lalesa natural ethiopia
lalesa natural ethiopia
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We no longer offer an espresso grind size; this is because we cannot guarantee it will be correct for every machine.
FAR FROM ORDINARY…
This coffee is an excellent daily driver, perfect for espresso.
farm/s: ephtah
variety: heirloom
alt: 2200 masl
process: anaerobic natural
region: lalesa, gedeb
cup profile: papaya - brown sugar - rum
This anaerobic lot comes from Lalesa, in Gedeb woreda, and is processed at an Ephtah-owned site. Ephtah purchased the land in July 2023, before building the warehouse and drying beds in September 2023. The site sits at approximately 2,150 to 2,200 metres above sea level and is the largest drying site in Gedeb. Coffee in the area is naturally grown under shade trees, mainly Ensete, also known as false banana. The lot is made up of local heirloom cultivars and is harvested between December and January.
Ephtah Specialty Coffee works to build sustainable and collaborative supply chains across Ethiopia, with a focus on quality, long-term relationships and support for producer communities. At Lalesa, farmers receive an initial payment as soon as their coffee is received at the site. Ephtah also supports social initiatives in the area, including a daycare centre for farmers’ children in Gedeb. Some women farmers in the area are part of Ephtah’s Ama Commitment scheme, which supports the role of women in coffee production and producer communities.
For this anaerobic process, the coffee is fermented in plastic barrels for nine days. It is then dried for around 13 to 18 days before being stored in the site warehouse and moved to Addis Ababa when ready. The processing approach is chosen to maximise quality, with controlled fermentation, careful drying and stable storage supporting consistency and flavour development.
The Lalesa site covers approximately 3.5 hectares and has around 400 drying beds. It employs seven permanent staff and around 130 seasonal workers during the harvest period. In addition to coffee, farmers in the area also produce Ensete, or false banana, which is an important staple crop in the region.
Once prepared, the coffee is transported to Addis Ababa, where it is stored at Moplaco in Gerji. It is then processed for export and moved by train to Djibouti before shipment.
The wider Gedeb area is one of Ethiopia’s best-known coffee-producing regions and is closely associated with high-quality washed, natural and experimental processed coffees. The local community is predominantly Christian Protestant, with some Orthodox Christian communities also present, and Gedeoiniya is the main local language. Enset remains an important staple food crop, and the Siqe River marks a local boundary between Gedeo, Guji and neighbouring administrative regions.
One of the main challenges for this crop cycle has been the high price of cherry, alongside tighter access to finance linked to the National Bank of Ethiopia’s credit cap policy. Despite these constraints, Ephtah continues to invest in quality, infrastructure and farmer support at Lalesa. Future plans include expanding the Ama Commitment scheme, building a water tank for flotation to support the removal of quakers, increasing the number of drying beds, and cultivating additional crops on Ephtah’s land for local people to grow and sell in the local market.
BREW GUIDE BELOW.
**IMPORTANT SHIPPING INFO**
PLEASE SELECT FROM TRACKED 24 or TRACKED 48 SHIPPING.
Brew Guide Below
Temperature
Temperature
For pour-over filter methods, aim for the mid 80’s. We are aiming to preserve the sweetness of these coffees. Espresso, aim for lower 90’s.
Ratios / dose / bloom
Ratios / dose / bloom
Pour over:
Larger doses, smaller water ratios.
Initiate a bloom with minimal water, leave for up to a minute then start your pulse pours to the desired amount.
Espresso:
For larger doses, aim for a slightly larger yield than a 1:2 ratio but again cater to your taste. Use a pre-infusion if possible. Aim for an extraction in the mid-20 seconds.
Rest periods
Rest periods
Please ensure a rest period of at least 3 weeks for ALL brew methods; each coffee will be different in terms of rest needed. All our coffees will benefit from a substantial rest period of anywhere from 3-6 weeks (!) Ideally, you will grind what coffee you need and not keep pre-ground coffee for any length of time. Espresso generally needs a longer rest period than filter coffees, to fully de-gas and settle.
Freezing
Freezing
Please don’t freeze our coffees, it’s largely to do with the nature of the rest periods needed to develop profiles. As soon as a coffee is frozen, the development stage stops.
our process
we roast coffee in Livingston, near Edinburgh. Our roaster of choice is a typhoon fluid bed roaster. All electric.
all our coffees are rested before selling, to ensure they have developed fully before brewing. Optimal drinking is around the 3 week past roast date mark, although each coffee is uniquely different.
Coffee Info
Good to know
Roast Dates
We roast our coffees fresh every week so they can be enjoyed at their best – after a short rest. Following roasting, beans release CO₂, and their flavours gently settle, which is why we recommend letting them rest before brewing. For all brew types, they are best left for 3-4 weeks post-roast for optimum flavour. Store your coffee in a cool, dark place in a sealed bag or airtight container, and you’ll taste the clarity, sweetness, and balance that proper resting brings.
How our coffee gets to you
Otherwise known as Shipping and Despatch - we use Royal Mail if shipping in the UK and UPS if shipping abroad. We aim to ship off ASAP after purchase. This is different for pre-orders or some limited runs, so be sure to either check the product page, or ask!
Unsure about something?
If you want clarity on anything or some help with brewing methods, just get in touch. No such thing as a stupid question...
Best place to reach us is on Instagram, through the website or andrew@thesourcecoffee.co.uk