KillBean Collection - Ethiopia & Ecuador

Technical Data:

Roaster: KillBean Collection
Format: 3 x 200g pack (Ethiopia + Ecuador + Ethiopia)
Roast: Ultra Light (Filter) — all three coffees

Coffee 1 — Ethiopia:

Origin: Bombe, Sidama, Ethiopia
Varietal: 74158
Process: Washed, Non-Fermented
Altitude: 2,100 masl
Profile: Green grape · Frangipani · Citrus

Coffee 2 — Ecuador:

Origin: El Alisa, Ecuador
Producer: Leonidas Jaramillo
Varietal: Typica Mejorado
Process: Natural
Altitude: 1,720 masl
Profile: Floral · Peach · Grapefruit

Coffee 3 — Ethiopia:

Origin: Shantawene, Sidama, Ethiopia
Producer: ALO Coffee
Varietal: 74158
Process: Natural
Quality: G1
Altitude: +2,100 masl
Profile: Sweet orange · Honey · Grape · Plum

Ideal for: Filter

Why we like it:
Three coffees that allow you to compare radically different profiles within the same pack: the extreme clarity of a non-fermented washed Ethiopian, the floral elegance of a natural Ecuadorian Typica Mejorado, and the sweet, juicy, floral character of the high-altitude natural from ALO Coffee.

Who should buy it:
Ideal for those who want to explore KillBean’s ultra-light approach through three distinct coffees and compare how origin, variety, and processing transform the cup. Especially interesting for discovering two expressions of Sidama produced with the same 74158 varietal but through completely different processes.

1) Ethiopia · Bombe, Sidama · Zero Fermentation Washed

No fermentation. Literally.

This batch from Bombe, Sidama, takes washed coffee to its simplest form. Once the cherries are harvested, they are pulped and the mucilage is removed immediately, without any fermentation stage, before being dried on raised beds in the shade.

It sounds almost suspiciously simple, especially in a world where coffee processing seems to add another fermentation step every year. But that is exactly what makes this lot interesting.

Without fermentation leading the way, the character of the 74158 variety and its terroir is expressed with remarkable clarity. The cup is bright, delicate, and extremely clean: fresh green grape sweetness, soft frangipani florals, and a crisp citrus finish.

Sometimes doing less really does give you more.

2) Ecuador · El Alisa · Typica Mejorado Natural

Produced by Leonidas Jaramillo at 1,720 masl, this natural Typica Mejorado showcases the elegant and transparent profile that has made Ecuadorian coffees increasingly interesting in recent years.

Typica Mejorado is renowned for its floral complexity and refined acidity, with a profile that combines the classic structure of Typica with an especially elegant aromatic expression.

This lot from El Alisa is delicate yet expressive: it opens with soft florals, followed by ripe peach sweetness and a clean grapefruit-like citrus finish.

Bright, elegant, and very accessible.

3) Ethiopia · Shantawene, Sidama · ALO Coffee Natural

This lot comes from Shantawene, in the highlands of Sidama, courtesy of ALO Coffee, an internationally recognized producer and winner of the 2021 Ethiopia Cup of Excellence.

Grown at over 2,100 masl, this Grade 1 74158 variety grows in high-altitude conditions where the slower maturation of the cherry favors a greater concentration of sweetness and complexity.

Processed as a natural, it maintains the floral and clean character we look for in great high-altitude Ethiopian coffees, but accompanied by riper, juicier, and more expressive fruit.

In the cup, sweet orange appears first, followed by a deep, honey-like sweetness, ripe grape, and a delicate plum finish.

Floral, juicy, and extremely sweet.

This coffee was originally selected as the exclusive coffee for the KillBean Selection subscription for the period of September 25th to October 25th.

KillBean es una microtostadora de Londres que aporta una nueva perspectiva al café de especialidad. Fundado por Yanyi Xu en el norte de Londres, el proyecto se ha dado a conocer por sus característicos cafés de origen único, su enfoque de tueste ultraligero y, especialmente, por su exploración de los raros cafés chinos de Yunnan.

Junto a lotes destacados de Etiopía y Panamá, KillBean ha creado una de las selecciones de microlotes chinos más interesantes del Reino Unido. Su estilo de tueste suave se centra en la claridad, los aromas y en dejar que el origen de cada café hable por sí mismo.

De un proyecto de fin de semana a una tostadora galardonada, KillBean representa a una nueva generación de café de especialidad británico: experimental, preciso y siempre mirando más allá de los orígenes habituales.