This natural processed coffee comes from the Sidama region of Ethiopia, known for producing coffee at the highest grades. The region features highly fertile highlands with surrounding rivers and lakes at very high elevation, resulting in cool weather and ideal soil. The area receives over 100 inches of rainfall annually, causing the coffee to ripen slower than in other Ethiopian regions. There are over 50 cooperatives and 200 washing stations throughout Sidama. The variety is Ethiopian Heirloom, and the ripe cherries are dried for 10 to 12 days until moisture content reaches 11.5 percent. Flavor notes include berries, stone fruit, and a toffee finish.
Jesse Crouse and Peter Herman co founded Tipico Coffee in Buffalo, New York, opening as a cafe in 2015 before establishing the roastery in 2017. Crouse brings deep specialty coffee credentials, having worked as a barista at Intelligentsia in Chicago, in quality control, as a roaster at Gimme! Coffee, and as Director of Product Development at Verve Coffee. They roast on an American made Diedrich IR 12 with Cropster datalogging software, documenting exact specifications for every roast. Tipico won a Good Food Award in 2023 for its Guatemala Las Moritas Yellow Pacamara and took Gold at the 2025 Global Coffee Awards for an Ethiopian natural from Sidamo.
