Lime, Floral, Apple

Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom

Processing: Natural

Origin: Sidamo, Ethiopia

Producers: Bensa Smallholders

Altitude: 1950-2000M

Score: 87

Bensa #2 is a lot of natural-processed coffee from the Bensa washing station - which aggregates small amounts of cherry from small-holder farmers in the surrounding town. The coffee is sorted and processed at the station into what's called "parchment." Parchment is just green coffee that still has the final, papery membrane around the green beans intact, which can help protect them and keep their flavor longer. In many cases, coffee will be processed down to parchment at a station, moved to a more central location for final quality assessment, and then dry-milled to remove the parchment just before being bagged and sold. This keeps the quality as high as possible for as long as possible, resulting in more delicious coffee.

That's certainly the case here - Bensa #2 is one delicious Ethiopian coffee! We're tasting bright lime-like acidity and a crisp apple sweetness, alongside some of the classic floral notes that Ethiopian coffees are known for. There are even more fruity hints at play in the background, this is a coffee with plenty of depth to explore in subsequent brews.