ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM

ORIGIN | HAYISSA OLOCHO, KERAMO, BENSA, SIDAMA, ETHIOPIA

NOTES | RED GRAPE, RASPBERRY, LIMEADE, HIBISCUS

Traveling along roads which are barely paved - and sometimes downright frightening - in the Bensa district of Sidama, you'll eventually come across the small-but-mighty village of Keramo. It's a place that's been growing exquisite coffee for many years, but only recently has that coffee been showcased on its own (rather than being included in larger Sidama lots). Their washing station, Hayissa Olocho, is similarly small in stature but impressive in production: with only 30 raised drying tables and 148 total bags exported this year, Hayissa Olocho truly is a small fish in a very large Ethiopian pond. Our new friends at Catalyst Trade purchased all 148 of these bags, and we have the honor of sharing the first of three offerings from them - a natural lot from Keramo - with you today.

Processing: Cherries are picked at peak ripeness and floated to remove any defects. After sorting, the full coffee cherries are placed on one of thirty raised drying tables at the Hayissa Olocho washing station where they are rotated regularly to ensure even sun-drying.

In the cup: It's been a challenging crop year for Ethiopia, and we haven't seen many truly fruity natural Ethiopia lots on our cupping table as a result. `However, this coffee is a clear exception! It's delightfully red fruit-forward and a lovely example of the naturally processed Ethiopian cup profile we love so dearly. With notes of red grape, raspberry, limeade, and hibiscus, this coffee reminds us of a frozen raspberry limeade and has us dreaming of warmer days.

Washing Station | Hayissa Olocho

Farm | smallholders in the Keramo community

Process | natural

Variety | 74110, 74158

Elevation | 1900 - 2300 masl