We love an Ethiopian coffee and this one does not disappoint. It is full of flavour and oh so elegant. With our tasting note of lemon and Earl Grey tea it has a beautiful lemony citrus note and a subtle floral bergamot profile offering a truly beautiful flavor bomb in the cup (see what we did there?!) It is a true delight and one not to miss. Could be up there as one of our coffees of the year!
women sorting coffee in Ethiopia
More about Bombe and the dry fermentation process:
This coffee is named after the Bombe Mountains which is where most of the out growers who grow and deliver this coffee are located. The process for this coffee was developed after Kenean, the son of Asfea Dukamo, owner /manager of Daye Bensa, visited Guatemala with roaster partner David Bueller of Greenway Coffee. He was impressed with the processing protocols at La Esperanza Antigua by Josue Morales from Los Volcanes Coffee. Josue called Daye Bensa's Quality Manager and explained his washing and dry fermentation technique. This coffee is the result of that collaboration.
This Dry Fermentation process is a variation on the traditional washed process (whereby the fruit is removed from the beans before drying) but it adds no water to the tank during fermentation, hence a "dry" fermentation. The dry fermentation involves letting the coffee rest in climate controlled fermentation tanks post de-mucilage-ing (this is where the seed is removed from the skin and pulp of the fruit). The coffee rests warm and dry while fermentation kickstarts faster than normal in the warm air environment, activating esters during fermentation which result in a hearty, complex, and apparent red fruit flavour while still being washed of the pulp.
The process uses a LOT less water and has helped the environmental sustainability in its production. It has produced a hearty, complex coffee that is full of red fruits and has the benefit of a very low environmental impact.
Starting during the 2017/2018 harvest, producers from the Shantawene, Bombe and Keramo communities delivered their very best cherries to the Bombe site where they were separated into specific fermentation tanks and drying locations. The layout and good management of Bombe washing station allows for special processing techniques to be used with the coffees, such as shaded fermentation tanks and washing channels as well as mesh shaded drying tables. The wet mill is well organised and run by a team including member Atkilt Dejene, a female agronomist, who has also worked with the award winning Gesha Village project. She works alongside other expert team members such as processing specialist, Eyasu Bekele who Falcon worked with for the Reko Koba project several years running.
The volume capacity at Bombe washing station is at max 2.5 million kgs of cherries, but for the past couple of years, the site has maintained a strict dedication to producing outstanding quality above quantity.
The quality of this coffee is outstanding and the dry fermentation process really has produced a beautifully sweet and flavour packed coffee. One to try for sure. We love it!
Information and images provided by Falcon Specialty