We have never roasted an Ethiopia honey processed coffee—until now. These coffees are quite rare. Washed and sun-dried naturals dominate the region’s processing techniques.

Damo Honey is produced at the Damo washing station in Bensa, Sidama, Ethiopia in the Bona Zuria District. Named after a well-known coffee-producing area, the washing station was founded on the slopes of Shanta Golba Mountain in 2008 to process cherries grown on farms ranging in elevation from 1,860m at the low end, all the way to 2,160m at the high end. Due to the extreme elevations, harvest runs later, from December to February, during which the washing station brings on 100 contractors to assist the station’s three permanent employees in processing all the cherries.

Approximately 380 farmers deliver cherries—primarily the 74110, 74112, and 74158 varieties—to the washing station for which Daye Bensa pays a 20-30% premium above average for red cherries. And it is worth it. Leaving that coat of “honey” on the bean not only conserves water during the processing but also gives the coffee a distinctive, sweeter taste, with fruity notes of star fruit, grape, and lychee.