Rose Coffee Roasters - Ethiopia Boku - 120hr Anaerobic Natural JARC 74158 | Ethiopia

Ethiopia — Esayas Beriso Boku JARC 74158 (120hr Anaerobic Natural)

Tastes Like — 🍓 Berries • 🍇 Grape • 🌴 Tropical Citrus • 🍫 Cacao

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DETAILS

• Producer: Esayas Beriso
• Farm: Boku, Hambela Wamena
• Region: Guji, Oromia, Ethiopia
• Varietal: JARC 74158
• Process: 120hr Anaerobic Natural
• Altitude: 2350 MASL
• Size: 200g

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INTRO

From the high-altitude slopes of Hambela Wamena in Guji, this exceptional lot from Esayas Beriso showcases what happens when a skilled farmer applies an extended 120-hour anaerobic fermentation to some of Ethiopia's finest JARC 74158 cherry. Deeply aromatic, fruit-forward, and layered — with a sweetness and roundness that makes it equally compelling as filter or espresso.

One of the most expressive Ethiopian anaerobics in Rose's current lineup: intense without being chaotic, structured without losing its wild, tropical edge.

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THE PRODUCER

Esayas Beriso farms in the Boku area of Hambela Wamena in Guji, southern Ethiopia — a sub-region celebrated for its extraordinary growing conditions. His farm plots sit at around 2,350 metres above sea level, impressively high even by Ethiopian standards, where cool temperatures and rich volcanic soils slow cherry development and concentrate sugars and aromatics.

Esayas cultivates primarily the JARC 74158 variety, a selection developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center in the 1970s from native Metu Bishari mother plants. Known locally as Walega, 74158 is prized for its natural sweetness, floral complexity, and exceptional adaptability to high-altitude Ethiopian terroir. Esayas has worked with SNAP — Ethiopia's specialty coffee export partner — since 2017, continually refining his processing methods and maintaining meticulous cherry sorting standards across his own farm and the surrounding smallholders he works with.

His wife Meskerem plays an integral role in harvest operations, overseeing cherry purchasing from neighbouring farms, whilst SNAP provides training and resources to over 6,000 farmers across Sidama, Yirgacheffe, and Guji zones.

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THE PROCESS

The 120-hour Anaerobic Natural process at Boku involves a precisely controlled extended fermentation stage before raised-bed drying:

• 🍒 Cherry Selection — Only perfectly ripe red cherries are hand-picked and sorted to remove overripe or underdeveloped fruit.
• 🧪 120hr Anaerobic Fermentation — Whole cherries are sealed in dry, shaded barrels with no added water or oxygen. Esayas monitors temperature and fermentation progress throughout the full 120-hour window, building fruit-forward complexity and aromatic depth.
• ☀️ Raised-Bed Drying — Fermented cherries move to shaded drying beds where they are turned regularly, covered during peak sun and overnight, and dried slowly to lock in the fermentation character.
• ✅ Final Sorting & Milling — Dried cherries are hulled, sorted for defects, and prepared for export once target moisture is achieved.

The combination of extreme altitude, the 74158 variety, and a meticulously monitored 120-hour fermentation produces a coffee of exceptional sweetness, tropical aromatics, and grape-like body.

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THE CUP

Bursting with fruit character, the Boku 120hr opens with fermented grape and ripe berry aromatics before settling into a sweet, tropical body with a cacao depth on the finish. Generous and expressive across both filter and espresso.

Flavour Notes

• 🍓 Berries
• 🍇 Grape
• 🌴 Tropical, Citrus
• 🍫 Cacao

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