This Ethiopian natural coffee, sourced for the second year in a row as we at Nero Scuro found it to be one of best during this year’s blind cupping, is a truly remarkable one. It shows lots of floral notes, funky fruits, strawberry, peach, and sweet candied fruits along with nice acidity. It is available with two roasting profiles, crafted for filter or espresso extractions, respectively.

The coffee comes from the private mill Egu Abaya, close to the town of Bule Horain, in the Guji zone of Oromia region, southern Ethiopia.

The mill is owned by Israel Degfa, who runs several washing stations in the South and South West of Ethiopia. From 2017, when a reform allowed producers to sell directly overseas, he started to fully manage the supply chain and ensure full traceability of the coffees.

The washing station collects coffee from the small farmers in the area.

The cultivar is a mix of improved local varieties like Certo and local Wolisho, coffees native of the neighborhood forests transferred to family smallholder plots. Such varietals are referred to collectively as Ethiopian Heirloom: a myriad of local native Typica hybrids and newly improved varietals based on the old strains.

The Egu Abaya was prepared according to a natural, unwashed process. Cherries are firstly hand-sorted: eliminating cherries that are under- or over-ripe permits to obtain a sweeter, cleaner final product that meets the Grade 1 requirements.

They are then immediately placed over the drying tables in relatively thin layers over the tables to avoid any over-fermented flavors. They are turned continuously until a moisture content comparable to that of raisins (about 25%) is reached after a few days.

In the second phase, the cherries are dried down to 10–12% residual moisture. They are arranged in thicker layers and continuously rotated during the day while rested overnight. A drying sequence, when too fast, can produce an excess of fermented flavors, while a too slow one can form molds or other unpleasant flavors.

Once the target moisture level is reached, the cherries are mechanically processed in the mill to remove pulp and parchment from each bean (the hulling process).

The beans are then hand sorted again to remove any defectives, separated by grade, and finally placed in Grain Pro bags inside juts bags to protect the beans from moisture during transport and avoid any cross-contamination.

 Minimum resting period: 10 days for espresso date