Ethiopia — Legesse Botasa & Mullugeta Muntasha Hure 74158 (Black Honey)

Tastes Like — 🌹 Rose • 🌸 Lily • 🍑 Nectarine • 🍒 Cherry • 🫐 Blackberry • 🍵 Black Tea

DETAILS

• Producer: Legesse Botasa (2022 CoE 1st)
• Station: Hure
• Region: Hure, Arbegona, Sidama, Ethiopia
• Varietal: 74158
• Process: Black Honey
• Altitude: 2,450 masl

INTRO From the Hure station in Arbegona, Sidama — a one-of-a-kind processing site behind Legesse Botasa's 2022 Cup of Excellence-winning lot. This Black Honey process yields something richly layered: rose and lily florality up front, stone fruit and cherry through the middle, and a blackberry and black tea depth on the finish. In the cup: rose, lily, nectarine, cherry, blackberry, and black tea.

THE PRODUCER Mullugeta Muntasha partners with local smallholder farmers to operate this station, with farm elevations ranging from 2,150 to 2,400 masl. Raised in Bursa Village, a region only recently turned to coffee cultivation, Mullugeta began his career as a coffee cherry picker in Arsi before returning home to launch his own mill, Dawencho, in 2021 — the same year he placed 2nd at the Cup of Excellence under the Dawencho cooperative and 6th under his own name. In 2022, four of his lots reached the CoE Top 10, including the 1st-place winner produced by his brother-in-law and close collaborator, Legesse Botasa.

THE PROCESS This lot uses a Black Honey process — cherries are de-pulped with the sticky mucilage left almost entirely intact on the parchment, then dried slowly under careful moisture control to prevent over-fermentation. This extended contact with the mucilage is what builds the depth and complexity behind the rose, blackberry, and black tea character in this cup.

THE CUP Rich and layered — rose and lily florals up front, nectarine and cherry sweetness through the middle, and a blackberry and black tea depth on the finish. A complex, competition-calibre expression from one of Sidama's standout new stations.

Flavour Notes 🌹 Rose 🌸 Lily 🍑 Nectarine 🍒 Cherry 🫐 Blackberry 🍵 Black Tea