Bildimoo
Bildimoo means “red, clay soil” in the Oromiffa language. This concept represents lactic coffees that taste like lychee, cinnamon, pineapple, cola, ginger Buku Sayisa is a coffee that first caught our attention in 2019, in a big way! This year is no different with this lot expressing such amazing clarity, crisp bright fruit with layers of florals and complexity. Buku Sayisa means “Blessed Valley” and is the name of the valley in which the site is situated. This area of Hambela Wamena is some of the highest altitudes for coffee growing, at 2350 masl. The farmers delivering cherry here deliver on horseback due to the uneven terrain around the site. We have seen a lot of development and investment at this station, putting in place protocols to ensure better drying and building a new dry mill in Hambela.
Blessed Valley
Esayas Beriso selectively handpicks ripe cherry at his farm alongside his team. They only select fully ripe cherry for anaerobic fermentation. The cherries are then tightly packed inside a big sealed plastic jar and left fermenting anaerobically (without oxygen) for 18 to 24 hours. During this process, microbes consume all the oxygen in the container meaning that microbes that typically breathe oxygen have a harder time surviving and those that flourish on carbon dioxide (the typical byproduct of oxygen-breathing microbes) are able to dominate fermentation.
After fermentation, cherries are carefully removed from the plastic jar and laid
to dry in direct sunlight on raised beds for approximately 2 to 3 weeks. Workers turn the coffee frequently to promote even drying.
About this coffee
Cupping score: 88.50
Processing station: SNAP coffee
Producer: Esayas Beriso
Region: Hambela, Guji
Altitude: 2000 – 2350 MASL
Variety: dega
Processing: anaerobic natural
Dega variety
Dega is an ancient Ethiopian coffee variety that is cultivated throughout the country.
Anaerobic fermentation
Fermentation is a chemical process whereby carbohydrates, such as sugars are broken down into alcohols or acids by microbial activities in the absence of oxygen. While fermentation is, by its nature, an anaerobic process, the term “anaerobic fermentation” refers specifically to fermentation that occurs in a custom-built, oxygen-free environment, such as a sealed container or tank.
