HABTAMU FIKADU - 74110 & 74112, WASHED - ETHIOPIA

HELM
INDIANAPOLIS, UNITED STATES

HABTAMU FIKADU - 74110 & 74112, WASHED

POMEGRANATE
WHITE PEACH
MAKRUT LIME
HONEYSUCKLE

ORIGIN: GUJI, ETHIOPIA
STATION: CHELBESA WASHING STATION, KURI MOUNTAIN COFFEE
PRODUCER: HABTAMU FIKADU AGA
ALTITUDE: 2000 MASL
VARIETY: 74110, 74112
PROCESS: WASHED

ROAST DATE: SEPTEMBER 1, 2026

FROM THE ROASTER

HABTAMU FIKADU AGA RUNS KURI MOUNTAIN COFFEE, AN OPERATION THAT STARTED WITH A SINGLE INHERITED FARM. FOUNDED IN 2015 BY AAGA DINSA, GRANDSON OF A COFFEE FARMER IN KURI KEBELE, THE COMPANY HAS GROWN TO 837 HECTARES ACROSS WOLEGA, GUJI, AND JIMMA, MOST OF IT BELONGING TO THE 144 REGISTERED OUTGROWERS WHO DELIVER CHERRY TO ITS WASHING STATIONS. THIS LOT IS TRACEABLE TO 140 SMALLHOLDERS AROUND THE CHELBESA WASHING STATION IN GUJI, FARMING AT 2,000 METERS AND ABOVE. THE COMPANY PUTS $0.12 PER POUND OF EXPORTS PLUS 5% OF ITS PROFITS INTO A LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FUND: SCHOOLS, ROADS, FOOD, HEALTH CARE.

HONEYSUCKLE OPENS IT, A WHITE FLORAL LIFT THAT'S THERE BEFORE YOU SIP. THE CUP RUNS JUICY AND BRIGHT: POMEGRANATE'S TART RED-FRUIT SPARKLE UP FRONT, WHITE PEACH CARRYING THE SWEETNESS THROUGH THE MIDDLE. MAKRUT LIME IS THE NOTE THAT STOPS YOU. NOT PLAIN CITRUS, BUT THAT FRAGRANT, ALMOST PERFUMED ZEST THAT LINGERS INTO A CLEAN, DELICATE FINISH. LIGHT BODY, HIGH CLARITY, EVERYTHING IN FOCUS.

74110 AND 74112 ARE NAMED VARIETIES, BOTH SELECTED IN 1974 BY THE JIMMA AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTER FROM WILD TREES IN THE FORESTS OF WESTERN ETHIOPIA, CHOSEN FOR THEIR RESISTANCE TO COFFEE BERRY DISEASE. THE TREES ARE SHORT AND COMPACT, WITH SMALL LEAVES AND SMALL CHERRIES, AND THEY CARRY THE FLORAL, TEA-LIKE CHARACTER THAT MADE ETHIOPIAN COFFEE FAMOUS IN THE FIRST PLACE.

CHERRIES ARE PULPED, THEN FERMENTED FULLY SUBMERGED FOR 48 TO 72 HOURS DEPENDING ON TEMPERATURE. AFTER WASHING, THE PARCHMENT SOAKS IN CLEAN WATER FOR ANOTHER 12 HOURS BEFORE MOVING TO RAISED BEDS, WHERE IT DRIES SLOWLY OVER 10 TO 12 DAYS.