Bekele Yutute comes from a family of coffee growers, and continues to keep things a family affair as much as possible. This farm in Kokose is managed by Bekele’s brother-in-law, and the drying station by his nephew. Specializing in exquisite dry-process offerings, Bekele’s operation has placed high in recent Cup of Excellence competitions, and we can see why: explosively refreshing… like a bite-sized fruit-juice-filled water balloon careening toward your taste buds on a sweltering hot day.

This is one of those coffees that speaks for itself with such thunderous volume that we struggle to add much to the conversation. Coming from one of Ethiopia’s most widely beloved regions—Sidama—and sitting super high up in the village of Kokose, this lot’s quality is cranked up even further through the JARC variety 74158. This variety is currently the mainstay for quality-focused farms in the region, and is frequently described as “Gesha-esque,” though we are not explicitly making such a statement here ;) 

74158 is one of approximately 40 varieties derived from Landrace/heirloom descendants and refined by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center—JARC. In addition to zooming in on characteristics conducive to strong cup quality, these varieties aspire toward higher yields and greater pest resistance, thus adding up to a win/win/win when circumstances make their proliferation practical.