Notes from our Green Buyer

Our friends at Crop to Cup bring in many of our Ethiopian coffees for us, including this incredible offering from Ayele Tulu. Ayele began a washing station in his ancestral home in Bona Zuria as a way to establish something to pass on to his children (he has six children from two wives—three with each). Tsegab, his second child from his first wife, is involved in his washing station at Bona Zuria, as is his brother, Yohanis, where they buy cherry from 300 smallholders in the area, processing them as naturals, anaerobic naturals, and washed coffees.

Notes from our Roaster

Washed-processed Ethiopians hold a unique place in our coffee offerings program. There’s this iconic flavor profile—fruity and floral with a vibrant acidity—we’ve come to expect from them, which puts the coffee at top of the Flavor Dial. Ayele Tulu is a shining example of this. There’s a strong correlation between the higher the number along the right-hand side of the Dial and a coffee’s complexity. It’s acidity that takes a simple coffee and makes it brilliant. Ayele Tulu is fruity, sweet, and significantly floral—with notes of peach, lime, and lavender—with a body (or mouthfeel) that is neither too light nor to heavy.