Ethiopia — Banko Gotiti Ethiopian Landrace (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍵 Peach Tea • 🌿 Lemongrass • 🍯 Wildflower Honey

DETAILS

• Producer: ~2,000 Smallholder Farmers
• Washing Station: Banko Gotiti
• Region: Gedeb, Gedeo, Ethiopia
• Varietal: Ethiopian Landrace
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 2,180 MASL
• Harvest: December 2025
• Size: 250g

INTRO

SEY's first Ethiopian release of the 2026 season, this lot from the Banko Gotiti washing station represents one of the finest expressions they have tasted from this long-standing partner. In the cup, the profile is refined and layered — peach tea, lemongrass, and wildflower honey — a combination that speaks to both the exceptional terroir of the Gedeo zone and the precision of the washed process.

Situated in the small town of Banko Gotiti in the south of Gedeo County, this washing station has been a cornerstone of SEY's Ethiopian programme for several years. This December 2025 harvest is, by their own account, the best expression they have tasted to date.

THE PRODUCER

Banko Gotiti is a washing station in the southern reaches of Gedeo County, in the Kochere woreda of the Yirgacheffe region. Around 2,000 smallholder farmers deliver cherry from single-hectare garden plots that surround the station — a traditional model of cultivation and processing deeply embedded in this part of Ethiopia.

This communal approach to coffee growing, where individual farmers tend their trees with great care before delivering to a central processing point, has long been one of the defining features of Yirgacheffe coffee. The result is a collective expression of place — one that consistently ranks among the most transparent and complex washed Ethiopians available.

Ethiopia is widely recognised as the geographic origin of coffee, and Gedeo County remains one of its most celebrated producing regions. With over 60 distinct varieties confirmed through DNA testing, Ethiopia's extraordinary biodiversity means that most lots are blends of many indigenous cultivars — referred to collectively as Ethiopian Landrace — and Banko Gotiti is a beautiful representation of that rich heritage.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Banko Gotiti involves:

• 🍒 Hand-Picking — Cherries selected at peak ripeness from surrounding garden plots
• 🧪 Underwater Fermentation — Fermented submerged for 24–48 hours
• ☀️ Raised Bed Drying — Dried on raised beds for 10–14 days to target moisture content

The underwater fermentation and careful drying regime at Banko Gotiti produce a cup of remarkable clarity — clean, bright, and deeply aromatic, with the floral and fruit character of the landrace varieties fully expressed.

THE CUP

An elegant and deeply aromatic washed Ethiopian that showcases the best of what Gedeo can produce. Peach tea sets a soft, fragrant tone, lemongrass adds a bright herbal lift, and wildflower honey rounds out the profile with a lingering natural sweetness.

Flavour Notes

• 🍵 Peach Tea
• 🌿 Lemongrass
• 🍯 Wildflower Honey