C60:
Farm/Producer: Faficho, Alo Main Station, Tamiru Tadesse
Region: Ethiopia, Sidama, Bensa
Process: Natural
Altitude: 2250 - 2480 masl
Variety: 74158
Cup Profile: Peach, Strawberry, PS Chocolate
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 natural process, ripe cherries are handpicked at peak ripeness and laid out to dry whole without depulping on raised African beds. They’re turned regularly and dried slowly for 15 – 25 days under moderate sunlight, ensuring even drying and preserving their inherent sweetness. The result is an exceptionally crisp, fruit-forward coffee with the clarity you’d expect from a washed lot.
In the cup, this lot shines with fresh peach and ripe strawberries through both filter and espresso. It’s exceptionally clean and vibrant for a natural, with a bright, juicy sweetness that lingers. In milk, it transforms into this sweet and smooth caramel-chocolate notes reminiscent of a PS Chocolate.
