The Lalesa region of Ethiopia is best known for its washed coffees with floral and light fruity notes, but this time it takes on a new dimension thanks to a five-day natural processing in barrels by cherry buyer Ephtah. London-based roaster Square Mile Coffee Roasters roasts this lot for filter brewing, and in the cup, it reveals distinct notes of blueberries and ripe peaches.
The coffee comes from the town of Lalesa in the Gedeb district, located in Ethiopia’s Gedeo region—one of the country’s most renowned coffee-growing areas. Behind this lot is the export company Ephtah and its founder, Wubit Bekele, who built the entire concept around supporting women. Ephtah deliberately fills leadership positions with women, organizes agricultural training focused on female farmers, operates daycare centers for the children of producers and employees, and, as part of the AMA Commitment program, pays participating female farmers a quality bonus. The variety grown falls under the designation “Ethiopian Landrace,” an umbrella term for dozens of coffee varieties that have emerged over centuries through natural crossbreeding in Ethiopia—the cradle of coffee—and whose genetics have not yet been fully mapped.
The coffee undergoes natural (dry) processing with extended fermentation, a specialty of the Ephtah drying station. While most nearby stations rely on classic washed processing, this station uses unconventional methods, such as the honey process and natural processing with several days of fermentation. Whole coffee cherries from farmers in Lalesa ferment for five days in plastic barrels, followed by two weeks of sun-drying. It is this extended fermentation that gives the coffee its distinctive peach and blueberry sweetness, which defines its profile.