A friend recently gave this bag of Ethiopia Kossa Kebena to me as a gift and I was quite impressed with its résumé. It’s received a score of 93 from CoffeeReview.com (in 2016) and a Good Food award (in 2017). While each of these awards are for earlier crops, it shows the coffee has a history of excellence and I was excited to try it out.
The coffee had a strong and very sweet fragrance that was rich and full of berry fruit notes. The berry carried through to a flavor that was deeply sweet and reminded me of raspberries and lime citrus. It has a juicy acidity throughout each sip and a thick, syrupy body that sits heavy on the tongue and was quite unexpected since so many of the naturally processed coffees I have are so light and tea-like in their body.
The coffee was well-balanced and very harmonious. It was intensely sweet and fruit forward with a lingering finish that reminded me of peach and chocolate.
The Bottom Line
Kossa Kebena lived up to my expectations for it and was beautifully sweet and complex, while also being balanced and harmonious. If you enjoy naturally processed Ethiopian coffees, this is a good one to add to your list.
