Featured Coffee: Maru x Sweet Bloom Ethiopia Bensa

Bensa is a controlled yeast fermentation coffee from Ethiopia, roasted by the team at Sweet Bloom in collaboration with Maru, out of LA. This, they claim, is the first yeast fermentation coffee from Ethiopia. Their tasting notes are kumquat, Korean melon, and raw sugar. We chose to brew this coffee on the Kone with a 1:15 ratio of coffee to water.

 

Our recipe:

20g coffee — medium grind
300g water — just off boil

40 second bloom (50g)
Finished pouring at 2:00
Finished draining at 2:35

 

Tasting notes:

This is a delightful coffee. Though alternate processing methods are currently in vogue among specialty coffee roasters, what we taste here is reminiscent of a very fine washed Ethiopian coffee — vibrant acidity, prominent sweetness, floral and fruit characteristics, and balance. When first brewed, the coffee displays some herbaceous notes, but these quickly transition into vibrant fruit flavors — think raspberries and oranges — with a sweetness reminiscent of hard candy. As the coffee cools further, tropical flavors mingle with subtle floral notes. At no point does the coffee overwhelm with dried fruit flavors, as natural Ethiopian coffees can sometimes do; this is a complex and balanced cup.

 

Our take:

A very delightful Ethiopian coffee, displaying everything we love about coffee from this country: complexity, balance, sweetness, and liveliness.