BABYLON FELL, Ethiopia

Suitable for all brewing methods.

Roasters Notes: Boysenberry, Peach, Strawberries & Cream
 

Nestled within the southern highlands of Ethiopia, Koke Village rests quietly in the Gedeo Zone of the Yirgacheffe district, an area long revered for producing some of the most distinctive and aromatic coffees in the world. Surrounded by dense forest, fertile red soil and high elevations, the village bears witness to a way of life shaped by the rhythm of seasons and the labour of hands.

The smallholders of Koke Village are stewards of ancient traditions, most of them cultivating coffee on modest plots of less than two hectares. These farmers, often from families that have worked the same land for generations, tend to heirloom varietals known for their complex floral and citrus profiles. The work is slow and exacting. Trees are nurtured without synthetic intervention, and cherries are selectively hand picked, often with the aid of family. This intimate scale of farming allows for care and discernment at every stage, though it also exposes the growers to the harsh vulnerabilities of climate and market.

Central to the village's coffee identity is the Konga Washing Station, a facility that serves as the point of convergence for hundreds of local farmers. It is here that the collected harvests are brought for meticulous processing. Traditional washed methods are common, where cherries are pulped, fermented and washed with mountain spring water before being laid to dry on raised beds. The result is a cup renowned for its clean, vibrant character with bright acidity and floral clarity, hallmarks of washed Yirgacheffe coffee.

Yet there is also another method, gaining quiet momentum, known locally and abroad as supernatural processing. A departure from convention, this approach leaves the ripe coffee cherries intact during the drying phase, sometimes under carefully monitored conditions for extended periods. The method demands precision, patience and favourable weather. Though more susceptible to inconsistency and spoilage, it offers an alternative expression of the coffee’s origin, less mediated, more elemental.

In recent years, producers such as Primrose Coffee of Ethiopia have played an increasingly vital role in connecting remote farming communities like Koke with the broader global market. Through partnerships, training and improved infrastructure, Primrose supports farmers not only in improving post harvest techniques but in securing better prices and more stable livelihoods. Their work has helped ensure that coffees from villages like Koke are no longer anonymous but recognised, valued and remembered.

The coffee from Koke Village, whether washed or supernatural, speaks in the tongue of its soil, climate and people. It is not merely a beverage but a quiet testament, an offering drawn from the heights of Ethiopia and the patient work of those who call this village home.