Ethiopia — Daye Bensa Abore Station 74110 & 74112 (Natural)

Tastes Like — 🍓 Yellow Raspberry • 🌸 Rose • 🍋 Bergamot

DETAILS

• Producer: Assefa & Mulugeta Dukamo (Daye Bensa)
• Station: Abore Station
• Region: Bona Zuria, Bombe Mountains, Sidama, Ethiopia
• Varietal: 74110, 74112
• Process: Natural
• Altitude: 1920–2020 MASL
• Size: 250g
• Roast: Choose between Espresso or Filter!
  

INTRO

Produced by Daye Bensa at the Abore Station in Sidama's Bombe Mountains, this naturally processed lot from varieties 74110 and 74112 delivers yellow raspberry, rose, and bergamot — a juicy, floral natural that showcases the company's Cup of Excellence-winning expertise. Grown at 1920–2020 MASL in one of Ethiopia's most celebrated coffee-growing districts, this is an expressive, fruit-forward coffee that balances intensity with elegance.

Suitable for both filter and espresso, this coffee exemplifies what careful natural processing and high-altitude terroir can achieve together.

THE PRODUCER

Daye Bensa, founded by brothers Assefa and Mulugeta Dukamo in 2006, is one of Ethiopia's most respected coffee exporters, operating 16 washing stations and 4 dry mills across Sidama's Bensa, Aroressa, and Chire districts. The Abore Station, located in the Bombe Mountains at elevations between 1920 and 2020 MASL, serves smallholder farmers who deliver ripe cherries daily during the harvest season.

Daye Bensa's dedication to quality has been recognised repeatedly at the Cup of Excellence, including a 7th place finish in 2020 with a natural lot from their Shantawene station, and an 8th place finish in 2021 with a washed Hamasho coffee. In 2022, they secured an impressive 2nd place — cementing their reputation as producers of exceptional Ethiopian coffee.

The company's commitment extends beyond quality to sustainability and community development, ensuring that smallholder farmers benefit from premium prices and long-term partnerships.

THE PROCESS

The Natural process at Abore Station involves:

• 🍒 Selective Harvest — Only fully ripe cherries are hand-picked for natural processing, as underripe fruit would negatively impact the final cup.
• ✅ Hand Sorting — Freshly picked cherries are carefully sorted to remove any damaged, underripe, or defective fruit before drying begins.
• 💧 Flotation — Cherries are floated in water to separate low-density or defective fruit, ensuring only the best cherries proceed to drying.
• ☀️ Raised Bed Drying — Whole cherries are spread directly onto raised African beds and dried in the sun for 14–18 days, depending on weather conditions.
• 👁️ Constant Turning — Throughout the drying phase, cherries are regularly turned to promote even airflow, prevent mould or over-fermentation, and ensure consistent moisture reduction.
• 📅 Stabilisation — Once dried to 10–12% moisture, coffee is stored in GrainPro bags to rest and stabilise before dry milling.

This careful natural method allows the fruit's natural sugars and aromatics to infuse the bean during the extended drying phase, producing a cup of striking floral depth and layered fruit sweetness.

THE CUP

An intensely aromatic and elegantly structured natural that opens with the juicy brightness of yellow raspberry, unfolds into delicate rose florals, and finishes with the refined citrus lift of bergamot. The high altitude lends remarkable clarity and complexity, whilst the natural process brings a luscious, fruit-forward sweetness that never overwhelms. A beautiful expression of what Sidama's Bombe Mountains and Daye Bensa's expertise can produce.

Flavour Notes

• 🍓 Yellow Raspberry
• 🌸 Rose
• 🍋 Bergamot