BASHA BEKELE – CUP OF EXCELLENCE WINNER

From the lush high-altitude hills of the Sidama region, at approximately 2,300 meters above sea level, comes this exceptional microlot produced by Basha Bekele. His farms stretch above the areas of Bombe and Murago, where he cultivates variety 74158 in a semi-forested environment that allows for slow cherry maturation, cool nights, and extremely precise selection. After leaving the cooperative system through which he once sold his coffee cherries, Basha took full control of the entire chain — from farm production to export. In 2024, he won the prestigious Ethiopia Cup of Excellence with an outstanding score of 90.50 points.

Basha Bekele is highly regarded within the international specialty coffee community for his remarkable precision and unwavering focus on quality. He is especially recognized for his obsessively careful cherry selection, exceptionally clean fermentation, and a sensory profile that often goes beyond the typical character of Ethiopian natural coffees.

Process and Character of the Lot

Ripe coffee cherries are hand-picked and first sorted through flotation to remove lower-density and lower-quality fruit. This is followed by an experimental natural process with anaerobic fermentation, in which whole cherries are submerged in cool running water for up to seven days under controlled fermentation conditions. After fermentation, the cherries are slowly dried on raised mesh beds, partially in the shade, allowing the coffee to preserve both aromatic clarity and complexity.

The result is a coffee of exceptional cleanliness, with pronounced sweetness and vibrant citrus and tropical notes of mango, pineapple, mandarin, and lime, complemented by tea-like floral nuances of black tea and delicate hints of blueberry and cherry.