Ethiopia | Basha Bekele

Basha Bekele is a coffee producer managing multiple stations within Ethiopia. This honey lot comes from Basha’s Murago Site, where local farmers in Bensa, Sidama deliver their cherries to be processed by Basha. This is his highest elevation site with farms at staggering elevations of 2350 MASL. The cup has high flavor intensity and an abundance of sweetness. We are tasting juicy grape, mango, and dark cherries.

Basha comes from a long history of coffee production, starting by working with his father who managed a co-op in Bensa. Basha now has his own export license and grows coffee (primarily 74158, known locally as “Walega”) in semi-forested plots on 12 hectares in addition to operating collection sites in Bombe, Shantawane, and Kokose.

Cherries are picked at peak ripeness, and floated to remove defects and underripes. The cherries are then pulped using a GEM 1 disc hand-pulper into a plastic drum where the seeds are floated a second time. The seeds are then fermented in water in the shade for 48 hours, while being agitated every 12 hours to loosen the mucilage. After fermentation the seeds are drained and dried in raised beds under shade for 25 days.