You’ve had Mate Matiwos’s white honey and you couldn’t help but wonder what the tiny beans would have tasted like had they been naturally processed. Lucky for you, we couldn’t help it either and decided to feature both! The timing of this release feels surreal. This year it was announced that the Cup of Excellence competition would return in Ethiopia. When I learned that Mate Matiwos was preselected, I had an intense intuition that he would place extremely high. As I was tasting through samples of his coffees, I couldn’t help but describe them as uniquely fruited, inspiringly electric, and clairvoyant. It was recently announced that Mate Matiwos placed second in the competition with the same variety (74158) that was also naturally processed. While we weren’t there for the judging, our roast representation and cuppings of the BOTZ-selected lot give us full confidence in why Mate’s coffees continue to inspire coffee lovers of every level. We find this coffee to lead with intensely refined wild strawberries (the extremely mini ones that hit harder). The acidity is a combination of strawberry syrup and lime soda that leaves a fresh finish with a touch of cantaloupe. As the cup cools, it leans more tropical with lychee and piña colada impressions. For us robotically, the cup character is enticing, focused, and one to be relished. We hope you try this coffee to understand how dynamic Mate’s coffees can be with different processing flair!