Etiopien Banko Gotiti

This micro-lot is what the producers call Special Preparation! This premium means that the coffee cherries are purchased from a limited number of family farms. The requirement is that 90% of the cherries are perfectly picked, the right red color. 5% are semi-red and 5% are overripe. All are processed and stored separately from other lots. In general, a very small number of coffees are produced in this way each year. All the coffee in this lot is also picked on the same day.

After receiving the berries at the Banko Gotiti washing station, the coffee is soaked for two hours before being placed on raised drying beds. They believe that this extended soaking time provides a level of sweetness that they had not experienced before introducing it. During drying, they specifically told us that they try to keep the thickness of the cherries as thin as possible to ensure consistent drying. The drying beds are located in areas with good airflow where the coffee dries slowly for up to 30 days.

Farmers who supply their coffee cherries to the Banko Gotiti Washing Station grow local heirloom varieties on their family farms. Coffee is the producers' main source of income and the trees grow alongside food crops such as maize, cereals and bananas, in the shade of native Birbira, Wanza and Acacia trees.

The average altitude of the farms in this region is very high – about 2,000-2,200 meters above sea level. These high altitudes, in combination with the unique hyperlocal varieties and a quality-focused post-processing of the coffee berries, create an elegant cherry-dried coffee. The natural sweetness from the coffee cherries gives the beans a nice fruity character, floral notes and a smooth body. A more natural coffee cannot be produced.