Ethiopia Karamo Washed

Karamo, Sidama — 2,380 Masl, Fully Washed

This lot comes from farmer Niguse Gemeda Mude's plot near Karamo in Ethiopia's Sidama zone, one of the country's most decorated coffee-growing areas and, since a 2020 referendum, its own constitutionally recognized regional state rather than a zone of the former SNNPR. At 2,380 masl, this planting sits well above the altitude threshold most origins can offer smallholder coffee at all — the thinner air and cooler nights at this elevation slow cherry maturation, which is part of why high-grown Sidama lots consistently show more defined acidity and aromatic complexity than lower-altitude coffee from the same country.

The variety here is 74158, one of several "74-series" cultivars released decades ago by Ethiopia's Jimma Agricultural Research Center specifically for resistance to coffee berry disease, a fungal threat that devastated Ethiopian yields through the mid-20th century. Unlike most disease-resistant cultivars bred elsewhere, which often trade cup quality for hardiness, the 74-series varieties were selected from within Ethiopia's own heirloom gene pool, which is part of why 74158 still cups with the delicacy typical of the country's native coffee stock.

After harvest, ripe cherries are depulped and fermented in water to strip the mucilage layer before washing and drying on raised beds — the traditional wet-process method that, alongside this same farm's anaerobic sibling lot, gives DABOV a rare direct comparison between two processing philosophies applied to identical trees. This lot was named a finalist at the 2025 Global Coffee Awards, an international quality competition, which is a meaningful marker given how many Sidama lots enter each cycle.

Honey, Dates, and Stone Fruit

A super-light roast keeps this cup in the delicate register washed process is known for: honey sweetness up front, ripe stone fruit (think peach and apricot) through the middle, and a dried-date richness that lingers into the finish without ever turning heavy.

Body is light to medium, acidity is bright and citrusy rather than sharp, and the sweetness reads clean — there's no fermented or boozy edge here, which is the clearest tasting difference from this farm's anaerobic-processed lot. On the SCA flavor wheel, this cup sits mostly in the stone-fruit and honey/sweet categories, with the date note edging toward dried-fruit territory in the back half of the sip.

Washed process is, in effect, a subtractive method: pulping and fermenting off the mucilage removes fruit sugars before drying rather than concentrating them, which is why this lot tastes brighter and more transparent than a natural or anaerobic coffee from the same trees would. If you gravitate toward tea-like, high-clarity Ethiopian cups rather than heavier, fruit-bomb natural lots, this is the profile to reach for.

Pour-Over Recommended

This lot's clarity is easiest to taste through a pour-over method (V60, Kalita Wave, or similar), which lets the honey and stone-fruit notes come through without the added body of immersion brewing.

Ratio: 1:16 (coffee to water by weight) as a starting point — 20g coffee to 320g water.

Grind: Medium-fine.

Water temperature: 200–204°F (93–96°C) — a touch hotter than a natural-processed lot needs, since washed coffee's sugars are more subdued and benefit from fuller extraction.

Time: Total brew time around 2:45.

Kalita Wave

The flat-bottom Kalita bed evens out extraction across the grounds, which suits this lot's more delicate, less concentrated flavor profile than a conical dripper tends to.

Buy whole-bean and grind right before brewing; ground coffee sheds the fine honey and stone-fruit top notes within a few days as those aromatic compounds oxidize. Store the bag sealed, away from heat and light.

Did You Know

• 74158 is a disease-resistant variety bred from Ethiopia's own heirloom stock, not an imported hybrid. Released decades ago by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center to fight coffee berry disease, the 74-series cultivars were selected from within Ethiopia's native gene pool rather than crossed with foreign varieties — a big part of why they still cup with heirloom-style delicacy despite being bred for resistance.

• Sidama only became its own region in 2020. After a referendum that November, Sidama split off from the former Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region to become Ethiopia's tenth regional state — the coffee-growing zone that gave this lot its name is now also a distinct political and administrative territory.

• Washing coffee requires reliable water access, which natural processing doesn't. That's part of why natural (dry) processing came first historically in Ethiopia — the wet-process method used for this lot needs pulping equipment and enough clean water to ferment and rinse the mucilage off every batch, infrastructure that reached rural Ethiopian growing areas later than the simpler practice of drying whole cherries in the sun.

• Coffee grown above 2,000 meters develops sugar more slowly, and that's a good thing. The cooler temperatures at this lot's 2,380-meter elevation stretch out how long the cherry takes to ripen, giving the bean more time to build the sugars and acids that read as complexity in the cup — a large part of why high-altitude Sidama lots are prized well beyond Ethiopia.

What does washed Ethiopian coffee taste like?

Washed Ethiopian coffee tends toward a cleaner, brighter cup than natural-processed lots from the same country — this one shows honey, stone fruit, and dates with citrusy acidity, rather than the heavier berry and fruit-forward profile natural processing produces.

What's the difference between this lot and Ethiopia Karamo Anaerobic?

Both come from the same farm and elevation, but this lot is fully washed while Ethiopia Karamo Anaerobic ferments in a sealed, oxygen-free tank before drying — the anaerobic lot cups fuller and more fermented-fruit forward, while this washed lot stays lighter and more transparent.

What is variety 74158?

74158 is one of several Ethiopian coffee cultivars released by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center for resistance to coffee berry disease. Unlike many disease-resistant varieties, it was bred from Ethiopia's own heirloom gene pool, so it keeps a delicate, high-toned cup profile at high elevation.

Why is this coffee roasted so light?

A super-light roast is the level that best preserves the honey and stone-fruit sugars washed processing develops in this bean — a darker roast would introduce roast-driven flavors that compete with and eventually mask this lot's natural sweetness.

What does it mean that this coffee is a Global Coffee Awards finalist?

The Global Coffee Awards is an international coffee-quality competition; this lot was named a finalist in the 2025 cycle, a meaningful result given the volume of high-elevation Sidama coffee submitted each year.

Is washed coffee better than natural coffee?

Neither is objectively better — they're different philosophies. Washed processing (like this lot) produces a cleaner, more transparent cup that shows the bean and terroir directly; natural processing concentrates the cherry's own fruit sugars into the bean for a heavier, fruitier result.