ZEFF Ethiopia Yirgacheffe

If there was a "gold standard" for elegance in coffee, this is it.

Sourced from the Shale washing station near Worka, this lot represents the collective hard work of 1,500 smallholder producers who are farming at staggering altitudes of up to 2350 MASL.

In the Yirgacheffe highlands, coffee isn't just a crop—it’s a backyard tradition. These heirloom varieties are grown on tiny plots, hand-picked, and brought to Shale to be transformed into the cleanest, most floral expression of Ethiopia we’ve tasted all season.

In the bar, we are finding notes of fresh apple blossom, dried stone fruit, and fresh elderflower with a mellow cooked pear sweetness.

It’s got that signature juicy acidity that finishes as clean as a whistle.

This is a Grade 1 lot, meaning the sorting is meticulous and the clarity is off the charts. It’s light, it’s floral, and it’s unapologetically Yirgacheffe.