A new single-o (and it's a first for us!)

Our newest single-o is an extra special one — the Sidama is our first-ever Ethiopian naturally processed coffee. 

It's got a creamy body with flavours of plum and praline. Our stellar team of taste testers are into the floral notes and malty aftertaste. Maybe it's the easter treats talking, but the Sidama’s giving us real Easter egg energy.

So what do we mean we say "naturally processed"? Unlike a washed coffee where the coffee cherry is removed before drying the beans, in a natural coffee the entire coffee cherry is left intact for the drying process. This can take an extra couple of weeks to dry everything out before the cherry is hulled. 

This process means that a little fermentation occurs, giving the beans a unique flavour profile that's fruity and sometimes pretty dang funky. 

We’ve sourced this coffee from the Hache Cooperative, one of the primary cooperatives belonging to the Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (SCFCU). Founded in 1976, the Hache cooperative is made up of 914 active smallholder farmers — each averaging less than one hectare of coffee cultivation, in which they also grow vegetables for their families and local sale.

Image credit — Royal Coffee

Hache focuses on investing in the necessary resources to produce clean, high-quality natural coffee, such as the large, raised drying beds and labour to oversee the critical process. The cooperative also carries out activities that often go unnoticed but are crucial for small producers — training to achieve best organic practices and improving infrastructure such as roads and local warehouses.

For a naturally processed coffee, this one’s little less on the funky side but we reckon that’s not a bad thing! If you’re dipping your toes (and tastebuds) into the world of natural coffee, the Sidama is the perfect springboard and a downright delicious drop (if we do say so ourselves!).

Try it for yourself — shop Sidama here.