Disclosure: Pull & Pour received coffee samples for this post, however, as always, all opinions are 100% my own.
The Cup of Excellence is a rigorous competition. Thousands of coffees are submitted and each coffee is cupped dozens of times by national and international judges before announcing a winner. Given the rigor of the competition, I am always excited to try coffees that place in the top 10 of results. This coffee produced by Asefa Dukamo placed 8th this year and really is a beautiful and special coffee.
The coffee began with a bright and sweet fragrance that reminded me of citrus and malted chocolate. The profile was incredibly sweet with sweet-tart citrus notes that reminded me of grapefruit and floral notes that reminded me of honeysuckle. The acidity was nicely balanced in the cup and was citrus-toned. The coffee had one of my favorite combinations with a full mouthfeel, but still relatively light body—a balance I find hard to achieve and not very common in coffees, but one I love nonetheless. The sweetness was quite strong and was citrus- and fruit-toned with floral support. The finish was quite intriguing with an incredibly pronounced lemon finish (likely one of the strongest lemon finishes I’ve ever experienced in a coffee). The coffee had a wonderfully complex profile and evolved nicely as the coffee cooled.
The Bottom Line
This coffee was truly worthy of a top ten Cup of Excellence award in my opinion. The complex flavor profile of floral, citrus, berries, and chocolate, paired with the intense sweetness and strong lemon finish made this one of my favorite Ethiopian coffees this year.
