Ethiopia | Aricha Espresso

Aricha is a remote town in Ethiopia’s Yigracheffe region. Here at 1950 MASL local farmers deliver their cherries to the Idido washing station. This washed lot harvested in December 2025 is tasting balanced and sweet with notes of tangerine, lemon candy and papaya with a silky body and notes of black tea and vanilla in the finish.

The area around Idido is home to some of the world's oldest coffee traditions. Farmers here practice intercropping coffee with native trees, rely on shared compost prepared at collection centers, and process coffee through extended fermentation and raised-bed drying. Most producers are part of the Gedeo culture, whose traditions strongly shape daily life with a focus on connection to the land and tradition.
 
Cherries are collected at peak ripeness. Once sorted they are depulped and the seeds are submerged in water and fermented for 48-72 hours. Following this stage the seeds are rinsed thoroughly and moved to drying tables where they are dried on raised beds for 10-12 days.