Ethiopia Humbera 7.0 Natural Process: Flavor & Origin Guide

Ethiopia Humbera 7.0 Natural: What Makes It Special?

Ethiopia Humbera coffee has long been a favorite among Chinese coffee professionals and enthusiasts. Each year, even before the new Humbera crop arrives in China, the coffee community buzzes with anticipation—hoping for that signature strawberry sweetness and creamy smoothness. The latest Humbera 7.0 arrived in May 2023, and many buyers were excited to get their hands on these freshly landed beans. But soon, questions arose.

"Why doesn’t Humbera 7.0 taste like Humbera?" "It tastes more like Yirgacheffe!” "This isn’t from Buku Abel, so is it even Humbera?"

The Origins of the Humbera Name

The story began in 2017, when a natural-process lot from the Buku Abel washing station in Ethiopia’s Hambella region won the Dry Process category at the Ethiopia Tea & Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union’s Taste of Harvest (TOH) competition. That winning lot, grown by smallholders and processed by DW Company, exhibited intense notes of strawberry and cream. Later that year, a Beijing-based green coffee importer brought it to China and named it 'Humbera'—meaning 'the finest among flowers'—in honor of its outstanding quality.

The name Humbera gained widespread recognition in 2017 during the World Brewers Cup, when Chinese finalist Li Jianfei used this very lot to defeat competitors brewing Geisha, stunning the audience with its unique profile.

What Is Humbera Coffee?

Humbera refers specifically to natural-process Grade 1 (G1) coffee beans grown in Ethiopia’s Hambella Wamena Wereda region, primarily around Dimtu town. The most famous of these come from the Buku Abel Kebele, one of five villages—Buku Abel Kebele, Tirtiro Goye Kebele, Seke Bokosa, Haro Soresa, and Buku Saysay—where DW Company operates centralized processing stations. Though "Buku Abel" is often mistakenly referred to as a single washing station, it actually comprises multiple smaller processing sites spread across roughly 25 square kilometers, each with 20–30 raised drying beds. Each site processes cherries from nearby hillsides within a 5 km radius, yielding about 50–100 tons of natural G1 beans per season. Collectively, the Buku Abel area can produce around 500 tons of high-quality natural coffee annually.

These five villages are all under the management of DW Company, meaning any natural G1 beans processed in them qualify as Humbera. Although Buku Abel contributes the majority of the volume, other neighboring villages—such as Buku Goye, Buku Sosoma, and others sharing the "Buku" prefix—are also part of the same micro-region and contribute to the overall Humbera supply. These neighboring areas are essentially next door, often divided only by a road, with similar altitudes, climates, and terroir. While the Buku Abel lots have historically defined the Humbera profile, especially due to their proximity to the original champion farm, the term Humbera now rightly includes natural G1 beans from all five villages managed by DW in the Dimtu area.

So Why Doesn’t Humbera 7.0 Taste Like "Humbera"?

Put simply, Humbera is a natural-process G1 coffee from the Hambella region, produced using traditional sun drying. Like all agricultural products, its flavor is shaped by variables such as annual weather, climate, drying duration, and humidity. The legendary 2017 Humbera tasted so exceptional because everything aligned perfectly that year—resulting in those iconic strawberry notes and velvety body. That level of flavor was, to an extent, a matter of luck—and luck doesn’t repeat itself every harvest.

Since 2018, the flavor profile of natural G1 beans from the region has evolved, and the distinct 'Humbera taste' of 2017 has not consistently reappeared. To track these changes, Chinese green coffee importers began labeling each year’s crop with an “X.0” designation: Humbera 2.0 in 2018, Humbera 3.0 and 3.1 in 2019, and so on.

Through extensive cupping, FrontStreet Coffee discovered that smaller-sized beans within certain Humbera lots exhibited flavors remarkably similar to the 2017 champion batch. While the body and aftertaste weren’t quite as full, the aromatic profile was strikingly reminiscent. By 2019, this observation was confirmed, leading to the split of the Humbera offering into two distinct lines starting in 2020: the standard Humbera (labeled by year, e.g., 4.0) and the smaller-bean "Humbera Small Lot." Notably, the small-lot beans are not part of the numbered series.

Last year, due to inconsistent bean appearance in the Humbera 6.0 crop, FrontStreet Coffee opted to focus on selling the Humbera Small Lot instead. With the arrival of the 2023 Humbera 7.0 crop, however, the team found the beans in much better condition. As a freshly landed natural coffee, Humbera 7.0 arrived with higher moisture content and noticeable grassy tones. To address this, FrontStreet roasters adjusted the roast curve and opted for a medium-light roast level to preserve clarity and balance.

How Does Humbera 7.0 Taste?

Twelve hours after roasting, the FrontStreet team conducted a comprehensive cupping session. The results revealed a bright cup: dried fruit aromas of citrus upfront, followed by berry notes in the wet aroma. On the cupping table, tasters noted citrus acidity, stone fruit sweetness reminiscent of apricot juice, tropical flavors like passion fruit, and a tea-like finish with lingering sweetness.

These characteristics align closely with the classic flavor profile of Sidamo natural coffees: vibrant citrus, rich berry notes, and tropical fruit complexity. In short, Humbera 7.0 is a textbook example of a well-executed Sidamo natural-process coffee—even if it doesn’t replicate the exact profile of the 2017 Humbera.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Natural Process Fans

Explore more Ethiopian naturals with FrontStreet Coffee’s Yirgacheffe offering, known for its bright white jasmine, citrus, and lemon acidity with a clean tea-like finish. For a fruit-forward experience, try the Red Cherry—fully washed red fruit-forward with tropical sweetness, honey-like body, and creamy texture. All beans are freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.