Did you know that every cup of coffee you drink has, somewhere back at its origins, a direct link to the mountains of Ethiopia? It's not just a poetic coincidence. Ethiopia is, as far as genetic research tells us, the very place where the Arabica coffee plant first appeared in the wild.
Three regions, three farms, three different processes
At MABO we have three lots from Ethiopia, each from a different region, each processed differently. That's no coincidence. Bogdan chose exactly these three lots so you can taste, side by side, how much origin and processing change the final flavour.
Bench Maji, in south-western Ethiopia, is one of the country's most remote and fascinating regions, known for its wild coffees and the huge genetic diversity of its coffee trees. Our lot from here is washed by the Bench Maji Forest Cooperative Union, a cooperative dedicated to sustainability.
Guji, in the south of the country, lies close to the famous Yirgacheffe and Sidamo, but develops a profile of its own: floral, fruity, with a silky body, often more exotic and intense than its neighbouring regions. Our lot comes from the Muje Mesina farm and is natural processed.
Jimma, more precisely the Gomma district, is where Nazimu Abamecha grows coffee on land inherited from his father. Ten years ago Nazimu founded the Duromina cooperative, which he led for eight years, and two years ago he decided to sell his coffee independently to ensure better traceability for his lots. His 8-hectare farm is set deep in a coffee forest with indigenous species, where the cherries ripen slowly in the shade. His lot is processed using the honey method.
Three processes, three completely different experiences
Processing is, in short, what happens to the coffee bean between the moment it's picked and the moment it becomes green coffee, ready for roasting. It sounds technical, but the effect is easy to taste in the cup.
With washed processing (Bench Maji), the fruit pulp is removed almost immediately and the bean ferments briefly in water. The result is a clean coffee with aromatic clarity and an elegant sweetness.
With natural processing (Awata Mesina), the bean stays inside the whole fruit to dry in the sun on raised African beds for days on end. The sugar from the fruit gradually seeps into the bean, and the coffee comes out much sweeter and fruitier, with a fuller body.
With honey processing (Nazimu Abamecha), part of the fruit's sweet mucilage stays on the bean during drying, a kind of compromise between washed and natural. The result keeps the sweetness and body typical of natural processing, but with a shorter drying time and less risk of defects.
What you'll find in each cup
Bench Maji (Washed) has notes of green tea and apricot, a high body, medium acidity and high sweetness. It's a floral, vegetal coffee, unlike anything you've probably tasted from Ethiopia so far.
Awata Mesina (Natural) develops notes of apricot, rose and bergamot, with a medium body and high sweetness. It's the coffee for you if you want an intense, almost perfumed profile.
Nazimu Abamecha (Honey) brings apricot, pear and orange blossom, with a medium body, medium citric acidity and high sweetness. It's the most balanced of the three, a perfect middle ground between the clarity of the washed and the intensity of the natural.
All three are of the Heirloom variety, a term used for native Ethiopian varieties resulting from natural crossbreeding rather than from a specific cultivar. Most are descendants of Typica or Bourbon, and Ethiopia is estimated to be home to several thousand such varieties.
An exercise we wholeheartedly recommend: try all three and do your own cupping at home, essentially a side-by-side comparative tasting. It's an experiment that completely changes the way you understand specialty coffee.
How to get the best out of them
For Bench Maji, we recommend filter methods such as V60 or Chemex, where its aromatic clarity can shine, though its high body also makes it a good fit for espresso. Awata Mesina shines just as well with manual brewing methods (V60, Chemex, Origami), but can also be surprising as a long espresso shot. Nazimu Abamecha, with its balanced profile, performs excellently with almost any filter method.
Whatever the lot or method, one piece of advice always holds: let freshly roasted beans rest for at least 7 days for filter and 14 days for espresso. Ethiopia has too much aromatic complexity to rush it.
A journey in a cup
A coffee from Ethiopia is a short sensory journey to the place that gave birth to the entire industry we love. Every time you open a bag of Bench Maji, Awata Mesina or Nazimu Abamecha, you're really opening a window onto the mountains, the tradition and the people behind the beans.
Drop by our coffee shop to try them with a MABO barista, or order them home and set up your own tasting ritual. And while you're experimenting, tell us on Instagram (@mabo.coffee) which one won you over: the clean processing of Bench Maji, the floral intensity of Awata Mesina, or the sweet balance of Nazimu Abamecha?
Enjoy your Mabo Coffee!
