Our story

Ahun (አሁን) is Amharic for “now”. You hear it everywhere in Ethiopia, and it is also the best advice we know for coffee. Coffee is at its most vivid in the weeks after roasting, so that is how we work: freshly roasted in small batches, with the roast date on every bag, made to be brewed and enjoyed now rather than someday.

Why Ethiopia

Ethiopia is widely regarded as the birthplace of coffee. Arabica grows wild in the forests of the south-west, and a well-loved legend tells of a goatherd named Kaldi who noticed his goats dancing after eating bright red coffee cherries. Whatever the truth, coffee has been part of Ethiopian life for centuries, and the country is home to a remarkable diversity of local, or landrace, coffee varieties. That diversity is a big part of why Ethiopian coffee tastes like nothing else.

The Amharic word for coffee is buna (ቡና), and drinking it is rarely a solitary act. The coffee ceremony is a ritual of hospitality shared with family, friends and neighbours. The host roasts green beans in a flat pan over a small charcoal stove, carrying the fragrant smoke around the room for everyone to enjoy. The beans are ground by hand with a mortar and pestle, then brewed in a jebena, a round-bellied clay pot with a long, narrow neck, and poured from a height into small cups. Incense often burns nearby, and there may be popcorn or roasted barley to share.

Coffee is served in three rounds: abol, the first and strongest; tona, the second; and baraka, the third, whose name means “blessing”. A ceremony can easily last an hour or more, and that is rather the point. It is time set aside for conversation and company. We would never claim to put that in a bag, but it shapes how we think about coffee: something to make with care and share with people you like.

Four regions, four characters

• Yirgacheffe, Gedeo Zone (1,750–2,200 m): washed, floral and citrusy, with jasmine, bergamot, lemon and black tea.
• Sidama, Sidama Region (1,500–2,200 m): natural process, dried in the whole cherry, for strawberry, blueberry, cocoa and honey.
• Limu, Jimma Zone in western Ethiopia (1,400–2,100 m): washed, smooth and gentle, with red wine, warm spice and dark chocolate.
• Guji, Guji Zone, Oromia (1,800–2,300 m): our reserve natural, with blueberry, peach and florals over a dark chocolate finish.

Our house espresso, Buna, brings Sidama and Limu together. Every AHUN coffee is 100% arabica, from Ethiopian landrace varieties.

How we roast

We do not believe in one roast for everything. Each coffee has a single roast profile, chosen to suit it: light for Yirgacheffe and Guji to protect their delicate florals, light-medium for Sidama to keep the fruit bright while rounding out the body, medium for the smooth Limu, and a little further for Buna so it holds its own under milk.

We roast in small batches and print the roast date on every bag, so you always know exactly how fresh your coffee is.

Not sure where to begin? The Ethiopia Origins Tasting Set lets you try all four regions side by side, and our brewing guide will help you get the best from every bag.