Ethiopia Qonqana - Honey Sidama

We Taste - Jasmine, dried orange, caramel

Known for elegant complexity, nectar-like juiciness, and syrupy sweetness, coffees from the trade-marked Sidama region of Ethiopia stand apart. To make this season's Grade 1 Honey Process lot, local smallholder farmers around Bensa district delivered freshly-picked Heirloom cherry to nearby Qonqana Washing Station. The child of smallholder farmers himself, Mr. Asefa Dukamo dreamt of building a washing station closer to his home village of Girja. As a young man, Asefa achieved his goal with several co-founders, building a second washing station to help a nearby village shortly thereafter. Four years later, Asefa constructed the largest capacity washing station in the area. Known as "The Mother Station", Qonqana not only functions as a quality-forward (multiple COE top 10) wet mill, but as a host of educational trainings and demonstrations.

Most lots from Ethiopia are Washed or Natural, so we are excited to share Qonqana's rarer Honey Process with you! To facilitate this unique way of drying the green coffee seed, there is a sorting process, followed by de-pulping by machine. The mucilage-covered parchment coffee is then open air fermented and dried on raised beds for nearly three weeks. This slow, steady fermentation with the touch of a light roast yields a lightly browned sweetness that allow for this coffee's brightness to shine, while still feeling smooth and round on the palate. Look for fresh jasmine and dried orange on the nose complemented by light caramels in the cup. Featuring a delicate complexity, we recommend brewing this coffee as a filter or small batch immersion. 

Roast: Light - Rest ~2 weeks prior to brewing for best results.
Process: Honey - picked ripe and depulped, then open air fermented and dried on raised beds for 15-20 days. 
Varieties: Heirloom Ethiopian, mostly 74110 + 74112 JARC selections with good coffee berry disease resistance and cup quality
Elevation: 1,900 -2,100 masl
Location: Bensa District, Sidama, Ethiopia
Washing Station: Qonqana (aka Asefa No. 1), est. 2002
Farmers: Local smallholders, ~1,020 farmers
Producer: Daye Bensa Coffee - Founded by Asefa Dukamo + MuluGeta Dukamo
Exporter: Haileselassie Ambaye Industrial PLC
Grades / Certifications: Grade 1 - No chemical fertilizers or pesticides used.
Harvest: Nov. 2024 - Jan. 2025

Brew Guides
Espresso: 1:3.0 in 26-28 sec.
Filter: 1:17.2