Ethiopia Sidama Durato Bombe Kontama Natural
A fresh berry bomb from Bombe! Sourced at the Kontama mill from small farmers on the slopes of Bombe Mountain, this coffee has everything we look for in coffees bearing that name. It's complex but still manages a lovely clean finish. Boldly juicy, intensely sweet and full bodied. We got jammy notes of blueberry and blackberry with an accompaniment of papaya, milk chocolate all with a winey undertone.
I think every fan of natural processed Ethiopian coffee remembers the first time they had one. Especially if it was one of those magical ones with juicy berry notes. It’s transformative. For many coffee enthusiasts, it was likely their introduction to the world of “fruity” coffees. Coffee’s not supposed to taste like this! And you either love it or you never try another natural processed coffee again. But if you fell for it head over heels, a whole word of coffee that you never realized existed opens up to you and you’ll never be the same again. But you always keep an eye out for those special beans that opened that door for you, or at least I do.
The past few years, the our most reliable source of berry heavy Ethiopian coffees has been the Bombe Mountain located in Ethiopia's famous Sidama region. And I was so disappointed when I thought we weren’t going to be able to snag a Bombe this year. But lo and behold, at the last minute Royal New York snagged a late harvest lot and I couldn’t be happier!
This coffee has everything we look for in coffees bearing the Bombe name. It's complex but still manages a lovely finish. Boldly juicy, intensely sweet and full bodied. We got jammy notes of blueberry and blackberry with an accompaniment of papaya, milk chocolate all with a winey undertone. As the name suggests, it’s a berry bomb!
Reminder! This coffee is raw, you must roast it before brewing
Arrival Date: December 14th, 2023. US Arrival: Fall 2023
Acidity & Brightness: Moderately bright and intensely sweet
Balance & Finish: Slightly complex with a clean finish
Body & Texture: Full bodied and creamy
Flavors: Blackberry, blueberry, winey grape, papaya & milk chocolate
Grade: Grade 1, grown at 2,050 to 2,150 masl
Processing: Natural processed and dried on raised beds
Grower: 626 farmers in Durato of Bombe Kebele organized around the Kontama Mill
Region: Bombe Kebele village, Bensa Woreda District, Sidama Zone, Ethiopia
Varietals: Heirloom Ethiopian cultivars 74110 & 74112
Recommended Roast Range: City to Full City (Light to medium)
Our favorite roasts were at City (Light) or under a minute into first crack. This coffee will perform well into medium roasts (after 1st crack has ended but before 2nd crack begins), but we don’t recommend taking it into 2nd crack. Light roasts will have juicy berry notes and a bit more brightness. Medium roasts will have more perceived sweetness but the notes will be muddied by heavy chocolate and winey tones.
Royal Coffee NY - "In 2006 Daye Bensa Coffee was established by two brothers - Asefa & Mulugeta Dukamo who have been working within the Sidama region in coffee. They operate 16 washing stations and 4 dry mills within Sidama. The Durato Bombe is collected from 626 farmers in Durato of Bombe Kebele (village) in the Bensa Woreda (district) of the Sidama zone. The village shares its name with the mountain of Bombe on which the coffee grows. Meticulous processing occurs at the Kontama mill where it is sun dried as whole cherry for 10-15 days creating a fruit-forward and complex flavor profile.”
