Unlike our washed Sidamo coffees from the Dawa River Basin, this is a natural, sun-dried varietal, milled in a much more old-world, labor-intensive fashion than most coffees in the global market. Pulped-natural African coffees often possess tea-like, fruity characteristics, and tend to have a less pronounced body than most other coffees. That's what makes this Nigusse Lemma Natural so peculiar. It maintains certain spicy, rustic notes that we usually see in peaberry varietals, with just a hint of toasted caramel.

This cooperative maintains its own family farm and incorporates regional micro-lots in Ethiopia, producing coffees solely from fully ripened, red coffee cherries, which guarantees a wilder cup experience filled with hints of cinnamon spice and fennel.

Prolonged contact between the ripe fruit and the coffee seed produces a wonderful flavor experience. The raw beans are moist and musky with a beautiful aroma of bright citrus fruit and a hint of overripe bananas. The dried fruit husks are cracked and separated from the bean by hand, resulting in a complex, variegated roast, filled with unusual flavors and aromas that distinguish this from any other coffee varietal in the world.

This Nigusse Lemma Natural has beautiful characteristics. It's flavors are lively with a brilliant, well-defined acidity. It is medium-bodied, creamy, and thrillingly bright & snappy. This is all complimented by a rich array of cinnamon and caramel, alongside elements of sandalwood and forest herbs. The scent is strong, leading to subtle accents of spicy ginger, which serves to round-out the quality of this roast. I have truly enjoyed cupping this unusual coffee.