Alo Chilaka 74158 - Hybrid Washed

From Datura Coffee,

A fresh and floral cup, shaped by a perfectly controlled process. The whole cherry pre-fermentation brings structure and body, while preserving a clean profile close to a classic washed coffee. One of our favorite Alo lots of the year.

Alo Coffee was founded in Bensa, Sidama, by Tamiru Tadesse and his wife Messi. Driven by a belief that great coffee should never be overlooked, they set out to challenge a system that undervalued both quality and the farmers behind it.

In 2021, their very first lot from the village of Alo won Ethiopia’s Cup of Excellence. A historic victory that proved what passion and precision could achieve, and opened new possibilities for an entire community of growers.

Today, Alo Coffee carries that same energy forward. With farmers at the center, a focus on meticulous processing, and a deep respect for Sidama’s terroirs, Alo Coffee is not only showcasing some of Ethiopia’s most exciting coffees, it is reshaping what Ethiopian coffee can mean to the world. Through precise and innovative processing, they continue to push boundaries and reveal the extraordinary potential of Ethiopian coffee.

Process

After harvest, ripe coffee cherries are fermented in tanks for 72 hours. They are then depulped and immediately washed using a mechanical washer.

The freshly washed parchment is transferred to African drying beds, where it is carefully dried over a period of approximately 12 days. The team turns the parchment every hour to ensure even drying and to prevent over-fermentation. To protect the coffee from intense sunlight, the beds are covered with shade daily between 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm.

Once the coffee reaches its target moisture content of 11%, it is moved to the warehouse for a resting period. This allows the flavors to stabilize and fully develop before final milling and export.