Lalesa
This is one of three lots we have purchased from the Lalesa washing station from this years harvest. Last year saw us release two Lalesa honeys, a black and a red one, alongside a slow dry natural and they were some of the best Ethiopians I dare say we have ever had. This year we continue in that exceptional vain, but with an anaerobic natural we have already released, and now a repeat for the second year on the slow dry natural, and a final washed to come. The cup profile due to the slow drying is surprisingly clean and tropical, with the profile being a touch different to the typical natural Ethiopian. Think refreshing mango, with a silky sweet medium body of honey, rounded out with delicate and perfumed violet notes. A lot slightly lower on the funk, but big on the sweet fruits and complexity.
Ethiopian coffee production is profoundly influenced by the country’s three main seasons. The Bega season (October-January) is the long dry period, crucial for coffee harvesting and processing. The Belg season (February-May) brings the first rains, essential for coffee flowering and early fruit development. The Krempt season (June-September) sees heavy rainstorms from the east, crucial for the later stages of coffee fruit development and ripening. By the end of September, the rains cease abruptly, allowing the coffee fruits to ripen, leading to a bustling harvest period by November.
Roastery
Campbell & Syme
Origins
Ethiopia
Process
Slow dry natural