Ethiopian Bekele Natural coffee from Coffee Collective tastes like you're at a summer picnic. The first sip brings an intense fruity sweetness—reminiscent of ripe strawberries, which blend nicely with a subtle citrus note of bergamot. Gradually, playful notes of wine gums emerge, giving the coffee a sweet, almost candy-like character. Finally, juicy melon is added, lightening and brightening the flavor. In the cup, this combination is fresh and playful, but at the same time, the coffee has a pleasant depth, so that the individual notes hold together and leave a long, sweet aftertaste. It is a coffee where each sip tastes a little different and you discover a new layer every time.
Bekele Karchara farms in a high-altitude area in Ethiopia, and his farm is located at an altitude of around 2,350 meters above sea level. Thanks to the thin air and cooler climate, the cherries ripen more slowly here, which ensures a richer flavor and greater complexity. Bekele has no access to electricity or water – he relies solely on natural conditions and traditional tools. More than 75 local farmers, who share the same practices and care for coffee, help him with production. What unites their work is an emphasis on quality and respect for nature. This results in coffees that are pure, distinctive, and have a clearly discernible character. Bekele thus proves that even without modern technology, it is possible to grow world-class coffee.
The processing itself is a combination of the natural and anaerobic fermentation methods. After harvesting, the cherries are carefully spread out and dried slowly, even for several weeks, to develop an intense sweetness in the beans. The anaerobic phase then promotes the development of deeper, layered flavors that almost taste like wine in the cup. Thanks to this combination, the coffee has both bright fruity tones and a complex, slightly fermented character that gives it exceptional depth. The whole process is time-consuming and requires patience, but the result is a coffee that forces you to slow down and savor every sip.