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The Coffee Atlas
Ethiopia Sidamo Bensa
Washed Sidamo Bensa lots tied to the Daye Bensa group, scored 94-95 by Coffee Review: apricot, citrus and jasmine over a silky, cocoa-sweet body.
Flavor profile
avg. of 3 published reviewsScale: 1-10, Coffee Review / SCA-classic-form convention. Averaged from 3 independently published, dated Coffee Review scores of washed Sidamo Bensa lots: Revel Coffee's Daye Bensa (Sept 2026, 95), Kakalove Cafe's Bombe G1 (Nov 2025, 95) and Jaunt Coffee Roasters' Asefa Qonqana (Mar 2022, 94). All three are washed, so this profile says nothing about natural-process Bensa. Three lots from three roasters is a small, top-scoring sample, not a district-wide statistic, and individual lots vary.
What it tastes like
Bensa sits in the eastern highlands of Sidama, and its washed lots are the part of the district that reviewers keep returning to. Coffee Review’s cuppers describe them with remarkable consistency: apricot and citrus up front, florals behind (jasmine in Revel Coffee’s Daye Bensa, lilac in the Jaunt lot), and cocoa underneath.
The three lots here scored 94 to 95, and every attribute but one landed at 9. Only aftertaste dipped to 8 in a single review. That makes washed Bensa a cup defined by clean, crystalline acidity and a satiny mouthfeel, not by the jammy fruit that natural-process lots from the same district tend to deliver.
Two of the three coffees trace to the Daye Bensa group, a processor and exporter built around producers from the district. The importer’s regional altitude figure tops out above the usual Sidama range (see the altitude section). As a sample this is narrow and skewed toward the best lots, so read it as a ceiling for what washed Bensa can do, not a promise for every bag.
How to brew it
Method fit for this origin · editorial guidance from roaster convention
Paper-filter clarity suits the jasmine, citrus and stone-fruit character of washed lots and keeps the crisp acidity distinct.
Dense high-altitude beans can taste sharp if under-extracted, so expect some dialing in to bring out the cocoa sweetness.
Adds body to a cup that is already silky, but immersion softens the delicate floral top notes.
⚠ Fit tiers are editorial guidance drawn from roaster convention; no industry standard scores brew fit, so we show tiers, never invented numbers. Reflects brew guidance commonly published by specialty roasters for washed Ethiopian lots, not an SCA-defined standard.
Altitude & region
Growing elevation, meters above sea level · this entry vs comparison bands
The 1,900-2,330 m band is sourced from a single Royal Coffee Daye Bensa listing (medium confidence, see Sources & data). The whole-Sidamo range comes from Ethio Coffee. Ethiopia Yirgacheffe and Kenya AA are shown for scale using commonly published bands already used elsewhere on this site, not lot-specific measurements.
Caffeine content
Caffeine by dry weight · each gold dot = 0.1%
Caffeine content tracks species, not origin, altitude, or processing: Robusta beans contain substantially more caffeine than Arabica. This entry is 100% Arabica; no credible per-origin caffeine figure exists at a category level.
Where to buy it
Transparency: some links on this site are affiliate links; if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Roasters are picked for genuine, current sourcing of this coffee, never for who pays us.
Canadian roaster that has listed a small-lot Ethiopia Daye Bensa; stock rotates, so check the page for the current lot.
View lot→Has listed a Daye Bensa natural-process Ethiopian (not washed); check the page for the current lot.
View lot→Wide selection; check roast dates, 100%-origin labeling, and seller reviews before buying.
View lot→Sources & data
- Ethio Coffee: harvest calendar and origin altitude tableSidama altitude 1,550-2,200 m, harvest Oct-Feb, and Bensa named as a Sidamo sub-region
- Royal Coffee: Crown Jewel Ethiopia Sidama Daye Bensa WashedWashed Daye Bensa producer group: elevation range of 1900-2330 masl, group founded by Bensa district natives in 1996
- Coffee Review: Ethiopia Daye Bensa, Revel Coffee (Sept 2026)Washed, 95; Aroma 9, Acidity/Structure 9, Body 9, Flavor 9, Aftertaste 9; apricot, Meyer lemon, jasmine, bergamot, cocoa nib (1 of 3 averaged)
- Coffee Review: Ethiopia Washed Sidama Bensa Bombe G1, Kakalove Cafe (Nov 2025)Washed, 95; Aroma 9, Acidity/Structure 9, Body 9, Flavor 9, Aftertaste 9; blood orange, apricot, lemongrass, almond, cocoa nib (2 of 3 averaged)
- Coffee Review: Ethiopia Bensa Asefa Qonqana, Jaunt Coffee Roasters (Mar 2022)Washed, 94; Aroma 9, Acidity/Structure 9, Body 9, Flavor 9, Aftertaste 8; apricot, dark chocolate, lilac, maple syrup, almond butter (3 of 3 averaged)