Banko Taratu

Crisp and fruit-forward, with lemonade brightness, caramel body, and a ripe-apricot sweetness.

Banko Taratu sits in the Gedeb District of Ethiopia’s Gedeo zone, within the Yirgacheffe growing area — one of the highest-elevation coffee regions in the country, climbing from 1,900 to 2,300 meters. The coffee takes its name from the village itself, where it grows as indigenous heirloom varieties on more than 500 family-owned, shade-grown farms. Here coffee is more than a crop: harvest is a communal effort, with families and neighbours picking the ripe cherries by hand, and the income it brings sustains education, healthcare, and daily life across the community. 

Double Fermentation

This coffee is processed using double fermentation, a method that builds flavour complexity through two distinct stages. Handpicked ripe cherries are pulped, then the mucilage-coated beans go into tanks for a first fermentation of 48–72 hours. After washing, they undergo a second fermentation for another 12–24 hours, drawing out deeper, more nuanced flavours. The beans are then dried on raised beds for 12–15 days. The result is a brighter, more refined cup with the layered, fruit-forward character that makes this lot distinctive.