Ethiopia Alo Mosto

Bensa, Ethiopia — 2,400–2,500 Masl, Anaerobic Natural

This lot is grown by farmer Tamiru Tadesse in Bensa, a coffee-growing woreda within Ethiopia's Sidama region known for some of the country's highest smallholder plantings. At 2,400–2,500 masl, this particular plot sits near the practical ceiling for Arabica cultivation — air this thin and nights this cool slow cherry ripening dramatically, and that extra time on the tree is what allows sugars and acids to build to the concentration anaerobic-natural processing then works with.

The variety is 74158, a cultivar developed decades ago by Ethiopia's Jimma Agricultural Research Center for resistance to coffee berry disease, bred from the country's own heirloom population rather than an imported line — one reason it still carries the delicacy typical of native Ethiopian coffee even under a demanding process like this one.

Processing here happens in two stages. First, ripe cherries are sealed inside an airtight fermentation tank, where the absence of oxygen shifts fermentation toward different microbial pathways — including lactic acid bacteria — than open-air methods allow, building deeper sweetness and more complex acidity into the fruit before it ever reaches the drying patio. Second, once that anaerobic stage is complete, the cherry is dried whole rather than pulped, the traditional Ethiopian natural method, so the fermented fruit stays in contact with the bean through the entire drying period. Fewer producers in Bensa run both stages on the same lot than run either one alone, which is part of what sets this coffee apart from a standard natural or a standard anaerobic-washed lot.

Butter Biscuit, Wild Strawberry, and Cacao Liqueur

This cup opens with a buttery, biscuit-like sweetness, moves into wild strawberry through the middle, and finishes with a cacao-liqueur richness that reads more like dessert wine than coffee. That combination — biscuit warmth plus a boozy cacao note — is a fairly direct signature of anaerobic fermentation layered onto whole-cherry drying: the sealed fermentation builds complex sugars and alcohols the fruit alone wouldn't produce, and drying the cherry whole then locks that character into the bean.

Body is full and syrupy for an Ethiopian coffee, acidity is present but rounded rather than sharp, and the finish carries the cacao-liqueur note longest. On the SCA flavor wheel, expect this cup to sit across the cocoa, dried-fruit, and fermented/winey categories at once — a broader spread than a standard natural or washed Ethiopian lot typically shows.

A medium-light roast is doing real work here: light enough to preserve the wild strawberry brightness, but with just enough development to round the biscuit note rather than leave it raw and grainy.

Pour-Over, Slightly Cooler Water

This lot's fermentation-driven sugars extract easily, so a pour-over method (V60 or Chemex) with slightly cooler water than usual keeps the cacao-liqueur note from tipping into bitterness.

Ratio: 1:15 (coffee to water by weight) — a touch stronger than a standard 1:16 to let the full body come through.

Grind: Medium-fine.

Water temperature: 195–200°F (90–93°C).

Time: Total brew time around 2:45.

Immersion Dripper

A hybrid immersion brewer (Clever Dripper or similar) suits this lot well — the longer contact time draws out more of the butter-biscuit sweetness than a fast pour-over pass allows.

This coffee carries more residual sugar and oil in the green bean than a standard natural, which makes it more prone to staling once ground — buy whole-bean, keep the bag sealed away from heat and light, and grind only what you need per session.

Did You Know

• Stacking anaerobic fermentation onto natural drying is a two-step process, not one. The cherry first ferments sealed in an oxygen-free tank, then dries whole around the bean afterward — each stage shapes the cup differently, and running both together is more labor-intensive than either technique used alone.

• Bensa sits near the upper elevation limit for growing Arabica at all. Above roughly 2,500 masl, temperatures and frost risk make coffee cultivation increasingly marginal — plots like this one, near that ceiling, represent some of the highest smallholder coffee grown anywhere in Ethiopia.

• 74158 was bred for disease resistance, not flavor — the flavor came from where it draws its genetics. Ethiopia's Jimma Agricultural Research Center developed the 74-series cultivars using the country's own heirloom coffee population rather than crossing in foreign genetics, which is why disease-resistant varieties like 74158 still cup with heirloom-style complexity.

• Sealed fermentation can produce alcohol as a byproduct, which is part of why some anaerobic lots taste boozy. Cutting off oxygen encourages yeasts to metabolize sugars anaerobically, a pathway that produces ethanol alongside acids — the cacao-liqueur note in this cup is a direct, tastable result of that chemistry.

What is anaerobic natural coffee?

Anaerobic natural coffee combines two steps: the cherry first ferments sealed in an oxygen-free tank, then dries whole around the bean rather than being pulped, so the fermented fruit stays in contact with the seed through drying. This lot goes through both stages, which is why it cups heavier and more complex than a standard natural.

What does this coffee taste like?

Expect butter biscuit sweetness up front, wild strawberry through the middle, and a cacao-liqueur richness in the finish — a fuller, more dessert-like profile than typical Ethiopian coffee, driven by the extended sealed fermentation.

Why does this coffee taste like cacao liqueur?

Sealed, oxygen-free fermentation can produce alcohol as yeasts metabolize the cherry's sugars anaerobically; that fermentation chemistry is what produces the boozy, cacao-liqueur note here rather than any added flavoring.

What is variety 74158?

74158 is a coffee cultivar bred by Ethiopia's Jimma Agricultural Research Center for coffee berry disease resistance, developed from the country's own heirloom gene pool rather than an imported line, which is why it still carries a delicate, high-toned cup character.

How is this different from a standard natural-processed Ethiopian coffee?

A standard natural skips fermentation in a sealed tank and simply dries the whole cherry in open air. This lot adds a sealed anaerobic fermentation stage first, which builds deeper sugars and alcohol-driven complexity into the fruit before drying even begins.

What roast level suits this coffee best?

Medium-light is the level used here — enough development to round out the biscuit note without cooking away the wild strawberry brightness or pushing the cacao-liqueur richness into bitterness.