Djimmah & Lekempti
Jimma & Wollega, Ethiopia
ZONES: JIMMA, OROMIA / EAST & WEST WOLLEGA · ALTITUDE: 1,400–2,100 M · PROCESS: PREDOMINANTLY NATURAL · HARVEST: OCT–JAN · TRADED AS: G4–G5 COMMERCIAL; AGARO WASHED G1–G2
The place.
Ethiopia's west is its volume: Jimma, the country's largest producing area, much of it semi-forest coffee grown under native canopy; and the Wollega highlands to the north, whose coffee ships under the old trade name Lekempti (after the town of Nekemte). These are the grades that fill containers — the foundation of espresso blends and everyday roasts across the Gulf and far beyond.
The cup.
Djimmah G5 is full-bodied, earthy, and rustic — spice and dark chocolate when handled well, harsh when handled carelessly, and the handling is the entire difference. Lekempti sits a step brighter: a bigger bean, fruit and spice, a versatile workhorse. And the west keeps a secret: the Agaro area within Jimma produces washed cooperative lots that cup firmly in specialty territory — proof that the region's ceiling is far above its reputation.
The trade.
Commercial grades are where discipline pays most, precisely because the market applies it least. Two G5s at the same price can be different coffees entirely: preparation, crop year, moisture, and defect count decide whether a blend is consistent for twelve months or a recurring complaint. Buy the specification, not the name.
The house position.
We grade our commercial coffee with the same instruments as our specialty — moisture, screen, defect count, cup — because a blend buyer's trust is worth exactly as much as a single-origin buyer's.