This coffee is sourced from the Keramo site in the Bombe mountain range of Ethiopia, grown at extreme elevations reaching 2350 meters. Produced by approximately 1500 smallholder farmers, this lot consists of the Heirloom 74112 variety. The coffee undergoes a washed process, including 36-72 hours of fermentation and 12-15 days of drying on raised beds. It offers a complex, crisp cup profile characterized by pointed acidity, structured florality, and notes of peach rings, ripe melon, elderflower, and mango, complemented by a layered mouthfeel.
Rebecca Grossman and Lucas Smith founded Ilse in 2019, starting with a thousand dollars and a rented roaster in Stamford before building out their own facility in a converted mechanic's garage in North Canaan. The approach is quality-driven: light roasts, single-producer microlots, and a commitment to buying entire harvests from the same farms year after year, some relationships now stretch back to the beginning. Pricing is transparent; each bag lists what the producer was paid, the FOB price, and Ilse's cost. Sourcing focuses on Central and South America and East Africa, with Costa Rica, Honduras, Colombia, and Ethiopia appearing regularly.
