Berry Blues

Berry Blues is back. We’ve had this coffee in different variations over the years, sometimes under Berry Blues, sometimes as Blueberry Boom, and it remains a favourite across the DAK team for its big fruit character and how much fun it is to drink. This year’s harvest from Esayas Beriso is an anaerobic natural, grown high in Oromia, Ethiopia, and slowly dried in the shade. There’s plenty of dark fruit and a boozy edge: grape soda up front, myrtle liquor behind it, and a cashew-butter richness that gives the cup its buttery body and creamy mouthfeel.

Esayas Beriso grows this coffee in Oromia at 2300 masl, where the cooler temperatures slow the maturation of the cherries. The heirloom cherries are fermented anaerobically, then dried slowly in the shade with the fruit still intact. In the cup, the fruit moves towards the darker, boozier side, with grape soda and myrtle liquor, followed by a silky, buttery texture that brings cashew butter to mind.

This lot comes from Oromia, Ethiopia, where Esayas Beriso grows coffee at 2350 masl. At this altitude, cooler temperatures slow the development of the cherries, giving them more time to mature before harvest. It is part of what gives coffees grown at this elevation their concentrated sweetness and structure in the cup.

Ethiopian heirloom refers to the many local coffee varieties that have grown in Ethiopia for generations, rather than a single defined cultivar. They can produce a wide range of profiles depending on where they grow and how they are processed. In this lot, the combination of heirloom varieties and anaerobic natural processing moves towards darker purple fruit, with the grape and boozy character we find in the cup.

Anaerobic natural, shade-dried. The cherries are kept whole and fermented in a sealed environment with limited oxygen before being moved to the drying stage. They then dry slowly in the shade with the fruit still intact around the seed. Here, the process pushes the fruit towards grape soda and myrtle liquor, while the slower drying accompanies the dense, silky texture we find in the cup.

Medium. The coffee goes through a controlled anaerobic fermentation before drying, adding an intentional step that can noticeably shape the final profile. From there, the whole cherries are dried slowly in the shade. There is clear intervention in the fermentation, but the process remains relatively restrained compared with more heavily manipulated or multi-stage methods.

Produced by Esayas Beriso in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, this lot of Heirloom coffee showcases the distinct profile of high-elevation cultivation. Processed via an anaerobic natural method, the beans are handled to emphasize unique fermentation characteristics. When roasted by Dayglow, the resulting cup presents a complex interplay of grape soda, myrtle liquor, and cashew-butter notes.

Anaerobic natural processing often pushes the boundaries of traditional profiles, frequently resulting in intensified fruit-forward qualities and heightened sweetness. While standard natural-processed coffees are known for their heavy body and dried fruit notes, the anaerobic environment can introduce more vibrant, effervescent acidity. To better understand how these specific descriptors align with broader sensory categories, you may wish to consult the flavor wheel. This coffee serves as a compelling example of how regional terroir and meticulous post-harvest techniques converge to create a singular experience.