Yaye, Natural - Ethiopia

This lot comes from the Yaye Washing Station, a modern facility established in 2021 with a clear focus on precision and quality. It represents the outcome of the Odakko Project, an initiative built on years of collaboration and experimentation to produce a highly traceable, single-variety coffee with a unique flavour profile.

The coffee is grown by smallholder farmers in the Yaye and Chericho areas of Sidama. Farms sit at high elevations where cooler temperatures slow cherry maturation and contribute to greater sweetness and complexity.

Producers selectively hand-pick cherries at peak ripeness and deliver daily to the washing station. After initial flotation to remove defects, the fruit is hand-sorted to a strict standard, ensuring an ideal balance of ripe and slightly overripe cherries for depth and sweetness. Drying takes place on raised beds under shaded conditions with increased airflow, extending the process to 28 days. This slow, controlled drying stabilises the coffee and allows flavour development to progress gradually. The coffee is then rested for six weeks before milling and export, preserving its structure and clarity in the cup.

The natural process brings forward layered berry sweetness and gentle wine-like character, while the careful preparation preserves clarity and definition. It’s an elegant, flavoursome cup, well suited to filter brewing where its bergamot lift and blueberry brightness shine, and equally compelling as espresso, where the grape-like depth becomes more rounded and structured with a smooth, lingering finish.

• Region: Sidama
• Country: Ethiopia
• Elevation: 1,995 - 2,300 masl
• Variety: 74158
• Process: Natural