Ethiopia COE #20 2024

Leikun's Farm, Sidama — Rank 20, 87.46 Points, 2024 Harvest

This lot was grown by Leikun Zegeye Dagnachew on a small farm in Sidama, at roughly 2,300 meters above sea level. Leikun bought the five-hectare plot near his home in 2019, at 24 years old, with heirloom 74158 trees already established on the land — one of the many genetically distinct coffee types native to Ethiopia's forests rather than an imported cultivar bred elsewhere. He's entered Cup of Excellence more than once since taking over the farm: a first-place finish in 2020, a placement in the mid-twenties in 2021, and rank twenty in the 2024 competition this particular lot comes from.

Cup of Excellence made its comeback to Ethiopia in 2024, and the field was deep: growers nationwide entered hundreds of samples, but the certifying bar stayed strict — a national panel evaluates every sample blind, keeps only a small fraction, and hands those off to an international panel of Q graders and roasters who independently confirm the scores before any lot goes to auction. Only coffees averaging 87 points or better across both rounds make that final cut, and Leikun's lot came in at 87.46 — comfortably inside it, at rank twenty.

Sidama's reputation rests on exactly this kind of small, single-producer natural lot: cherries dried whole on raised beds, sorted repeatedly by hand through the drying period to catch defects before they affect the batch, on farms too small to blend into an anonymous regional lot even if a buyer wanted to. That's what lets a coffee like this one carry a producer's name and a specific score rather than a generic country designation.

We're naming the harvest year explicitly because a Cup of Excellence result belongs to one specific competition cycle — a future entry from this same farm would be judged in an entirely new competition, with a new score, not a continuation of this one.

Jasmine, Apricot, Black Cherry

This lot's natural processing lets the drying cherry's own sugars and fruit compounds soak into the bean over the drying period, and the result here is aromatic and layered: jasmine on the nose, ripe apricot through the middle, and a black cherry note that carries into a long, sweet finish.

Body sits at light-to-medium, and the acidity is lively without turning sharp — a hallmark of high-altitude Sidama coffee grown above 2,000 meters, where cooler nights slow cherry ripening and concentrate sugars before harvest. Sweetness here is pronounced enough that the coffee reads as almost floral-dessert in character rather than simply fruity.

A light roast is the only choice that makes sense for a lot like this: pushing past first crack would burn off the jasmine aromatics that a Q-grader jury specifically rewarded with this coffee's 87.46 score, trading the coffee's real character for generic roast flavor. Drink it black — milk would mute the jasmine and flatten the apricot and cherry notes that define the cup. If you've had a washed Central American coffee before, expect noticeably more fruit intensity and a syrupier texture here; that's natural processing at work.

A Gentle Hand With This One

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, poured slowly in stages rather than all at once.

Pour-Over

A controlled pour keeps the jasmine and black cherry notes distinct rather than muddy — natural-processed Sidama lots like this one can turn heavy-handed in an immersion brewer if the grind runs too fine, so lean slightly coarser if you're unsure.

Aeropress (Inverted)

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

Keep the bag whole-bean and sealed between brews, away from light and heat, and grind only right before brewing — the jasmine top notes on a natural-processed coffee like this one fade faster than almost anything else in the cup once it's ground.

Did You Know

• Leikun Zegeye Dagnachew bought his farm at 24 years old, in 2019, with heirloom 74158 trees already planted on the land — and went on to place first in Cup of Excellence Ethiopia the very next competition he entered, in 2020.

• This is his third Cup of Excellence placement on record: first in 2020, in the mid-twenties in 2021, and twentieth in the 2024 edition this lot comes from — a rare multi-year track record for a producer who only started competing a few years earlier.

• 2024 marked Cup of Excellence's return to Ethiopia after several years off the national calendar, drawing renewed attention from roasters worldwide to that year's winning lots.

• The 74158 varietal is one of Ethiopia's own selections from its enormous heirloom coffee population — thousands of genetically distinct types that have never been formally cataloged the way Central American or East African cultivars have — chosen for disease resistance and cup quality rather than imported from elsewhere.

• A rank of 20 still means a top handful of coffees nationwide. Ethiopia's 2024 competition drew hundreds of samples nationwide, and only a small fraction cleared the 87-point threshold to reach the international jury at all.

What score wins Cup of Excellence?

There's no single fixed number — each country's competition sets its own qualifying threshold, typically around 87 points, and the coffees ranked highest above that line make the published list. This lot's 87.46 score placed it twentieth in Ethiopia's 2024 edition.

Who grew this coffee?

Leikun Zegeye Dagnachew, a young Sidama producer who bought his five-hectare farm in 2019 at age 24, with heirloom 74158 trees already established on the land. He placed first in his very first Cup of Excellence entry in 2020, and twentieth in the 2024 competition this lot comes from.

Why does a rank of 20 still matter?

Because of how deep the field is: Ethiopia's 2024 competition drew hundreds of samples nationwide, and only a small fraction of coffees cleared the 87-point threshold required to reach the international jury at all. A rank-20 finish still puts this lot inside that top tier.

Is Cup of Excellence coffee worth the price?

For a buyer who values a documented score, a named producer, and a specific harvest year over an anonymous blend, yes — the premium buys traceability and verified quality rather than marketing language. How much that's worth to you is a personal call.

What is the 74158 coffee variety?

It's one of Ethiopia's own selections from the country's vast heirloom coffee population, chosen for disease resistance and cup quality rather than bred or imported from elsewhere. Its flavor varies by farm and processing; here, naturally processed in Sidama, it produces jasmine, apricot, and black cherry.

How should I 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 that leans the cup slightly more toward the apricot sweetness.