Ethiopia Hayile Washed Coffee

“Refined. Citrus. Floral.” - Ivica Cvetanovski, Founder, Coffea Circulor

Bensa is one of 19 districts in the the Sidama Zone that extends into the Oromia Region.

This coffee is a mix of varieties that we have refer to as “heirloom varieties”. The term is used to generally categorise Ethiopian coffee varieties that are from native forest origins. Whilst this describes many of the varieties found in Ethiopia, it is also slightly simplistic and does not recognise varieties that have been specifically developed and widely distributed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre (JARC). Here, the varieties are mainly 74158, 74110 and 74112 which are known for being small to medium size beans. These coffees were developed in the 1970s at the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre (JARC) and bred for the resistance to Coffee Berry Disease (CBD).

The farmers collect cherries when ripe and deliver it to the washing station where it is then separated. Here, immature and green beans are removed to create uniformity. The coffee is then pulped and then left in a tank to ferment for 36 hours. As the elevation is high, this process can take longer for the mucilage be removed and loosened. This id due to not enough force by the yeast and bacteria who use it as an energy source and act as the catalysts for fermentation. Once the fermentation has finished the coffee is then washed, immatures and floaters cleaned away and the coffee take to raised beds where it is then dried in the sun for the next 14 - 20 days depending on the climate.

• SCA Score - 88.50/100
• Notes - Apricot, Honey, Muscat grape
• Producer - 500 Smallholders
• Country - Ethiopia
• Region - Bensa, Sidama
• Altitude - 2050-2100 masl
• Varietal - 74158, 74110 and 74112
• Process - Washed