Ethiopia - Washed

Cupping Notes

This Guji standout opens with a dry fragrance of spiced sweetness—think raw sugar, clove, and a touch of honey balanced with peach tea. Once brewed, the aroma deepens into stone fruit and syrupy sweetness, with a whisper of blackberry in the steam.

In the cup, it’s sweet and juicy from first sip to finish. Peach, apricot, and dried berries meet floral and herbal notes that are distinctly Guji, rounded by hints of Sencha green tea, warming spices, and a tart pop of green grape. Underneath it all is a clean sweetness—cane sugar and white honey—that lingers long after the last sip.

About the Producer

The Benti Nenka processing site is located in a village ("Kebele") of the same name within the Hambela Wamena region, Ethiopia's Guji Zone. Owner, Kedir Hassan, a proficient and capable engineer as well as coffee farmer erected a few stations in Hambela Wamena region, some producing both washed and dry process ("naturals") coffees, though Benti Nenka only produces naturals. Of course he did not complete them on his own, and thanks to his long standing connection with the the people in this area, he had much needed community support on his side. Kedir splits bamboo reeds for constructing his drying beds, so they're flat and quite sturdy. You see a lot of chicken wire used at other sites, which tends to sag, creating uneven coffee layers. This dry process lot is only made up of coffee from the small holders in the Benti Nenka area, whose farms span an altitude range of roughly 1900 to 2100 meters above sea level.