Ethiopia — Neguesse Debela Danche Ethiopian Landrace (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍉 Watermelon • 🍑 Apricot • 🌸 Florals

DETAILS

• Producer: Neguesse Debela
• Station: Danche Washing Station
• Region: Gedeb, Gedeo, Ethiopia
• Varietal: Ethiopian Landrace
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 2,200 MASL
• Harvest: December 2025
• Size: 250g

INTRO

One of SEY Coffee's longest-standing partnerships in Gedeb — a specific process developed in collaboration with their supply partners at Neguesse Debela's Danche station, and one of the finest expressions of this relationship to date. Grade 1 density separated and fermented underwater for 36 hours, this is a washed Ethiopian of exceptional clarity and elegance. In the cup: watermelon, apricot, and lovely florality.

THE PRODUCER

Neguesse Debela began his journey into specialty processing in 2017, opening his first site in Worka Chelbessa before expanding in 2019 with the purchase of the Danche washing station in a small sub-region of Gedeb a few kilometres away. Both sites have built strong reputations for exceptional washed and natural coffees, with an increasing focus on experimental processing and quality refinement as the relationship with SEY has deepened over the years.

Ethiopia is widely acknowledged as the birthplace of coffee, and its extraordinary biodiversity — with DNA testing confirming over 60 distinct varieties — means that most Ethiopian coffees are blends of many co-existing varieties, referred to collectively as Ethiopian Landrace. At 2,200 MASL in Gedeb, this complexity finds ideal conditions to express itself with full clarity and elegance — and the Grade 1 density separation used here ensures only the very finest beans proceed to fermentation and drying.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Danche involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 💧 Flotation — Floated to further remove defects before processing 🔧 De-pulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 🔍 Grade 1 density separation — Beans separated by density, with only the finest Grade 1 beans proceeding 💧 Underwater fermentation — Beans submerged in water to ferment for 36 hours ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried on raised beds for 10–14 days

The Grade 1 density separation combined with the 36-hour underwater fermentation is the defining step — separating by density before fermentation ensures only the most consistent and highest-quality beans are processed, while the extended submerged fermentation builds the clean aromatic complexity, watermelon freshness, and floral delicacy that define this lot, with the careful raised-bed drying preserving every nuance of the Gedeb terroir.

THE CUP

A pristine and beautifully expressive washed Ethiopian from one of SEY's most trusted and enduring producer partnerships — watermelon freshness, soft apricot sweetness, and a lovely florality that speaks clearly of what Gedeb at 2,200 MASL can produce when handled with precision and care. A benchmark expression of this long-standing collaboration.

Flavour Notes

🍉 Watermelon 🍑 Apricot 🌸 Florals