Bukato, Natural, Ethiopia

Jasmine, White Chocolate, Peach

Producer: Small Holder Farmers Origin: Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia Varietal: Heirloom Elevation: 1900 - 2100 masl

This is a grade 1 washed coffee from Banko Gotiti wetmill in Kochere district, in the Yirgacheffe coffee region. The mill, managed by Alemu Bukato, processes cherries from around 650 local farmers.

The Region

Gotiti kebele (village) is in Kochere district, near Yirgacheffe in the ‘Southern Nations, Nationalities & Peoples’ (SNNP) region of Ethiopia. Over a number of years the region has developed a distinguished reputation for fine coffees, producing some of the most sought-after microlots in the world. The combination of high altitude (up to 2,200m in some areas), fertile soil, consistent and plentiful rains, and an abundance of local knowledge are all contributing factors to the high status of Yirgacheffe coffees. The indigenous ‘heirloom’ varietals - which grow wild in Ethiopia - are responsible for the unique flavour notes which make for an unusual but beautifully refined cup, characterised by strong citric acidity, sweet chocolate and floral/herbal notes of lavender, jasmine, bergamot and thyme.

The Process

Shade grown, ripe cherries are delivered to the mill for careful sorting, to select only the ripest. The cherries are dried in the sun on raised African beds for approximately 12 - 15 days. In the daytime they are raked and turned periodically to ensure a consistent drying process; covered between 12pm and 3pm to protect them from sun damage and at night time to protect it from rainall and moisture. Once the coffee has dried to the right level it is milled, graded, sorted and thoroughly handpicked, before being bagged in GrainPro for export from the port of Djibouti.

Bukato is a natural-processed Heirloom varietal from Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe region, sourced from small holder farmers at 1900–2100 meters. Natural-processed coffees tend to develop heavier fruit-forward profiles, though Outpost Coffee identifies distinctive floral and delicate notes in this lot—jasmine and white chocolate alongside stone fruit character. The combination of heirloom genetics, high altitude cultivation, and natural processing positions this coffee within Yirgacheffe's tradition of complex, nuanced expression, where careful fermentation and drying can unlock florality alongside sweetness.