Duwancho, Ethiopia
When we select our coffees, we always do so with a blind cupping and base our decisions entirely upon taste and cup quality. This coffee blew us away! Quite literally. It is a cracker and is without doubt one of the best we've ever cupped. Said without a word of a lie! It is quite frankly, delightful. Huge tropical fruit flavours with mango standing out to us and a joyful peach note coming through at the finish. It has beautiful sweetness and floral notes that reminded us of jasmine and gorgeous black tea. Out of every coffee we have ever cupped, this one is a truly elegant cup, classy, sophisticated. beautiful.
More about Duwancho and Daye Bensa members
This coffee is a micro lot from the Keramo area of Ethiopa. It has been called Duwancho after a fruit found in Keramo, Sidama area and that replicates the incredible fruit cup profile of this coffee. The coffee is sourced from 279 Daye Bensa member farmers from the Karramo village area.. The lots are processed as a natural to enhance the explosive fruitiness that the coffees naturally have.
Daye Bensa micro lots use a limited production approach which helps them to focus on the quality of the beans. As soon as the coffee is received it is sorted by floating and picking of the ripe cherry. It is then dried on African beds for 13-15 days. One person is assigned to each individual bed to rotate the cherries every 15 minutes to ensure uniformity of drying.
At Daye Bensa, traceability is extremely important for their micro lots. The record keeping book is carefully handled and separation is key for guaranteeing the highest level of quality: Cherries are received from the farmer and are separated by village, with the coffee kept separate throughout drying, processing and storage. Labels indicating the delivery dates, farm name, lot number and more details relating to each individual lot are important.
Daye Bensa is a particularly "community oriented" business delivering additional bonus payments to the farmers based on the volume they contribute to the micro lots. They reward consistency year in year out. This year they are also rewarding workers on the farm for the crucial role they take during the drying process.
The Daye Bensa approach to community spreads further than just the coffee and famers. They are constantly working with the school principle in the villages surrounding the farm. They provide school materials for the students that struggle with basic study needs, suppling things such as note pads or pens to help.