Danche is a name that keeps turning up on cupping tables among buyers seeking classic Yirgacheffe character. Habtamu Fikadu Aga's meticulous sorting and traceable, small-scale processing through Kuri Mountain Coffee — built on a family tradition dating back to 1945 — translate into a cup that's clean, bright, and vividly aromatic, with the floral lift and layered fruit that this heirloom variety delivers so well at altitude. A coffee that speaks to why washed Yirgacheffe remains a benchmark for the region.

Tasting notes: apricot, lemon.

This washed lot comes from Danche, in the Yirgacheffe coffee-growing area of southern Ethiopia, produced and exported by Habtamu Fikadu Aga through Kuri Mountain Coffee. Established in 2015, the company continues a family coffee-farming tradition dating back to 1945, working through its own farm, washing stations, hulling sites, and a network of registered outgrower farmers across several Ethiopian coffee-producing regions. Its operations are built around traceability, quality control, and direct export.

At the washing station, ripe cherries are sorted, pulped, fermented, washed, and dried on raised beds. During drying, the coffee is turned regularly and inspected to ensure even drying and to remove any remaining defects. Moisture content is monitored before the coffee is bagged and stored. The station also places strong emphasis on responsible water management: wastewater is treated according to pH and is never reintroduced into the surrounding natural environment.

This heirloom variety is an Ethiopian landrace selection developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) in the 1970s, primarily for its resistance to Coffee Berry Disease (CBD) alongside excellent cup quality. Widely planted across Yirgacheffe and neighbouring zones, it performs best at high altitude, where slower cherry maturation supports the development of bright acidity, layered fruit character, and floral aromatics — the hallmark of the region.