Ethiopia — Hadeso Washing Station Kurume & Wolisho (Natural)

Tastes Like — 🍍 Pineapple • 🫐 Blackberry • 🍈 Combava • 🍑 Apricot

DETAILS

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

INTRO From Hadeso washing station in the Shakisso woreda of Guji, run by Testi Coffee — the natural counterpart to their washed community lot from the same station. Pineapple and blackberry lead, with apricot sweetness and a distinctive combava (kaffir lime) aromatic running throughout. In the cup: pineapple, blackberry, combava, and apricot.

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. At these elevations, cooler temperatures slow cherry maturation, allowing sugars and acids to develop gradually beneath the shade of native Birbira, Wanza, and Acacia trees. 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, and is one of twenty washing stations owned and managed by Testi Coffee, a family-owned Ethiopian company founded by Faysel A. Yonis.

This lot is largely composed of Kurume and Wolisho — local landraces grown across Guji and southern Ethiopia for generations, alongside other JARC selections developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre for disease resistance and cup quality. Local landraces and JARC selections often grow side by side, making the exact varietal composition of a community lot like this one difficult to determine precisely.

THE PROCESS Each day, only the ripest cherries are selectively hand-picked and brought to the station, where they undergo a second round of hand-sorting to remove underripe, overripe, or damaged fruit. After sorting, cherries are separated by density and spread across raised drying tables in very thin layers, turned frequently to ensure uniform drying and prevent unwanted fermentation. As cherries reach roughly 25% humidity — the "raisin stage" — the layers are gradually deepened, with cherries shaded during peak midday sun and covered again at night to protect against dew. Cherries typically reach target moisture after 15–18 days on the beds.

The gradual layer-deepening at the raisin stage is the defining step — this close monitoring is what preserves the clean, balanced fruit character behind the pineapple, blackberry, and apricot sweetness that define this cup.

THE CUP Vivid and layered — pineapple and blackberry sweetness up front, with an apricot depth and a distinctive combava aromatic running throughout. A clean, well-monitored natural from one of Guji's most consistent stations.

Flavour Notes 🍍 Pineapple 🫐 Blackberry 🍈 Combava 🍑 Apricot