Wush Wush Ethiopia Natural

Ethiopia · Gedeo Zone · Natural

Wush Wush is a rare Ethiopian variety, and this lot comes from 350 farmers in the Gedeo Zone who have kept it growing. Many of their trees are more than 50 years old. Older trees produce less fruit, but what they do produce is denser and sweeter. Less coffee and a better cup is the trade these farmers chose.

Gedeo is the zone that's home to Yirgacheffe, and the coffee here grows at 2,100 to 2,300 meters. Only the ripest cherries are hand-picked. Then the process goes further than a typical natural. Whole cherries are packed into sandbags and left to ferment for five full days. After that they dry on raised beds for another 18 to 21 days. That long ferment is where the fruit comes from.

In the cup, sangria leads with dark, winey fruit. A wave of ripe berry adds the intensity, florals give it lift, and it finishes sweet and clean.

The result is big, juicy and a little wild, with enough sweetness to hold it together. It's expressive without turning sour.

Ethiopia, turned all the way up.

Great as pour-over. Worth trying iced.

On resting: Our coffees are roasted to order. For the first couple of weeks after roasting, the coffee keeps releasing CO2. As it settles, harsh or roasty edges soften and the sweetness comes forward. We recommend resting this one at least 14 days after the roast date. Dense, high-grown lots like this often hit their peak between 3 and 6 weeks.