Description
Producer: Smallholders
Location: Adola, Guji, Oromia
Process: natural
Variety: local heirloom
Altitude: 2000-2100m
Tasting notes: AGAVE SYRUP | BLACKBERRY | CLARY SAGE
Adola is a major coffee processing station in Ethiopia’s Guji zone, known for its innovative methods and contributions from nearly 1,500 smallholder farmers. It produces both washed and natural coffees, often distinguished by bright, complex flavors.
During peak harvest, smallholders in the Adola community deliver selectively hand‑picked red cherries to the processing station, where lots are separated and recorded as fully traceable community deliveries. Farms average 1.0–1.5 hectares and follow a semi‑forest garden coffee system, with coffee grown under a mixed canopy of native shade species that regulate temperature, reduce evapotranspiration, and support soil organic matter accumulation.
Producers cultivate indigenous Ethiopian heirloom varieties, typically landrace selections adapted to high‑elevation agroecologies. These plots sit at 2,000+ masl, contributing to slow cherry maturation, higher density seeds, and elevated concentrations of organic acids and volatile aromatic precursors.
At the station, cherries undergo standardized intake protocols:
- Floatation sorting to remove underripes and low‑density fruit
- Lot separation by delivery group and time of harvest
- Process‑specific pathways (washed, natural, or experimental fermentation depending on station programming)
- Drying control using raised beds, with continuous turning and moisture monitoring until reaching ~10–11% final moisture
The broader farming system integrates enset (Ensete ventricosum) and other indigenous staples, forming a diversified agroecosystem that stabilizes food security and reduces pressure on coffee monoculture. This mixed‑cropping structure also supports soil resilience, microbial diversity, and long‑term sustainability of semi‑forest coffee production.
This lot was sourced and imported by amazing Finest Cup.
Espresso guide
Straight shot:
93-94°C group temperature
20g dry mass in, 47-50g liquid out
26-28s total time
Peak group pressure 9 bar
For Americano and milk drinks:
94-95°C group temperature
20g dry mass in, 44-47g liquid out
28-30s total time
Peak group pressure 9 bar
