Bekele Belacho White Honey

This smooth cup features aromas of peach, rooibos tea, and tres leches. When sipped, we found notes of poached pear, caramel, and a touch of hyacinth alongside pomelo acidity. The finish brings out notes of orange sorbet, cashew, and mildly cooling eucalyptus.

Details

Producer: Bekele Belacho Farm: Smallholders Region: Sidama Altitude: 1,900-2,100 masl Varietal: 74158 Process: Honey Roast: Light Notes: White Tea, Caramel, Poached Pear

The Story

Imported by our friends at Crop to Cup.

The de facto leader and organizer of a collective of independent smallholder farmer-exporters around Bensa, Bekele Belacho operates his farms and drying stations with the help of his family. His son, Beleteno, who recently graduated from Hawassa University with an economics degree, manages Hora Ganet (“Spring Paradise”) farm. Between his farm in Bombe and a smaller, 5 hectare farm in Kokose with its own drying station, Bekele purchases cherry from more than 100 smallholders, producing a total of 1.5 containers of coffee.

This is Bekele’s first white honey processed offering after receiving a GEM Hand Pulping machine partially funded by Crop to Cup.

About the Process

Honey processed coffees are depulped and dried with mucilage still on the seed, unlike natural processed coffees which are dried intact. Honey processing may be classified as White, Red, or Black depending on how much mucilage remains.

White honey coffees have nearly all of the mucilage mechanically removed, and are thus closest to washed coffees in terms of cup profile, but they are dry-fermented instead of fermented in water. 

The silky-smooth body and accentuated fruit notes of this coffee are hallmarks of honey processing. Enjoy!

Produced by Bekele Belacho in the Sidama region of Ethiopia, this lot features the 74158 varietal grown at 1900-2100 masl. It is processed using the honey method, a technique that sits between washed and natural styles by leaving a portion of the fruit mucilage on the bean during drying. As detailed in our processing methods explainer, this approach often balances the clarity of washed coffees with the sweetness typically associated with natural processing.

Roasted by PT's Coffee Roasting, this specific selection highlights the nuanced profile of the 74158 varietal. The roaster identifies notes of white tea, caramel, and poached pear, a combination that invites exploration through the flavor wheel. While honey-processed coffees are often celebrated for their syrupy body and heightened sweetness, the specific terroir of Sidama frequently contributes to the delicate, tea-like elegance found in this cup.