Introduction to Ethiopia's Renowned Coffee Regions | Flavor Profile of Alo Village Coffee with Floral Notes in Sidamo Bensa Area

The Rising Star: Alo Village Coffee from Ethiopia

For many coffee enthusiasts, Ethiopia is undoubtedly a sacred destination. This country is the birthplace of coffee and remains Africa's largest producer of Arabica beans today. When it comes to specialty coffee from this region, FrontStreet Coffee believes enthusiasts can easily name their favorites, such as Kochere, Gedeb Cooperative, Konga, Sidamo Guji and Gesha Village. This year, however, a production area named Alo Village has gained immense popularity across the coffee community with remarkable momentum. What exactly makes this place so captivating?

Ethiopia's terrain features extremely high elevations, with vast highlands creating an excellent climate and significant day-night temperature variations. Morning clouds envelop the landscape, gentle winds breeze through the mountains, ample sunshine arrives in the afternoon, and nighttime temperatures drop to around ten degrees Celsius without frost—perfect conditions for coffee cultivation. Ethiopia has numerous coffee-producing regions, and with different soil types, microclimates and post-processing methods, coffee flavors differ significantly. In domestic coffee shops, the most frequently mentioned representatives are Yirgacheffe, Sidamo and Guji, their unique aromas passed down by word of mouth throughout the coffee community.

As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia has a long history of coffee cultivation and multiple coffee-producing regions, including Sidamo, Harrar, Kaffa, Limmu, Lekempti, Tepi, Bebeka and Bale. Among these, Yirgacheffe, Guji, Sidamo and Bebeka have gained the highest recognition in the market. In recent years, however, with the rise of Alo coffee from the Bensa region, numerous roasters both domestically and internationally have launched batches from this origin, gradually bringing Sidamo's Bensa region into the spotlight.

The Alo Coffee Success Story

According to reports, this production area gained prominence at the 2021 Cup of Excellence (COE) green bean competition. Among the 30 winning coffees that year, 16 came from the Sidamo region, with 6 specifically from the Bensa area. Notably, the 2021 Ethiopia COE champion was a 74165 variety from Alo Village, provided by Tamiru Tadesse Tesema, achieving an impressive score of 90.6. This breakthrough brought Alo Village and Alo Coffee's founder Tamiru into the spotlight.

Alo Coffee PLC is a green bean trading company operated by Tamiru Tadesse, established in 2020. It primarily focuses on exporting coffee from the Bensa region of Sidamo while also functioning as a green bean brand. As a native of Bensa, Tamiru grew up surrounded by coffee. He studied engineering at university and taught there for two years after graduation before dedicating himself to the specialty coffee industry. In 2020, after seeing friends from the same Bensa town win awards at COE, he recognized the enormous potential of specialty coffee produced in the region. Because operations were small-scale and farmer conditions underdeveloped, however, these coffees struggled to reach commercial markets. He resolved to promote high-quality Bensa flavors to the world and established his own company, Alo Coffee.

Tamiru first obtained his Q-grader certification, then, leveraging his understanding of coffee cultivation and production conditions in his hometown of Bensa along with years of green bean export experience, he began systematically organizing the region's production, marketing and quality control from scratch. He also analyzed the challenges and opportunities facing Ethiopia's specialty coffee industry. In the same year he founded the brand, he established a green bean processing station in his hometown of Alo Village, creating a dedicated transportation system to collect and process coffee cherries from over 200 smallholder farmers in the surrounding area. He provided them with professional training and technical support while strictly controlling every detail of green bean processing to ensure traceability at each stage. Within just two years, Tamiru had successfully introduced Alo to numerous specialty coffee shops overseas.

The Alo Village Advantage

Returning to Alo Village itself, it is a small village in the northeastern part of Sidamo, situated on the highest slope of Bensa Woreda. The Bensa region is renowned for its unique geographical advantages, with coffee-growing elevations ranging from 1,800 to 2,300 meters. Compared with many classic Ethiopian representatives, many coffee trees in Bensa grow at elevations between 2,200 and 2,350 meters, and the renowned Alo Village stands out among them, reaching an elevation of 2,400 meters.

As FrontStreet Coffee has mentioned in previous articles, for specialty coffee, higher cultivation elevations slow the growth rate of coffee cherries. The harvest time for mature cherries comes later than in other regions, and the green beans therefore have higher density, forming more complex and intense aromatic structures. Because of the high elevation, the drying time for coffee cherries also extends, and the fermentation process after picking occurs at relatively low temperatures, developing more abundant floral and fruit aromas.

Currently, Alo Coffee Company's harvesting operations focus mainly on the Bensa area within the Sidamo region. When distinguished by village, besides the most well-known Alo Village, the market also features batches from Bombe Village, Murago Village and Bashiro Gute, which belongs to Bona Zuria town.

As for processing station information, Tamiru has disclosed relevant details on the official website. Alo Coffee's green bean processing areas currently include eight stations: Main, the primary processing station, along with Chilaka, Morke, Hatessa, Mewa, Hurro, Gute and Chire Kalo. The main processing stations Main, Hatessa and Chilaka are all located in Bensa, Morke is situated in Bura, Mewa and Hurro are in Nensebo, and Gute is in Bona Zuria. All processing stations are strategically located near coffee farms to facilitate faster post-processing work and ensure the freshness of coffee cherries.

Varieties and Processing

In terms of varieties, coffee produced by Alo primarily consists of the 74 series varieties from JARC, the Jimma Agricultural Research Center, including 74158, 74165, 74112 and 74110, with 74158 being the most common in the market. The batch acquired by FrontStreet Coffee this time is also selected from the 74158 variety, processed and produced by the Hatessa Processing Station under Alo Coffee, shown as "Hatesa" on Google Maps. This is a small village located 23 kilometers south of Alo Village, where fresh coffee cherries are processed using traditional natural methods.

