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FLOW STATE Espresso

£12.50

Fuel your flow.

Flow State returns to where it started: a classic washed coffee from the Qunqana washing station in the Bensa Woreda of Sidama, Ethiopia. We’re tasting apricots, tangy marmalade, and sweet, floral honey. With milk this coffee turns into lemon meringue pie with a hint of skittles.

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Lot Info

Qunqana is one of the earliest coffee stations established in the Bensa Woreda, founded in 2001 in the Shanta Golba area. Sitting at an altitude of 1,800 to 2,000 metres above sea level, it sources coffee from nearby areas including Osole, Huluka, Oda, and Huro Tibiro. The station takes its name from the nearby Konka'na River, "Konka'na" meaning "cockroach" in the Sidamic language, a reference to the distinctive, scuttling way the river flows. With the support of 305 coffee suppliers and farmers, Qunqana continues to play a significant role in the region's coffee heritage.

This washed lot reflects the classic profile of Ethiopia’s Sidama region, carefully produced by Daye Bensa in collaboration with local smallholder farmers. Freshly harvested ripe cherries are hand-sorted and floated to remove any defects before being fully washed. The cherries are depulped, fermented, and meticulously washed to remove any remaining mucilage, ensuring clarity and consistency in the final cup. After washing, the parchment coffee is dried on raised African beds under controlled conditions, where it is regularly turned for even drying. Once dried, the coffee undergoes careful resting, hulling, and final sorting before export.

Producer

Daye Bensa Coffee was founded by brothers Assefa and Mulugeta Dukamo, coffee producers from the Bensa Sidama area of Ethiopia. Over more than 20 years in the coffee business, the company has grown into one of Ethiopia's major coffee exporters, shipping green coffee directly from its own farms and from farms of affiliated growers. It exports a range of coffees from across Ethiopia's coffee regions, spanning grades from conventional to specialty.

Mr. Asefa Dukamo Korma is the company's founder and CEO, having led its growth from a single farming operation to its current scale. Mr. Mulugeta Dukamo, co-founder of Daye Bensa Coffee, has played a key role in the company's expansion, in particular the development of its washing stations.

Cultivar

In botanical terms, heirloom varieties are plants passed down through generations, often within families, known for their historical significance and cultural heritage. In Ethiopia, "heirloom" is often used as a catch-all term for any variety native to the country. Estimates suggest there are between 10,000 and 15,000 heirloom varieties in Ethiopia today, most of which have not been formally genetically identified. While many heirloom varieties originate as wild plants, some have been selected for their desirable qualities and cultivated on coffee farms across the country.

Heirloom varieties typically fall into two categories: JARC varieties and regional landraces. JARC varieties are developed and researched by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre for desirable characteristics, such as greater disease resistance or increased yield. In contrast, regional landraces are varieties that have evolved naturally over generations, adapting to their specific environments.

Process

The washed process was designed to minimise the risk of off-flavours caused by uncontrolled fermentation during the natural process. Cherries are typically sorted using a flotation tank, where under-ripe or defective fruits float to the top and can be removed. The remaining cherries are then pulped and left in a tank to ferment until the sticky fruit mucilage is soft enough to be washed off the parchment, a paper-like layer surrounding the seed.

The design and cleanliness of the tanks used for fermentation are crucial, and the type, degree and speed of microbial activity depends on various factors. These include the amount of fruit remaining, the presence of bacteria and yeasts, whether the tank is filled with water, and the environmental conditions.

Once the mucilage has sufficiently degraded, it's washed away with water. The remaining parchment coffee, as it's commonly called, is then dried until it reaches a safe moisture content. The bacteria rich and sugary water used in the process must be treated carefully, as it can cause algae blooms if it enters streams and rivers.

In situations where large amounts of coffee are processed in bulk, such as in Ethiopia, some operations have found it economical to use a mechanical de-mucilager. This device removes all the fruit from the parchment with minimal water, bypassing the fermentation stage entirely. However, some believe this leads to a reduction in cup quality, as many flavour precursors are created through fermentation.

Traceability

Producer Daye Bensa
Location Qunqana Washing Station, Bensa, Sidama, Ethiopia
Elevation 1,800 - 2,000 masl
Cultivar Heirloom
Preparation Washed
Harvest October - January 2026
Arrival August 2026
Exporter Daye Bensa
Importer Coffee legends

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