C62:
Farm/Producer: Faficho, Alo Main Station, Tamiru Tadesse
Region: Ethiopia, Sidama, Bensa
Process: Washed
Altitude: 2250 - 2480 masl
Variety: 74158
Cup Profile: Floral, Peach, Orange, Vanilla Ice Cream
We first encountered Alo Coffee on our cupping table back in our very first year at Cedar. At the time, we were a much smaller company and couldn’t yet commit to purchasing those lots, but even then, we knew that what Tamiru Tadesse was producing at Alo was something special. Fast forward to today and this coffee feels like a full-circle moment; not only is it our first pallet of Ethiopian lots, but it’s also a privilege to finally showcase Alo Coffee’s work in our portfolio.
Alo Coffee, founded by Tamiru Tadesse and his wife Messi in Bensa, Sidama, has become known for producing high-elevation coffees that celebrate Sidama’s unique terroir. They have previously won Cup of Excellence for one of their lots back in 2021. Tamiru works closely with smallholder farmers, emphasizing careful cherry selection, traceability, and innovative processing methods that bring out clarity and sweetness in the cup. They mainly work with the JARC 74158 variety: a selection developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center for its excellent cup quality, disease resistance, and adaptability to high altitudes. Its slow cherry maturation produces dense beans with layered fruit complexity and bright, clean acidity.
For this washed process, ripe cherries are handpicked, depulped the same day, and then fermented in clean water until the remaining mucilage loosens. After fermentation, the parchment coffee is thoroughly washed and transferred to raised African beds, where it slow-dries for 7–12 days with regular turning. This careful approach results in a clean, delicate cup with bright clarity and refined sweetness.
In the cup, this lot has fresh floral aroma with peach sweetness and fresh orange through both filter and espresso. It’s exceptionally clean and delicate with a bright, juicy mouthfeel. In milk, it transforms into a very light milky drink think of vanilla ice-cream perfect for the summer.
