Ethiopia / Sidama Smallholder Farmers

This coffee comes from the highlands of Sidama, an autonomous state in Ethiopia within the larger Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region. It illustrates cleanliness in the cup and bright, fruit-forward flavors.  This washed process coffee comes from multiple high altitude farms between 1700 and 2300 meters above sea level.  In Sidama, washed processing typically begins with freshly picked coffee cherries that are hand sorted for uniformity, washed clean and floated for consistent density before depulping.  After depulping, the coffee mucilage is further washed and the parchment coffee is placed on raised drying beds for 2-3 weeks.  At almost every wet-processing mill, parchment coffee is kept to a very shallow depth on the drying beds, and is rotated nearly continuously by a huge staff of seasonal employees who rake, stir, pile, and toss the drying coffee to ensure an even breathing and dehydration in the open air.  Drying coffee is covered during the searingly-hot afternoon hours to protect it from cracking, and again overnight to block the settling humidity.  The coffee is brought into local warehouses for resting, prior to being transported to Addis Ababa for final dry milling, sorting, and export.

This deliciously clean coffee has notes of peach, boysenberry, chamomile, and hibiscus.