Ethiopia - Malawo

Our latest Ethiopian coffee comes from the highland area of Arbegona, located in the Sidama Zone of Ethiopia at an altitude of around 2200 meters above sea level - one of the highest coffee-growing elevations in the country. The altitude and microclimate allow the cherries to mature slowly, resulting in dense, complex, and flavour-rich beans, often categorised as true Highland Coffee.

Sourced from smallholder farmers in the Boreta village of Arbegona, coffee remains the primary cash crop for the community, though the region also produces sugar cane, false banana, spices, and vegetables. Farmers deliver only ripe cherries to the station, where they undergo careful sorting by density through flotation in large water tanks. After flotation, the cherries are transferred to African raised beds with mesh nets, where they are regularly turned every 30 minutes to ensure even drying and controlled fermentation.

The average drying process takes 12–15 days depending on weather conditions. Once dried, cherries are stored in local warehouses for resting and flavour development before final milling and export preparation.

This washed Ethiopian from Clifton Coffee Roasters sources smallholder farmers in Boreta village, Arbegona, Sidama Zone, grown at 2200 meters. The roaster describes it as dense, complex, and flavour-rich—characteristics that reflect both the region's terroir and the washed processing method, which typically highlights clarity and brightness in the cup.

Ethiopia's Sidama zone is celebrated for producing coffees of considerable depth, and this lot's complexity suggests layered flavors worth exploring with attention and time. Use the flavor wheel to map the notes you discover as they develop through the cup.