COE ETHIOPIA #3

Bukto Farm, Sidama — Rank 3, 89.70 Points, 2024 Harvest

This lot was grown at Bukto farm in Sidama, Ethiopia, by producer Bukto Dure Bore, at roughly 2,300 meters above sea level. Sidama is one of Ethiopia's most established specialty-coffee zones, known for the country's indigenous heirloom coffee population — thousands of genetically distinct varieties that have never been formally cataloged the way Central American or East African cultivars have. The variety recorded for this lot, 74158, is one of the selections Ethiopia's own agricultural research system has isolated and named from that heirloom pool for its disease resistance and cup quality.

At the 2024 Cup of Excellence Ethiopia competition, more than 600 samples were submitted nationwide. The national jury narrowed that field to the top 150, then to roughly 40 coffees scoring 87 points or higher — the threshold required to advance to the International Phase, where a second jury of international buyers, roasters, and Q graders re-cups and confirms the national scores. Bukto Dure Bore's lot cleared that bar with a combined score of 89.70, placing it third nationally, and every winning lot in that year's competition — this one included — was naturally processed, a strong showing for a method that depends entirely on careful drying and constant hand-sorting rather than water access.

2024 was also a comeback year: Cup of Excellence had been absent from Ethiopia's calendar for several cycles before this competition brought it back, which is part of why this particular harvest drew so much attention from roasters. The International Jury cupped in July 2024, and the auction that sold the winning lots — this one among them — followed in late August that same year.

We're naming the harvest year explicitly because it matters: this is a documented result from one specific competition cycle, and Cup of Excellence Ethiopia runs an entirely new competition, with new farms and new scores, each time it's held.

Jasmine, Apricot, Black Cherry

Natural processing means the cherry dries whole, with the fruit pulp intact around the bean, and the sugars and fruit compounds from that pulp work their way into the seed over the drying period — that's where a natural Sidama lot gets its intensity. Here it shows up as jasmine on the aromatics, ripe apricot through the middle, and a black cherry note that carries into a long, juicy finish.

Body is light-to-medium and the acidity is lively rather than sharp, with sweetness pronounced enough to make this coffee taste almost dessert-like without any added sugar. A light roast is the only sensible choice for a lot like this — anything darker would burn off the jasmine aromatics that a Q-grader jury specifically scored this coffee on, trading complexity for generic roast flavor.

This is a coffee built for black drinking: milk would mute the jasmine and flatten the fruit notes that earned it an 89.70 cupping score in the first place. If you're coming from a washed Central American coffee, expect noticeably more fruit intensity and a syrupier body — that's the natural-process signature at work, not a flaw.

Pour-Over for Clarity

Ratio: 1:16 (coffee to water by weight).

Grind: Medium-fine, similar to table salt.

Water temperature: 198–202°F (92–94°C).

Time: Roughly 2:45 total, poured in slow stages rather than all at once.

Pour-Over

A controlled pour-over is the best way to keep the jasmine aromatics and black cherry finish distinct — natural-process coffees can turn muddy in an immersion brew if the grind runs too fine, so err coarser rather than finer if you're unsure.

Aeropress (Inverted)

For a smaller, faster cup with similar clarity, an inverted Aeropress works well: medium grind, 1:15 ratio, 2 minutes steeped before a slow, gentle press. It concentrates the apricot sweetness a touch more than a standard pour-over.

Keep the bag sealed and whole-bean between brews, away from light and heat, and grind only right before you brew — natural-processed lots lose their aromatic top notes fastest of any processing style once ground.

Did You Know

• This is Bukto Dure Bore's coffee, grown on Bukto farm in Sidama — a single, named producer rather than a cooperative blend, which is what lets this lot carry a specific 89.70 score instead of a regional average.

• Bukto's placement came in a genuine comeback year for the competition. Cup of Excellence had skipped Ethiopia for several harvest cycles before returning in 2024, so the roasters bidding on this lot were competing for access to a country's specialty coffee that hadn't had a documented, jury-scored auction in years.

• Every winning lot in Ethiopia's 2024 competition was naturally processed. Out of the roughly 40 coffees that cleared the 87-point qualifying threshold, none were washed — a reflection of how central natural processing is to Sidama's specialty-coffee identity.

• The variety, 74158, comes from Ethiopia's own heirloom coffee population rather than an imported cultivar — it was selected and named by Ethiopian agricultural researchers for disease resistance and cup quality, one of thousands of genetically distinct types native to the country.

• The national and international juries never meet the farmers during judging. Every sample is cupped blind, identified only by a code, so a jury's score reflects the coffee in the cup — not the producer's reputation or the price the lot might later fetch.

What makes this an Ethiopia Cup of Excellence coffee?

It's a documented, jury-scored lot from Ethiopia's 2024 Cup of Excellence competition — grown by producer Bukto Dure Bore in Sidama, cupped blind by a national and then an international jury, and ranked third nationally with a score of 89.70.

Why did Cup of Excellence Ethiopia matter so much in 2024?

2024 was the competition's return to Ethiopia after several years off the calendar, so it drew unusually heavy attention from roasters worldwide — this lot was part of that comeback cycle, one of roughly 40 coffees to clear the 87-point qualifying score nationally.

What does a 74158 varietal taste like?

On its own, 74158 doesn't have one fixed flavor — it's one of Ethiopia's selected heirloom types, and its cup depends heavily on where and how it's grown. Here, naturally processed at 2,300 meters in Sidama, it produces jasmine aromatics, ripe apricot, and a black cherry finish.

Is natural-processed Ethiopian coffee more acidic than washed?

Not necessarily more acidic, but noticeably more fruit-forward and syrupy in body — natural processing lets fruit sugars from the drying cherry work into the bean, which reads as sweetness and fruit intensity more than sharp acidity.

How does the Cup of Excellence auction work?

Once both juries finish scoring, the winning lots are listed for a public online auction where roasters worldwide bid directly on specific lots. Proceeds go to the farm that grew the coffee rather than through the usual chain of importers and brokers.

What's the best way to brew this coffee?

Pour-over at a 1:16 ratio with a medium-fine grind and water around 200°F brings out the jasmine and black cherry most clearly; an inverted Aeropress is a good faster alternative if you want a similarly clean cup in less time.