Ethiopia Limmu Kossa

The Limmu Kossa Estate lies in the heart of Ethiopian coffee country, at the eastern end of the Oromia zone. the coffee is harvested during the dry season over several months, washed and lightly fermented to remove all fruit mucilage, and then laid out to dry on an array of covered raised beds. once the coffee has dried to the right moisture level, it is warehoused Addis Ababa, as it makes way to the cargo ships that run out of the port of Djibouti and eventually make their way into the Port of Oakland.

Farm owner Giday Berhe began his career as a coffee trader in 1993 and in the following years opened wet and dry mills in Jimma to supply the market with quality coffee. In 2000, Giday founded Limmu Kossa in the village of Galeh in Jimma, and today the farm employs 500 full-time, year-round workers cultivating exquisite Ethiopian heirloom varietals across 356 hectares of land. The result of Giday’s rigorous quality standards and uncompromising professionalism is coffee that stands out in a country where excellent coffee abounds. The farm cultivates its heirloom varietals to be as close to their wild-grown counterparts as they can, made possible by exceptional agroforestry practices. The plants grow in the shade of 43 different species of trees, allowing for slow cherry development and beans that are denser and more flavorful.

Ethiopia's Limmu region has long been a source of refined, balanced coffees, and this washed lot from Limmu Kossa Estate exemplifies the category's clarity. The heirloom varietal grown here—a complex blend of traditional Ethiopian genetics—thrives in the region's conditions and contributes subtle, nuanced character. Water Avenue Coffee's approach to this washed process coffee allows the origin's inherent qualities to shine through without heavy intervention, typical of how this method preserves the bean's natural acidity and floral or tea-like notes. For those exploring Ethiopian coffees beyond the more widely known regional profiles, this represents a thoughtful expression of Limmu's potential.