Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Banko Gotiti

Region: Konga, Yirgacheffe, Gedeo Zone, Ethiopia
Altitude: 1,800-2,300 masl
Variety: Heirloom
Process: Washed, dried on raised beds
Notes: Citrus, floral, caramel, chocolate, tea-like spice

Banko Gotiti is a village in the Gedeb district, just south of Yirgacheffe proper, and the cup shows it. Citrus and soft fruit run through the front of the cup, floral notes sit right behind them, and caramel, chocolate, and a hint of tea-like spice carry it into the finish. It's delicate rather than loud, the kind of coffee that rewards a slower sip.

Cherry comes in from smallholders farming what are really more like coffee gardens than plantations, shaded and scattered across the hillsides around Gedeo. Depulped same-day, fermented briefly, washed clean, then dried slowly on raised beds, it's about as classic a Yirgacheffe-style process as there is, and the elegance that region is known for comes through clean in the cup.