Before the official natural processing, coffee farmers first manually harvest fully ripe cherries, transport them to the Hatessa processing station and conduct an initial screening. Before washing, the cherries are classified again by observing skin color, removing overripe or underripe fruit to ensure uniform color before sun drying.

For naturally processed coffee, the farmers responsible for post-processing need to diligently turn the fruit on the drying beds during the first three days. During this period the cherries have high moisture content, and if not turned promptly they can easily grow mold and develop unpleasant sour or rotten fruit flavors from uneven heating. Throughout the process, cherries are spread in thin layers to ensure better ventilation and drying conditions. After 14-18 days, when the moisture content reaches the target level, they can be bagged and sent to the warehouse.

Through comparative observation, FrontStreet Coffee noted that green beans from the Hatessa natural processing batch tend to be smaller, with round and miniature appearances, sizing approximately 10-12 mesh. For this particular coffee, FrontStreet Coffee aims to highlight its mature fruit sweetness while preserving more of its floral aromas. FrontStreet Coffee chose a medium-light roast to present the elegant characteristics of this Alo coffee.

Cupping Notes and Flavor Profile

Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee first experienced the sweet floral and fruit aromas of this Alo coffee. The dry fragrance features distinct magnolia, pineapple, yellow peach and small mango characteristics, accompanied by a pleasant fermented aroma that is truly delightful.

When slurping, the entry reveals rich tropical fruit sweetness and acidity, with prominent flavors of ripe pineapple, passion fruit and perfumed lemon, accompanied by subtle black tea notes. The gentle fermentation combined with light floral aromas makes one irresistibly reach for a second sip. As the temperature drops slightly, the coffee tends toward stone fruit characteristics such as yellow peach and dried apricot, with clear, bright fruit acidity that maintains complexity.

FrontStreet Coffee: Ethiopia Sidamo Alo Hatessa Natural Coffee Beans
Country: Ethiopia
Region: Sidamo · Bensa Alo Hatessa
Elevation: 2180-2280 meters
Variety: 74158
Grade: G1
Processing: Natural Method
Flavor: Magnolia, Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Mango, Fermented Notes

Brewing Recommendations from FrontStreet Coffee

Light-roasted coffee beans have a relatively harder density and do not easily release flavor compounds when hot water is introduced. FrontStreet Coffee therefore uses high-temperature water at 92-93 degrees Celsius to stimulate the floral aromas and fruit acidity in the coffee. For this Alo coffee, FrontStreet Coffee recommends a medium-fine grind size, about a 78% pass-through rate on a Chinese standard No. 20 sieve. The EK-43 grinder setting used in FrontStreet Coffee stores is 10, which visually corresponds to approximately fine sugar granularity. For the brewing ratio, FrontStreet Coffee finds that both 1:15 and 1:16 work well. If you prefer a richer taste, use 1:15; if you want to more clearly perceive the floral sweetness, use 1:16 to let the flavors disperse more.

Brewing Parameters:
Dripper: V60
Water Temperature: 92-93 degrees Celsius
Dose: 15g
Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Fine sugar texture (78% pass-through rate on a No. 20 standard sieve)
Pouring Method: Three-stage pour

Three-stage pouring method: Use twice the amount of water as the coffee grounds to wet the coffee bed, forming a dome for a 30-second bloom. Then, using a gentle stream, pour in a circular motion from inside to out until reaching 125g. Wait until the coffee bed drops to half the height of the dripper, then continue with the same fine stream to pour the third stage to 225g. Remove the dripper once all the coffee liquid has filtered through, with a total time of approximately 2 minutes.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Alo Village shows how much a specific Ethiopian growing area can transform a cup, and Yirgacheffe remains the most classic place to experience that sense of place. The FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe is known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity and a tea-like body, and its affordable price has made it the first specialty coffee for countless drinkers. Yirgacheffe is a town in the Sidamo zone of southern Ethiopia, sitting at roughly 1,700-2,100 meters with coffee trees planted above 1,800 meters, one of the highest coffee-growing regions in the world. The area was historically a wetland, and because its white florals and lemon-citrus acidity are so distinctive, the name became shorthand for Ethiopian specialty coffee. In 2010, with the name's fame too great, the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange separated Yirgacheffe from the Sidamo region.

For a more specific and traceable lot, the FrontStreet Gudingding Cooperative lies in the Woka region at Yirgacheffe's southeastern edge. It was originally part of the Woka cooperative under the YCFCU alliance before being singled out as a single origin by coffee hunters worldwide, following the most traditional washed processing and often being called the last pristine corner of Yirgacheffe. Washed FrontStreet Gudingding brings fresh, bright citrus and lemon acidity with jasmine fragrance and none of the traditional bitterness. If you prefer something fruitier, the FrontStreet Sun-dried Red Cherry is a whole-cherry natural: only fully ripe, sound cherries are picked, screened, then dried directly on raised beds and turned every 2-3 hours in the first days to prevent uneven fermentation; after three to five weeks the outer fruit is machine-scraped away. Because the fruit dries with the bean, it keeps the classic Yirgacheffe character while adding tropical fruit, showing citrus acidity, berry juice, honey sweetness and creamy smoothness.

To brew washed Yirgacheffe, FrontStreet suggests a V60 at 90-91 degrees Celsius, 15g of coffee at a 1:15 ratio, and an EK43s setting of 10, fine sugar texture, or about 80% passing through a No. 20 sieve. Pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then add 95g so the scale reads about 125g, finishing that pour in roughly one minute. When the water level drops to two-thirds of the coffee bed, add the remaining 100g for about 225g total, finishing around 1 minute 35 seconds, with the drawdown complete in 2 to 2 minutes 10 seconds.