Ethiopia — Demeka Becha Ethiopian Landrace (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍍 Pineapple • 🍵 Earl Grey Tea • 🌸 Jasmine

DETAILS

• Producer: Ayele Tulu, Genet Haile Endeshow & Tsegab Ayele
• Washing Station: Demeka Becha
• Region: Bona Zuria, Sidama, Ethiopia
• Varietal: Ethiopian Landrace
• Process: Washed
• Elevation: 2,200 masl
• Harvest: January 2026
• FOB Price: $12.48/kg | DDP: $16.32/kg

INTRO The Demeka site has produced some truly exceptional coffees over the years. Not much coffee is purchased from Bona Zuria overall, but Demeka has consistently delivered compelling profiles. Pineapple sweetness leads, with Earl Grey tea structure and a jasmine florality throughout. In the cup: pineapple, Earl Grey tea, and jasmine.

THE PRODUCER Demeka Becha is a washing station at the top of a hill near the village of Becha in Bona Zuria, Sidama, owned and managed by Ayele Tulu, his wife Genet Haile Endeshow, and their son Tsegab Ayele. The station purchases cherries from nearly 10,000 producers across the communities of Dilla Suke, Demeka, Goacho, Becha, and Bashiro Dale. Coffees from Sidama have consistently ranked among the highest-scoring selections in recent years, with a growing focus shifting further toward the region going forward.

Ethiopia is widely acknowledged as where coffee originated, with DNA testing confirming over 60 distinct varieties growing there — the most coffee biodiversity of any region in the world. Given the tradition of coffee production and the political structure of the Ethiopian coffee trade, single-variety lots remain virtually impossible to source, though this is changing slowly. Most Ethiopian coffees are blends of these many varieties, referred to simply as "Ethiopian Landrace."

THE PROCESS Cherries are hand-picked at peak ripeness, floated to further remove defects, then de-pulped and Grade 1 density-separated. The coffee ferments underwater for 36 hours, then dries on raised beds for 10–14 days.

The 36-hour underwater fermentation combined with Grade 1 density separation is the defining step — it's what isolates the highest-quality seeds, building the pineapple sweetness and jasmine florality that define this cup.

THE CUP Bright and aromatic — pineapple sweetness up front, with an Earl Grey tea structure and jasmine florality running throughout. A consistently compelling profile from one of Bona Zuria's standout stations.

Flavour Notes 🍍 Pineapple 🍵 Earl Grey Tea 🌸 Jasmine