Shantawene - Natural

Origin: Ethiopia

Farm/Region: Shantawene

Tasting Notes: Blueberry, Bergamot & Cooked Pineapple

Producer: Various Small holders

Varietal: Mixed Heirloom

Processing: Natural

Roast Profile: Espresso

Recommended Recipe: 20g in/44g out

Total Extraction time: 27-30 seconds

About The Coffee: In 2006, brothers Asefa and Mulugeta Dukamo founded Daye Bensa, a coffee grower and exporter in Ethiopia. Daye Bensa exports coffee from its farm, in the Shantawene Village, as well as from “out-growers” in three villages: Shantawene, Karamo and Bombe. This Shantawene coffee is named after the village, where the majority of the people, many of them women, work on the coffee farm.

Daye Bensa is at 1,900–2,217 meters, and the delivered cherry from comes from out-growers’ farms higher up the mountain, between 2,000 and 2,400 meters. Daye Bensa owns 15 washing stations across three districts that handle all the coffee they export.

Sourced from the Shantawene region of Ethiopia, this lot is produced by various smallholders and features a mix of heirloom varietals. As a natural-processed coffee, it undergoes a processing method where the cherry remains intact during drying, a technique often associated with increased sweetness and complex fruit profiles. Axil Coffee Roasters highlights notes of blueberry, bergamot, and cooked pineapple in this selection, which is grown at an elevation of 2000–2400 masl.

When evaluating such distinct profiles, it is helpful to reference a flavor wheel to better identify the nuances between stone fruit and citrus characteristics. While natural-processed coffees from this region are frequently celebrated for their heavy fruit intensity and vibrant acidity, the specific interplay of these notes reflects the unique terroir of the Shantawene landscape. This coffee offers a compelling look at the diversity found within Ethiopian heirloom crops.