Lucky Peach Espresso

If the name Danche rings a bell, it should. We've brought you coffee from this little kebele (neighbourhood) in the hills of Gedeb a few times over the years, including in Lilac Dream last year. But this is not the same coffee. This lot comes from a different washing station in Danche, one owned by Teshome Gemechu. Back in 2020 after my first visit to Danche, I wrote that all coffee named Danche is simply not created equal, and that's still true today. Same hill, different hands, different coffee.

Teshome built his wet mill in 2019 with a simple but ambitious goal: buy only ripe, red cherries from the farmers living right around him. Every station owner says that, but very few pull it off. Judging by the cup, Teshome has. This lot was built from the cherries of 763 farmers, who grow their coffee under a dense, layered semi-forest canopy alongside false banana trees. That shade, along with altitudes between 1950 and 2200 metres, is a big part of what makes Gedeb coffee so special.

This coffee is a mix of two local landrace varieties: Wolisho and Dega. If you sort through them, you'll spot two sizes. Wolisho is the larger bean and Dega is a bit smaller. These are the classic varieties of the Gedeo zone, formally known as "Yirgacheffe".

After pulping, the coffee ferments for a full 72 hours. That's on the long side, but way up here the nights are cool and everything moves slowly. Then it's washed, soaked for another hour, and spread out on raised beds to dry for 12 days.

This coffee came to us through my amazing friend Abenezer Asfaw. Longtime readers will know the name. Years ago, much of the credit for the quality coming out of Danche belonged to Abenezer, back when he ran the supply chain at Snap. He went on to start his own export company, Origin Land, and since November 2024 he's been with Berhe Hagos Coffee. Teshome is one of their vertically integrated suppliers, which means the station and the exporter work hand in hand, from the cherry all the way to the shipping container.

I first tasted this lot on the cupping table at Berhe Hagos in Addis Ababa this past February, and it was the top coffee on the table: gentle citrus, stone fruit, a black tea body and just a little perfume. Classic Yirgacheffe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

As always, this green was frozen immediately upon arrival.