1 1

BALAYCHO - Natural 74158 - Ethiopia

BALAYCHO - Natural 74158 - Ethiopia

£18.00 GBP
£18.00 GBP
Sale Sold out
Taxes included.
Size

Pre Order - Roast date 19/8

“This years Ethiopian release from Bekele Balaycho marks our first single-producer lot. The 74158 variety is grown using organic methods on his family farm in southern highlands of Sidama.

The cherries are dried on shaded African beds and continuously sorted for up to 20 days ensuring even drying. This lot is vibrant and wild, yet clean, balancing intense berry notes with delicate florals and sweet citrus.”

View full details

We taste

Blackberry, Raspberry, Candied Lemon & Lilac

Resting and brewing

We recommend resting this coffee for a minimum of 14 days from roast date. Due to the its high density, this coffee benefits from long rest times.

We brew with higher ratios. Filter 17.6:1 water to coffee. Espresso 1:3.

Roast approach

Roasted light. Suitable for filter and vibrant espresso.

Technical data

Bekele Balaycho
Kokose Station
Bensa, Segera Kebele
Sidama, Ethiopia
2250 masl
24/25' Harvest

Bekele Balaycho

Bekele Belaycho (sometimes spelled Belacho/Belaychow) is a third-generation coffee farmer from the Bensa district in Ethiopia’s Sidama region. Together with his wife, six children, and especially his son Beleteno, he manages two farms and processing stations in villages like Kokose, Bombe, and Hora Ganet. Since Ethiopia’s 2017 export reform, he has become one of the first independent smallholder-exporters, processing not only his own cherries but also those of more than 100 neighboring farmers, giving them access to specialty markets. His coffees, grown at 2,000–2,250 m and primarily of JARC 74158 varietals, are celebrated for their vibrant fruit and floral profiles, produced through meticulous natural and experimental processes. Bekele is widely respected as both a quality-driven innovator and a community leader helping to shape the future of Ethiopian specialty coffee.

JARC 74158

The JARC varietals were developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center to strengthen Ethiopia’s coffee production through improved yields and greater resistance to pests and disease. While certain Ethiopian varietals do have individual names, fully cataloguing them is nearly impossible given the immense genetic diversity found in coffee trees often growing side by side.

Balaycho’s naturals are often described as exceptionally clean because of the way he manages every step of the process with precision, something that isn’t always possible for smallholders in Ethiopia. Cherries dry slowly—usually 15–25 days—ensuring moisture levels stabilize evenly. This avoids mold, phenolic taints, or funky notes that sometimes creep into naturals. The result is a natural coffee with all the juicy character you’d expect—blueberry, blackberry, stone fruit—but without the murky or boozy notes sometimes associated with naturals. Instead, his lots tend to show clarity, bright florals, and balanced sweetness.


All images courtesy of David Burton and Omwani.