Yirgacheffe Konga

Yirgacheffe Konga is our compass, the coffee that reminds us why Ethiopia remains the spiritual home of specialty coffee. From the mist-wrapped highlands at 2,050 meters, where heirloom varieties have grown wild for centuries, this washed lot captures everything we love about Ethiopian coffee—but with a clarity and precision that makes it the perfect reference point for our bar.

The Konga washing station processes cherry from smallholder farmers across the Gedeb district, where volcanic soils and dramatic altitude swings create ideal conditions for slow cherry maturation. The meticulous washed process strips away the fruit to reveal the bean's intrinsic character: bright, clean, and unmistakably Yirgacheffe. This is coffee as it was meant to be—transparent, articulate, elegant.

In the cup, Yirgacheffe Konga opens with a pronounced lemon zest brightness that evolves into the refined tannins of black tea, finishing with delicate floral notes that linger like bergamot. As espresso, it's our daily calibration—a shot that should dance between 25-30 seconds with a syrupy body and sparkling acidity, never harsh, always layered. Through the V60, it transforms into something more contemplative: jasmine and Earl Grey aromatics suspended in a crystalline body that showcases why we roast light. The citric backbone never dominates; it simply lifts everything else into focus.

This is morning coffee for those who take their ritual seriously. Pair it with cornetti or a simple butter croissant at dawn, when your palate is most receptive to its nuanced acidity. It cuts beautifully through rich pastries but also stands alone as a meditation. We love it alongside almond-based desserts or as a midday reset—a cup that recalibrates both your palate and your pace.

Yirgacheffe Konga is for the purist who wants to understand what "classic Ethiopian" actually means, for the home barista learning to dial in espresso by taste rather than recipe, for anyone who believes coffee should be transparent about its origins. It's for quiet mornings with natural light, for conversations that matter, for the moment when you want to taste a place rather than a process. This is the coffee we return to when we need to remember why we do this work.