Ninety Plus Nekisse — A Named Coffee Profile
Historical milestone, not our tasting review
These profiles describe events, farms, varieties and notable coffees. Numbers reported by competition organizers or other reviewers are not our tasting scores; we do not convert those numbers into five-star ratings. Where a precise historical result cannot be matched to a specific lot, year and primary record, we leave it unscored.
What the evidence cannot establish: Nekisse appears across different years and locations, and no outside or house score represents the entire series.
Our evidence and rating standards →What was it?
A branded Ethiopian coffee profile whose sources describe several harvests and locations rather than a single permanent lot.
Who grew it?
Ninety Plus is associated with founder Joseph Brodsky and Ethiopian production partners. A single identifiable farmer for every historical Nekisse release has not been verified.
Where?
Early accounts associate Nekisse with Shakisso. Later descriptions refer to Sidama and Wellega. A specific release requires an identified region and harvest year.
What made it important
Nekisse became a landmark profile for Ninety Plus by demonstrating that high-quality natural processing could be applied to mid-harvest Ethiopian coffee cherries, a practice that was previously uncommon or associated with inferior grades. The profile gained significant historical prominence when it was used by Odd-Steinar Tøllefsen to win the 2015 World Brewers Cup, cementing its status as a competition-grade coffee. By focusing on specific terroir and controlled post-harvest protocols, the Nekisse profile helped shift industry perceptions of natural-processed coffees from being viewed as defective or fermented to being recognized as a premium, flavor-forward category. Its success encouraged a broader industry movement toward experimental processing and meticulous quality control at the farm level.
How was it processed?
Older Nekisse N2 descriptions call it natural-processed, but fermentation and drying procedures must be verified by release rather than assumed across years.
What did reviewers say?
Outside descriptions of individual releases mention berry, peach and creamy textures. They are not original tastings by this publication and cannot be transferred across batches.
What did it change?
The success of the Nekisse profile helped validate the use of natural processing for specialty-grade coffee, challenging the industry's historical preference for washed coffees. It contributed to the rise of experimental processing methods that are now standard among high-end producers seeking to create distinct, complex flavor profiles.
Where is that producer today?
Ninety Plus continues to describe its Ethiopia heritage and Panama estates. The availability, production area and processing for current Nekisse releases require dated producer evidence.
Sources & further reading
External articles and records support specific historical details; a source does not independently verify every statement on this page. Unlinked research notes are identified separately, not presented as citations.
- ninetypluscoffee.com — blogs journal ↗
Ninety Plus company journal: background on its operations; does not establish the source farm or score of each Nekisse release.
- eleta.org — under a canopy of green an interview with joseph brodsky of ninety plus coffee ↗
Interview with the Ninety Plus founder on company chronology and processing, not a verified production sheet for each Nekisse batch.
- rendyadrian.wordpress.com — 2015 09 07 ninety plus nekisse n2 ↗
Dated 2015 consumer account quoting historical Nekisse marketing language. Secondary evidence, not primary confirmation of the 2009 lot.
- eleta.org — under a canopy of green an interview with joseph brodsky of ninety plus coffee ↗
- sprudge.com — odd steiner tollefsen wins the 2015 world brewers cup 79912.html ↗
- ninetypluscoffee.com — blogs journal guide to processing ↗