Basha Bekele - Natural

MEET THE PRODUCER | Inspired by his father, Basha Bekele is a community man at heart. He works with 126 registered outgrowers throughout Bensa, operates three drying stations there, and (with the help of his father) built a church for the residents of Bombe near the drying station where this particular lot was processed. Although he grows his own coffee on twelve hectares of semi-forested land, Basha continues to pay smallholders a premium for delivering cherry to his drying stations for processing and export, going so far as to deliver a second payment after the coffee is sold—a practice we don’t often see in Ethiopia! 

TRUST THE PROCESS | After being picked at peak ripeness and delivered to the drying station by smallholders, whole coffee cherry is floated for quality and then spread out to dry on raised beds in the African sun.

TAKE A SIP | The floral nose on this coffee might be a dead giveaway of its high-grown Ethiopian roots, but the tasting notes are just a tad off-profile, in really delicious ways! Tropical fruit, like lychee, can be turned up or down depending on how you choose to brew it. Sweetness and citrus play together here to give us something like pink lemonade. And there’s a really special, unexpected red wine character about this coffee, reminding us of our favorite Pinot Noir. 

Origin | Bensa, Ethiopia

Producer | Basha Bekele

Drying Station | Bombe Drying Station

Process | Natural

Variety | 74158

Elevation | 2350 MASL

Sourced from the Bensa region of Ethiopia, the Basha Bekele - Natural is a standout offering from Black & White Coffee Roasters. This lot features the 74158 varietal, cultivated at an elevation of 2350 masl. As a natural-processed coffee, the cherries are dried with the fruit intact, a technique that often imparts a distinct sweetness and complexity to the final cup. You can learn more about how these processing methods influence the profile of a coffee by exploring our technical guides.

The roaster describes this specific selection as having notes of tropical fruit, lychee, pink lemonade, red wine, and Pinot Noir. When evaluating such a diverse range of flavors, it can be helpful to reference a flavor wheel to better identify the nuances present in your brew. This coffee highlights the unique character of Bensa, showcasing the vibrant potential of Ethiopian heirloom varietals when handled with precision.