Ethiopia — Hadeso Washing Station Kurume & Wolisho (Fully Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍵 Black Tea • 🍑 Peach • 🌼 Honeysuckle • 🍋 Citrus

DETAILS

• Washing Station: Hadeso (Testi Coffee)
• Region: Dambi Uddo, Shakisso, Guji, Ethiopia
• Varietal: Kurume & Wolisho, with other JARC selections
• Process: Fully Washed
• Altitude: up to 2,100 masl

INTRO From Hadeso washing station in the Shakisso woreda of Guji, run by Testi Coffee — a community lot built on Kurume and Wolisho, two local landraces grown across the region for generations. Black tea structure runs throughout, layered with peach sweetness, a delicate honeysuckle florality, and a bright citrus lift. In the cup: black tea, peach, honeysuckle, and citrus.

THE PRODUCER Hadeso sits at 1,850 masl near the village it's named after, sourcing cherry mainly from farms around Dambi Uddo at elevations up to 2,100 masl. Around 500 smallholder farmers, typically working two-to-five-hectare plots alongside maize, enset, and grains, deliver freshly picked cherry to the station during harvest. Established in 2017, Hadeso employs eight permanent staff and up to 250 seasonal workers. It's one of twenty washing stations owned and managed by Testi Coffee, a family-owned Ethiopian company founded by Faysel A. Yonis, known for close relationships with producers and deep processing expertise.

This lot is largely composed of Kurume and Wolisho — local landraces grown across Guji and southern Ethiopia for generations, historically lumped together under the broad "heirloom" label. Kurume produces smaller cherries and tends toward a delicate, floral cup; Wolisho and other JARC selections (developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre for disease resistance and cup quality) often grow side by side with it, making the exact varietal composition of a community lot like this one difficult to pin down precisely.

THE PROCESS Cherry is selectively hand-harvested and delivered to the washing station, sorted to remove damaged or underripe fruit, then pulped within 6-8 hours of harvest to prevent unwanted natural fermentation. The pulped coffee ferments in tanks for 36-48 hours, with water frequently replaced, before thorough washing and channel-grading until all mucilage is removed. Parchment then dries on raised beds under parabolic shade net for 5-7 days, turned and hand-sorted regularly until reaching 11-12% moisture.

The frequent water changes during the 36-48 hour fermentation are the defining detail — they help produce the clean, structured cup that lets Kurume and Wolisho's tea-like character, floral sweetness, and citrus brightness come through clearly.

THE CUP Clean and structured — black tea running throughout, peach sweetness woven in, a delicate honeysuckle florality, and a bright citrus finish. A well-documented, community-built expression of Guji's local landraces.

Flavour Notes 🍵 Black Tea 🍑 Peach 🌼 Honeysuckle 🍋 Citrus