Roasting March 24th ONLY (8oz Bags)

White Label Ethiopia Uraga Yabitu Koba

Tasting Notes: blueberry muffin, maple syrup, fruit compote, jammy acidity

Suggested Brewing Method:  French Press, Drip, Moka Pot

We fittingly kick off the 2026 White Label slate with an absolute ringer from the international birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia, where legend holds that a goatherd named Kaldi first discovered the stimulating effects of coffee when his goats behaved excitedly upon eating cherries from the wild coffee trees along his route. Ethiopian coffees remain famous today for the unique cup character produced by the myriad heirloom varieties that still flourish throughout the country.

Ethiopian coffees often come in two delicious but distinct profiles—the thick and textured berry, chocolate, and spice-heavy character of the traditional naturals or the lighter, more nuanced floral and delicate tea-like qualities of the washed. The Yabitu Koba offered here for March roast is among the finest examples of the juicy, fruity brilliance that Ethiopian naturals can deliver.

Coffees for this lot were grown by numerous smallholder farmers at elevations upwards of 7800 feet in and around the mountainous village of Yabitu Koba and brought to the Uraga washing station in the Guji zone of the Oromia region of southern Ethiopia. Coffees grown at these extreme elevations mature slowly in the cherry, producing here a dense and smallish bean with intense and concentrated flavors. The picked cherries are placed on raised beds to dry with fruit and skin intact which can take upwards of 4 weeks in these cold high-altitude climates.

We found this to be one of the berry-est of fruit-forward Ethiopian coffees we’ve cupped. First impressions are like biting into the warm berry innards of a blueberry muffin. One of our tasters said he immediately felt like he’d come upon a fresh fruit stand at peak ripeness. Other sweet berry flavors emerge in the second stage, suggesting fruit compote or preserves. The lush body of the cup brings a syrupy mouthfeel where abundant sweetness and slight herbal spice conjure maple syrup in later stages. The acidity might best be characterized as jammy—soft and subtle without being flat.

At Fonte, we have long been big fans of Ethiopian naturals and find ourselves in absolute coffee geek Valhalla when we offer one as intensely sweet, fruity and devoid of any earthiness or dustiness that can sometimes cloud a natural.  Enjoy.

Variety:  heirloom cultivars

Region:  Guji

Farm:  smallholders around Yabitu Koba

Altitude: up to 7800 feet
Process:  natural, dried on raised beds