#28 Ethiopia

A Remarkable Coffee from Lalesa, Gedeo

Jammy • Complex • Vibrant

This is one of the most exceptional Ethiopian coffees I’ve tasted from the Gedeo region — intensely jammy, with a bright complexity that unfolds in layers. While Yirgacheffe coffees are celebrated for their smooth, delicate, and lingering aftertastes, this particular lot pushes the boundaries with its depth and character.

Origin & Process

Grown in Lalesa, one of the finest microregions in Gedeo, this coffee is made from ripe red cherries delivered by smallholder farmers. It is processed at the Alemayehu Tilahun Washing Station, nestled in the heart of the region’s lush highlands.

Alemayehu, a native of Gedeo, has been working in coffee for nearly two decades. In 2018, he built his own wet mill with a mission: to source only the highest quality cherries from nearby farmers and to strengthen community ties through transparency and trust.

Today, the washing station is vertically integrated with Origin Land Coffee, led by Abenezer Asfaw, ensuring quality control and traceability at every stage.

Terroir & Environment

Lalesa is a shining example of agroecological excellence. Coffee here thrives under a dense canopy of native forest — including the iconic “false banana” plants — in a semi-forest farming system that promotes biodiversity, shade, and natural soil enrichment.

This unique environment, combined with meticulous processing, creates a cup that is not only delicious but deeply expressive of its origin.

Etiopisk kaffe: Espresso-ekstraktionstips

Etiopisk kaffe er kendt for sine florale karakteristika og delikate sødme. Til espresso anbefaler jeg en længere ekstraktionstid, som fremhæver sødmen og afslører rige, chokoladeagtige noter, når ekstraktionen når sit fulde potentiale.

Disse kaffebønner er typisk små og tætte, da de dyrkes i højere højder end mange andre kaffer. Denne densitet kan gøre det mere udfordrende at indstille korrekt, og det kræver ofte, at du justerer din kværn til en grovere indstilling end normalt.

Indstilling af din espresso

Når du arbejder med etiopisk kaffe, har du to muligheder afhængigt af, hvilken smagsprofil du ønsker at fremhæve:

1. Kort ekstraktion:

   • Fremhæver mere syrlighed.
   • Ekstraktionstid: 20-24 sekunder.
   • Kværningsgrad: grovere.

2. Lang ekstraktion:

   • Fremhæver mere sødme.
   • Ekstraktionstid: 29-31 sekunder.
   • Kværningsgrad: finere.

Target mass for begge muligheder forbliver den samme, uanset ekstraktionstiden.

Brug en vægt

Som en generel regel bør du altid bruge en vægt til at indstille din espresso. De første tre skud giver normalt en god indikation af flowet og, hvordan espressoen brygges.

Vigtig indikator:

Timingen af den første dråbe kan hjælpe dig med at justere kværningen:

• • • Hvis den første dråbe kommer for tidligt, kværn finere.
    • Hvis den første dråbe kommer for sent, kværn grovere.

Ved at følge disse trin og eksperimentere med ekstraktionstider kan du fremhæve de unikke florale og søde kvaliteter, som etiopisk kaffe er kendt for. God fornøjelse med brygningen!

This coffee is ideal to brew on Siphon, Chemex, Hario, Stagg fellow and December dripper Brew/ratio mass depends on how you pour the water, the weight of your coffee and the length of your brew. I like to recommend that you try to use different pouring techniques. So you will find out what will suit you and the coffee you have in your hands.

Step 1

Prefinfusion = Using water to wet the coffee, so the particle can absorb water, giving access to flavour and aromas. As a rule when you use less coffee, less water is used to preinfusion. "just enough to cover the coffee in the filter".

Step 2

Blooming = this is where the coffee particles is expanding, as any cellular products, giving access to transform the coffee attributes in to flavours and aromas. As a genius = less coffee/shorter blooming time. More Coffee/longer blooming time = that make sense right? Ie. 33 g of coffee = 30 sec blooming time. 60 g of coffee = 50-60 sec blooming time.

Step 3

Building up your coffee in the filter = you coffee brewing times length and letting you coffee steep in the filter. Coffee needs to be handled firm and homogenises.

Ie. Dont let your coffee set/sit or "dry out in the filter" when you pour the water in your coffee filter. Vise versa, you have to be careful, that you don't pour too much water, so you create a "swimming pool" on top of the coffee in the filter. The coffee should have a smooth "run through" contact time with water. You can find inspiration on brew guides