Through the Eyes of an Ethiopian Roaster

In Ethiopia, long before specialty cafés, brewing competitions, or tasting notes became part of global coffee culture, coffee was already embedded in everyday life, through ceremony, conversation, and community. For Batiso Dubale, that connection came naturally.

Working as a coffee roaster, cupper, and trainer at Addis Ababa city, Ethiopia, Batiso represents a generation of Ethiopian coffee professionals navigating between heritage and modern specialty coffee culture. 

While the world continues to romanticize Ethiopian coffee for its floral and fruit-forward profiles, Batiso sees something deeper behind every cup: origin, people, and identity.

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Rather than chasing heavy roast character or trends, his approach focuses on clarity and preserving terroir allowing the coffee to speak honestly about where it comes from.

Today, he works as a coffee roaster, cupper, and trainer, but his relationship with coffee began not in competition or business, but in curiosity.

“My journey into coffee began with curiosity about the craft behind a cup and grew into a passion for roasting and understanding coffee quality,” Batiso says. “Over time, coffee became not only my profession but also my way of expressing origin, culture, and craftsmanship.”

That connection carries a particular meaning in Ethiopia, a country whose identity is inseparable from coffee itself. Yet for Batiso, the significance of Ethiopian coffee deeply personal. “It is a source of pride and responsibility,” he says. “We are not only producing coffee, we are preserving heritage.”

Outside Ethiopia, coffee from the country is often romanticized into a single image: floral aromatics, bright acidity, perhaps notes of blueberry or jasmine. But Batiso believes that oversimplification ignores the extraordinary complexity within Ethiopian coffee itself.

“Many think Ethiopian coffee is one flavor profile,” he explains, “but Ethiopia has incredible diversity. Sidama, Yirgacheffe, Guji, and Harrar all express unique terroir.”

That diversity is exactly what he tries to protect through roasting. His approach is intentionally restrained, less about leaving a signature on the coffee, more about allowing the origin to remain visible. “I try to honor origin first,” he says. “My roasting aims for clarity, sweetness, and expression of terroir rather than imposing roast character.”

For Batiso, roasting is about translation. A roaster stands between the labor of producers and the final experience of the drinker, carrying the responsibility of preserving what already exists inside the green coffee. And too often, he believes, something valuable disappears along the way.

“Sometimes the farmer’s story and value are lost,” he says. “Poor processing or roasting can also hide the true character of origin.”

That sensitivity toward detail shapes the way he evaluates coffee as well. When tasting, he is not searching only for intensity or unusual flavors. Instead, he looks for clarity and structure, signs that the coffee still speaks honestly about where it came from.

“Clean cup, sweetness, structure, and how clearly the coffee expresses origin.”

In an industry increasingly obsessed with extremes, Batiso’s philosophy feels almost quiet. He speaks less about trends and more about balance. Less about spectacle and more about respect.

“A great coffee,” he says, “is balanced, expressive, memorable, and tells a story in the cup.”

Beyond roasting, Batiso also works as a trainer, helping younger coffee professionals understand the foundations behind coffee quality. In his view, technical knowledge means little without discipline and humility.

“Fundamentals first, understanding extraction, sensory skills, consistency, and respect for coffee.”

He believes the same principle separates good coffee professionals from great ones. “A great barista combines technical skill, sensory awareness, hospitality, and curiosity.”

That word, curiosity, appears often when Batiso speaks about coffee. Perhaps because coffee itself never stays still. Harvests change. Processing evolves. Climate shifts. Flavor surprises even experienced professionals.

“Every harvest teaches something new,” he says. “Coffee never stops evolving.”

And despite Ethiopia being recognized globally as the birthplace of coffee, Batiso is fully aware that much of coffee’s economic value has historically been captured far away from producing countries. Still, he believes the future is beginning to shift.

“Historically, value has often been captured outside producing countries,” he says. “I believe that is changing.” For Ethiopia, he remains optimistic. “Very bright. Ethiopia has unmatched genetic diversity and growing global recognition.”

In the end, Batiso speaks about coffee less like a product and more like a human chain, fragile, interconnected, and often invisible to the people consuming it. “When you drink coffee,” he says, “remember there are farmers, processors, roasters, and stories behind every cup.” (Hudes Magazine)