ESPRESSO Roast - Mengeche Derso Natural - Ethiopia Yirgacheffe

A natural Yirgacheffe from one farmer, Mr. Mengeche Derso, roasted for espresso. Fresh peach, hibiscus and cooked raspberry in a sweet, fruit-forward shot.

Built for espresso at home or in the cafe, on anything from a stovetop to a proper machine.

In the cup you get lots of fresh peach, then hibiscus and cooked raspberry. Complex acidity and a sugary sweetness that carries the shot.

It is at its best as an espresso, long black or piccolo, where the peach comes through. It will hold up in a small flat white, but the fruit gets quieter the more milk you add.

On our shelf the Mount Buninyong Blend is your everyday workhorse. This is the one you rotate in when you want fruit in the shot.

It is a small lot from a single farm. Once it is gone it is gone.

Mr. Mengeche Derso owns and runs 15 hectares in the highlands of Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia, with the farm sitting at 2,300 metres. He has 12 children and four of them work the farm with him. They fertilise with animal manure and plant remnants, and his coffee has earned him recognition from government organisations. The lot is heirloom Ethiopian varieties grown between 2,200 and 2,300 metres, harvested October to January, and graded Grade 1.

Natural means the cherries dry whole with the fruit still on. They are sorted for ripeness the day they are picked, rinsed, then spread on raised beds and turned constantly for anywhere from 8 to 25 days depending on the weather. That time drying in the fruit is where the peach and raspberry come from.

This lot comes to us through Cafe Imports' Single Farmer Project. The farmer's name goes on the contract, the price is negotiated on their behalf, and the deal only goes ahead when the farmer agrees to it. It means we can tell you exactly who grew this coffee, which is not a given out of Ethiopia.

Best suited for: espresso, long blacks, piccolos, stovetop, Aeropress.

Brew guide to start with: ratio 1:2, 20g in and 40g out in 26 to 30 seconds at 93C.

Roast level: light to medium espresso roast.

Roasted to order at our roastery in Ballarat. Local Ballarat delivery on Thursdays for orders placed before midnight Tuesday. Shipped daily Australia wide.