Ethiopia - Benti Nenka
about the region.
Ethiopia is rightly celebrated for producing high quality and expressive coffees, with a history dating back to the very discovery of Arabica. Sidama and Yirgacheffe are perhaps the two most famous regions, long regarded as producing some of the world's best coffees. Interestingly, the Guji zone, a sub-region of the Oromia/Sidamo region, only achieved status in 2014 after producers petitioned to be distinguished from its more established neighbours. The Ethiopian Coffee Exchange ultimately agreed to recognize Guji as its own distinct coffee producing zone, to the west of Yirgacheffe and south of Sidama, due to the unique and exceptional quality of the coffee grown there.
Guji has some of the highest elevations of coffee cultivation in Ethiopia with average altitudes ranging from 2000 all the way up to 2400 metres above sea level. Higher elevations generally result in higher quality Arabica coffees as the cooler night temperatures stress the plant resulting in fewer cherries per plant, denser seeds. The result is Guji coffees have the best of the qualities that Ethiopian coffee is loved for: intense fruit acidity and sweetness, clarity and complexity.
about the washing station.
This exceptional lot comes to us from the Hambela woreda micro-region and Benti Nenka kebele community at 2100-2250masl. The land here was once untouched forest and remains highly fertile with rich red-brown soils in dense forest surrounded by nearby nature reserves.
The Benti Nenka Station is managed by Amare Tesfaye who sources freshly picked ripe cherries from around 600 local farmers. As in much of Ethiopia, families grow their coffee plants on small 1-2 hectare lots, often in their backyard, with the entire family taking part. As a result almost all Ethiopian coffee is organically grown with traditional practices and little to no pesticide use. The fresh cherries are delivered to the washing station where Mr. Tesfaya and his team handle the careful sorting and processing of the coffees. The majority of production focuses on traditional natural processing, which is well suited to the taste profile of local cherries and in high demand by roasters and coffee drinkers alike. The station has also been expanding its work with experimental processes, such as anaerobic fermentation and carbonic maceration. Processed cherries are then dried on one of the station's 181 raised drying beds for a slow and controlled drying that avoids unpleasant over-fermented flavours.
about the coffee.
Unlike other coffee growing origins, Arabica coffee grows wild in Ethiopia and has developed exceptional genetic diversity. It is estimated that there are over 10,000 distinct heirloom or landrace varieties. Since the 1970s the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre (JARC) has been conducting research into the wild Arabica varieties that grow throughout Ethiopia, classifying these heirloom varieties, distributing regionally suitable seeds to producers and developing new hybrids.
The farmers around Benti Nenka primarily grow JARC 74100 and JARC 74112. Due to the high altitude in the Guji region the plants produce fewer cherries per tree and result in higher Brix levels - or sugar content - in each cherry. Combined with the fertile soils, the result is intensely sweet and fruity coffee. Ripe cherries are harvested by hand and delivered that day on horseback to the station. This lot is a traditional natural process, which means that the cherries are sorted to ensure uniformity and quality before being moved to the drying beds. Without any fermentation prior to drying all the sugars are locked inside the fruit during a slow drying. The raised beds ensure maximum airflow to keep fermentation low. The result is some of the cleanest natural processing we have tasted from Ethiopia.
cup profile.
blueberry | mango | butterscotch
This espresso roast supports the intense fruit qualities of the Hambela Guji with a rich sweetness. The classic Ethiopia natural process purple berry notes give way to a delightful yellow tropical fruit sweetness. These expressive fruit qualities are supported by a rich sticky sweetness that finishes with a pleasant citrus and butterscotch candy aftertaste.
