes of apple tart, jasmine, and wildflower honey. Crafted by Tracon Coffee and 705 smallholder farmers in the Gedeo Zone, this coffee embodies Ethiopia’s legacy as the birthplace of coffee, balancing deep-rooted tradition with modern processing innovation.
Order a Roaster's Choice subscription by December 6th, 2025, to experience this coffee for yourself!
Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC offers Roaster's Choice coffees in bagged coffee as well as classic pods. Subscribers can choose from 3-, 6- or 12- month subscription plans.
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