Israel Degafa, Wush Wush Natural (New Harvest Updates in Details)

We’re very excited for the new harvest of Wush Wush. The extended fermentation for this year’s lot has produced even more pronounced berry flavors and has helped clean up and balance the cup a bit through the finish. Unfortunately we’re having some difficulty getting it into the country. Containter shortages started our issues, along with congestion delays at the Port of Addis in Ethiopia. Route challenges due to turmoil in the Red Sea have further complicated matters. However, the final and largest obstacle is the ILA strike closing our US ports on the East Coast. Currently our container is on a ship in the Bahamas, where it will remain for the foreseaable future. We do no have an ETA for arrival while things in our ports are as volatile as they are. We will continue to update this space as more information and ETAs get updated. In the meantime, we are working hard with other importers and roaster friends to source fruit forward, natural/dry processed Ethiopian coffees- as well as other intensely fruity options from other countries such as Colombia and Guatemala.

Israel Degafa is the CEO of Kerchanse Coffee, which owns and operates mills throughout the Guji zone and is the largest exporter of coffee in Ethiopia.  This specific lot is from the washing station in Anasora, at an astonishing elevation of over 7500 feet.  Adjacent to this washing station is where Israel grows specialty grade coffees on his private farm.  The coffee cherries for this lot are Wush-Wush varietal.  This rare varietal is named after the region it was originally found: Wushwush (no space) in southwest Ethiopia, near Jimma and Sidamo.  The varietal is known for having intense candy-like sweetness, boasting tasting notes of blueberries, lavender, and vanilla.  After the cherries are picked, they are fermented for 96 hours and dried for around 21 days. We are receiving this coffee from Samuel Demisse, who was born in Keffa, Ethiopia- the province where coffee originated.  He moved to the US in 2004, and noticed a lack of Ethiopian coffee importers.  He decided to launch Keffa Coffee and has amassed an astonishing resume for specialty coffee including winning 2nd place in the US Cup Tasters Championship in 2011 and 2013, 3rd in 2015 and 2017, and holds the title of being one of the first certified Q-graders in the world.  Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors at the World Trade Center Institute and Texas A&M University Coffee Research Center. In the cup we get intense tropical sweetness, blueberry, winey fruit notes (sangria), floral hints (lilac), and a super, super sweet finish.  If you love ‘fruit bomb’ coffees, this is absolutely for you!

• COUNTRY: Ethiopia

• REGION: Anasora, Oromia

• ELEVATION: 7500 ft

• PROCESS: Natural

• VARIETALS: Wush Wush

• This coffee is best 14-35 days after it was roasted.