Black currant, lime, and violets? Yalessa is an Ethiopian coffee that can be juicy, floral, and beautifully sweet all in one sip. This coffee from the Liberec-based roastery Jedno Kafe offers a distinctly fresh profile, where black currant meets the citrus notes of lime and lemon tea. Subtle notes of violets and lemongrass emerge in the background, while the long finish gradually evolves into brown sugar, dark chocolate, and light spice. The cup has a juicy, silky body, bright citrus acidity, and high sweetness, so despite its intensity, it comes across as elegant and well-balanced.
The beans come from the village of Banko Chelchele in the Gedeb area, which is part of the well-known Yirgacheffe coffee region. Coffee trees here grow at an elevation of 1,900 to 2,300 meters above sea level, and the harvest is tended by small-scale farmers working in partnership with EDN Ethiopian Coffee Export PLC. Local farms tend to be small—often just a few hectares—and coffee is an integral part of daily life for local families. The lot consists of the Ethiopian varieties 74110 and 74112, which were bred with an emphasis on disease resistance, among other traits, and are now among the most widespread varieties in Ethiopia.
Yalessa undergoes controlled anaerobic fermentation in a sealed environment without oxygen. It is precisely these controlled conditions during fermentation that help bring out the coffee’s natural fruitiness, sweetness, and delicate floral notes. This is followed by slow drying on elevated African drying beds, which allows for even moisture loss while helping to preserve the purity of the resulting flavor profile. The result is a complex coffee that combines the more intense fruitiness of anaerobic processing with the elegance typical of high-altitude coffees from Yirgacheffe.
- Producer: EDN Ethiopian Coffee Export PLC
- Altitude: 1,900–2,300 m above sea level