Momos Ethiopia Safo Mosto Whole Bean

3.5oz / 100g Whole Bean
Notes: Honeydew, Grape, Marshmallow, Vanilla Candy
Region: Sidama, Bensa
Producer: Tamiru Tadesse, Safo Station
Varietal: 74158
Process: Mosto Anaerobic Natural
Elevation: 2410 - 2500 m
 
From Momos:
 
"Mosto is the Spanish word for unfermented grape juice, or must. Safo Station took this idea from winemaking and applied it to coffee processing.
 
The process starts with selection. Cherries delivered by farmers are hand-sorted once again, and only the best are placed in fermentation tanks together with Mosto made from the same coffee cherries.
 
The cherries ferment for 96 hours in an oxygen-free environment. The Mosto, rich in microorganisms and nutrients, supports the fermentation and brings out deeper sweetness and more layered aromas without covering up the coffee’s original character.
 
After fermentation, the cherries are dried whole on African beds for 15 to 17 days. The slow drying helps settle the flavors developed during fermentation and brings them together with the natural sweetness of the fruit.
 
The result is a coffee with the complexity of fermentation and the rich sweetness of a natural process. A style of its own, shaped by Mosto.
 
Safo Station
In 2021, during the second edition of the Ethiopia Cup of Excellence, first place went to a coffee from Tamiru Tadesse of Bensa, Sidama.
 
Even before then, Tamiru had been looking ahead. As climate change continued to push suitable coffee-growing areas to higher elevations, he established a station in Alo Kebele, a small village sitting at around 2,400 meters above sea level. At the time, growing coffee at such an elevation seemed almost too ambitious.
 
One of the first things he established was a clear standard for cherry selection. Pickers who brought in cherries that met the standard were paid a fair premium, while cherries that fell short were turned away. Tamiru believed that sustainable quality begins with people taking pride in their work.
 
That station is now called Safo, a word meaning “foundation” in the Sidama language. The name reflects ALO Coffee’s philosophy: a great cup of coffee can only be built on a strong foundation."