MOHAMED ALI, Ethiopia (Natural)

Mustafa Mohamed Ali grows coffee in the Goma region of Jimma, Ethiopia, continuing a tradition that began in the 1950s, when his family sold coffee to Yemeni merchants who came to the region specifically for it. He took over the farms in the 1980s and cared for the trees planted by his father. Then, in 2016, after obtaining his own export license, he decided to sell his coffee directly, without intermediaries, to maintain control over the quality of every lot. It’s the kind of story you can taste in the cup.

The coffee grows at an altitude of 1,900–2,000 meters, under the shade of large native trees, in an agroforestry ecosystem that keeps temperatures low and allows the cherries to ripen slowly. The variety is Heirloom, native populations that have not been genetically modified, making Ethiopian coffee some of the most diverse and hardest to reproduce elsewhere in the world.

Natural processing leaves the whole cherry to dry around the bean without removing the pulp first. The fruit’s sugars have time to slowly permeate the bean, resulting in a coffee with a fuller body, pronounced sweetness, and an intensely fruity aromatic profile.

Mohamed Ali offers notes of raspberry, nectarine, and citrus, supported by a medium-high body, medium acidity, and high sweetness that lingers in the cup. A vibrant, expressive coffee—exactly the kind you’re looking for when you want to experience Ethiopia at its best.