Hamasho Borena - Ethiopia

This coffee from the Bombe Mountains in Bensa, a region of Ethiopia with some of the country’s highest elevations for coffee production, is likely the only coffee we will release all year with “anaerobic” in its title. It was processed at the Hamasho Washing Station, one of several stations in Bensa owned and operated by Asefa Dukamo and his exporting company, Daye Bensa. The lot is composed of coffees from 161 smallholder farmers in three nearby villages — Bombe Chilaka, Hamasho, and Keramo — whose farms sit at elevations approaching 2,400 masl. The processing here is identical to a normal washed coffee but with an added anaerobic fermentation step — where coffee is held in a sealed environment for 72 hours — done after pulping and before a thorough washing. Where many “anaerobic” coffees can present winey, funky fermented flavors, this particular lot is floral and pristine, with the only hint of extended fermentation perhaps discernible in the intensity of the flavors and a subtle creamy quality. Expect complex white florals like jasmine up front anchored by somewhat brawnier fruit flavors of ripe tropicals, candied citrus, and white peach.