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Ethiopia Sidama Basha Bekele – Applied Arts Coffee

Andrew Pautler

Ethiopia Sidama Basha Bekele – Applied Arts Coffee

Coffee Details

  • Coffee Name
    Ethiopia Sidama Basha Bekele
  • Roaster
    Applied Arts Coffee
  • Roaster Location
    Portland, Oregon
  • Estimated Price
    $20 / 12oz
  • Flavor Notes
    Strawberry, vanilla nougat, and honeysuckle
  • Process
    Natural
  • Country
    Ethiopia
  • Region
    Sidama
  • Elevation
    2231 MASL
  • Producer
    Basha Bekele
  • Roast
    Light
  • Review Brew Method
    Orea, AeroPress, Flower
  • Roast Date
    November 8, 2022
  • Review Date
    December 3, 2022

Coffee Scoring

9.0
Aroma
9 / 10
Body
9 / 10
Flavor
9.5 / 10
Acidity/Brightness
9 / 10
Balance
9 / 10
Sweetness
9 / 10
Cleanliness
8.5 / 10
Aftertaste
8.5 / 10
Complexity
9 / 10
Flexibility
9 / 10
Pros
  • Layered flavor profile
  • Citrus profile throughout

Disclosure: This is a sponsored review. As always though, all opinions are 100% my own.

I featured a review of a delicious PNG coffee from Applied Arts Coffee two weeks ago and I’m very excited to share another excellent coffee from the Portland roaster—Ethiopia Sidama Basha Bekele. This light-roasted Ethiopian has a wonderful layered flavor profile and a great mix of citrus and berry.

The coffee began with a sweet, creamy fragrance of melon, strawberries, and subtle citrus; during brewing, I got strong whiffs of vanilla. The flavor profile starts with punchy citrus and rich berry notes. It is very sweet with lemon honey and creamy citrus notes. I really enjoyed the balance between the punchy and soft attributes; it felt almost like a mix between a natural and a washed processed coffee. The sweetness lingered in the finish with a sparkle of lemon citrus to finish every sip.

The Bottom Line

Overall this was a wonderful Ethiopian coffee with lots of depth of flavor and a nice evolution as it cooled. This coffee was added to my list of excellent coffees from Applied Arts this year.

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