Ethiopia Mate Matiwos Keramo from the Brooklyn-based roastery SEY is a coffee with a light, juicy, and very clean profile. The flavor is dominated by berry and tropical fruit notes, complemented by fresh, slightly floral bergamot. This adds liveliness and an elegant character to the coffee, while a pleasant sweetness beautifully ties the profile together. The result is a delicate and refreshing pour-over coffee that tastes clean, fruity, and at times even tea-like. The 74158 variety showcases its typical delicacy, bright acidity, and floral-fruity character without any heavy fermentation notes.
Behind this lot is Mate Matiwos from the Keramo region in Sidama, where coffee trees grow at an altitude of approximately 2,300 meters above sea level. For SEY, this marks the first collaboration with this producer. The lot consists of the 74158 variety, one of the lines bred by the Ethiopian research center JARC. It was introduced in 1979 and was selected not only for its quality in the cup but also for its good productivity and resistance to coffee cherry diseases. Furthermore, the high altitude slows down the ripening of the cherries, which helps develop their sweetness and complexity.
After being hand-harvested, the cherries are first sorted in water and then stripped of their skins and most of their pulp. However, a small amount of mucilage remains on the bean, and the coffee is then moved to shaded raised beds. Drying continues until the moisture content reaches approximately 10%. This is a honey process, which naturally enhances the coffee’s sweetness and fruity character while allowing its clarity, freshness, and subtler notes to shine through. Thanks to this, the resulting cup is distinctive yet still very smooth and elegant.
- Producer: Mate Matiwos
- Elevation: 2,300 m above sea level
- Harvest: January 2026