About This Coffee
This coffee comes from the highlands of Bensa, Sidama, produced by Tamiru Tadesse, one of the most exciting and rapidly rising coffee producers in Ethiopia today. Tamiru didn’t begin his career as a farmer. He studied electrical engineering and worked as a university teacher before transitioning into coffee after seeing firsthand how exceptional coffees from his region were often undervalued.
Motivated to showcase the true potential of Sidama, Tamiru and his wife Messi founded Alo Coffee in 2020 with a mission to elevate quality and create better recognition for local smallholder farmers. Their impact was immediate. Alo Coffee’s first submission won Ethiopia’s Cup of Excellence in 2021, helping launch Tamiru onto the global specialty coffee stage.
Since then, Tamiru has continued gaining attention for producing high-scoring micro-lots and innovative processing work, with coffees from his network regularly featured among Ethiopia’s most sought-after offerings.
The Faficho lot comes from smallholder farmers surrounding the Alo station, where coffee grows at elevations above 2,200 meters. These cooler temperatures slow cherry maturation, producing dense seeds and complex aromatics. Once delivered to the station, ripe cherries are carefully hand-sorted and dried whole on raised African beds using the natural process for approximately 26 days, enhancing fruit character while maintaining structure and clarity. During drying, the cherries are turned regularly for even airflow and covered during peak afternoon sun to protect quality. Once the coffee reaches 10–11% moisture, it is sealed in GrainPro to preserve aromatics, then rested in jute bags for a minimum of 45 days prior to milling. This careful natural process enhances fruit character while maintaining structure and clarity.
For roasting, we apply strong heat early to build momentum and fully develop the dense high-altitude seeds. As the roast approaches first crack, we gradually reduce energy to avoid pushing the coffee too aggressively. We keep development intentionally light to preserve brightness and highlight the coffee’s fruit-forward and floral characteristics.
The result is a vibrant and elegant cup with sparkling acidity, layered fruit, and delicate florals.
