Believed to be the birthplace of coffee as we know it, Ethiopia is one of the best known and most appreciated coffee-producing countries in the world of specialty coffee. It’s certainly a favourite single origin at Cape Coffee Beans, typically offering delicate fruit flavours and floral aromatics with a pleasantly bright acidity. Ethiopia is also the largest coffee producer and consumer on the African continent, with coffee accounting for about a third of the East African country’s exports.

This particular Ethiopian coffee, roasted by our friends at Origin Coffee Roasting, comes from Sidamo, which is one of the three most distinguished coffee producing regions in Ethiopia, the other two being Yirgacheffe and Harrar. Sidamo coffees tend to have a relatively low acidity compared to other Ethiopian coffees, which allows their sweetness (enhanced by natural processing in this instance) to really take the fore on your palate. 

Like much of the coffee grown in Ethiopia, this lot is the combined effort of numerous smallholding farmers rather than a large coffee plantation. These smallholders work in collaboration with Daye Bensa Coffee, a coffee exporting company owned by brothers Assefa and Mulugeta Dukamo. Daye Bensa is one of the largest coffee exporters in Ethiopia, and, aside from owning several farms and processing mills of its own, works with and supports over 2000 smallholding farmers throughout the country. This particular lot was grown in part at Daye Bensa’s own farm located in Keramo village as well as on numerous small farms located in and around the same region, and processed at Daye Bensa’s Keramo washing station.. 

Origin’s notes

• Flavour: Caramel, stewed fruit, hops, raspberry, kiwi finish
• Body: Velvety
• Acidity: Raspberry juice
• Roast: Light-medium
• Suggested brewing methods: Pour-over, plunger, siphon, milk drinks

Coffee details from Origin

• Country: Ethiopia
• Region: Sidamo
• Owners: 1500 smallholding farmers working in collaboration with the Daye Bensa Coffee company
• Altitude: 2300 masl
• Variety: Ethiopian heirloom varieties
• Processing: Natural

“Keramo is produced by 1500 outgrowers [from] various parts of the [Bombe] mountain range, including producers from Bombe and Shantawene. The producers deliver coffees to the Daye Bensa Keramo washing station.

“In previous years, this station has produced Cup of Excellence lots from coffees grown in the area. The beans found in this area are very dense, with heavy concentrations of the smaller screen sizes which is highly unusual, reflecting the higher elevations at which the coffee is grown.”