Cupping notes: Cooked Grapes/Mandarin/Lavender

Grower: Smallholder farmers delivering to Dembi washing station
Variety: Native Heirloom
Region: Sidama
Altitude: 1950-2500 meters
Process: Full natural and dried on raised beds

Dembi is located in the Sidama region of Ethiopia. Coffee cherries are handpicked at peak ripeness and delivered fresh to be processed. For natural processing, cherries are floated to remove bad fruit and dried in the shade for around 18 days or until a moisture of 11.2% is reached. The dry cherry is then rested for 4 weeks before hulling and prepared for export.

Natural coffees are typically delivered the day they are harvested, and are first sorted for ripeness and quality before being rinsed clean of dirt. Then they are spread on raised drying beds or tables, where they will be rotated constantly throughout the course of drying. Drying can take an average of 8–25 days, depending on the weather.

The Sidama region is known for producing the most coffee at the highest grades in Ethiopia, and the geography explains why this is. This region spreads across fertile highlands, where half of the land is cultivated. The surrounding rivers and lakes along with the very high elevation results in cool weather and fertile soil. These factors, in combination with over 100 inches of rainfall per year, cause the coffee to ripen slower than in any other region in Ethiopia.