Ethiopia Wolichu Wachu: Sample Coffee Roasters

Ethiopia
Wolichu Wachu

We find flavours of peach, bergamot, red grape

Body Acidity

Wolichu Wachu washing station was founded in 2017 and serves 4,500 local smallholder producers in and around the town of Haro Wachu, in the Urga district of Guhi in the Oromia region of Ethiopia.

The typical producer here farms on half a hectare of land, and delivers coffee in cherry form to the washing station, where it is processed.

Washed lots like this one are sorted in cherry upon delivery, then depulped and fermented underwater for 48–72 hours. The coffee is then washed and given an additional soak for 8–16 hours before being spread on raised beds to dry for 9–12 days.

This particular lot is a ‘Special Prep’ lot, which means extra care was given to the coffee from start to finish during processing, at the request of Cafe Imports, our sourcing partners in Ethiopia. The cherries were carefully sorted initially, and more beans were removed by hand throughout the processing and drying if they were seen to be defective, damaged, tainted, or otherwise imperfect.

According to the washing station manager, 90 percent of the coffee delivered to the factory is Bourbon, and 10 percent is Typica.

Sourcing and ingredients

100% Bourbon, Typica coffee beans, provided by Cafe Imports and roasted by us on Gadigal land / Sydney.

Country grade: Unknown ?

Packaging

Bag: ABA Certified home compostable
Label: Recyclable
Valve (on bags larger than 250g): General waste
Coffee ordered online is shipped in a recyclable cardboard box

Brewing this coffee

We recommend brewing this coffee 15–49 days post-roast. If pre-ground, brew as soon as possible. Our advice on storing coffee.

1:3
dose:yield
ratio

To brew on espresso, we recommend using 20g of beans (dose) to get 60g of espresso out (yield), during 24-28 seconds.

g dose

g yield

View the how to brew espresso (single origin) guide.

1:16.7
beans:water
ratio

To brew in infusion/fed brewers (V60, Chemex) use a ratio of 1:16.7 ratio of beans:water.

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

1:14.3
beans:water
ratio

To brew in immersion brewers (plunger, AeroPress, Kalita, batch brewer) we recommend using a 1:14.3 ratio of beans:water

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

1:12
beans:water
ratio

To brew as cold brew we recommend using a 1:12 ratio of beans:water

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

Country: Ethiopia
Region: Guji
Altitude: 2100–2300m above sea level
Varietals: Bourbon, Typica
Process: Washed
Harvested: December 2017
Body: Light
Acidity: Medium
Tasting notes: Peach, bergamot, red grape
Roast style: Omni

Varietals

Bourbon varietal

A natural mutation of the Typica varietal, Bourbon is named after Reunion Island (then known as Il Bourbon) where the French cultivated the Typica plants which naturally mutated.

Typica varietal

Considered to be one of the ‘genus’ varietals from which all other varietals have mutated from

The location

Coffee from Ethiopia

Seen as the birthplace of domesticated coffee, there are not many more exciting times at the Sample warehouse as when our fresh Ethiopian lots arrive. Legend says it’s our favourite origin…

The Sidamo region of Ethiopia

Both ‘Sidamo’ and ‘Sidama’ can be used to describe coffees from this region, Sidama refers to the locals of the area. It grows some of the highest coffees in Ethiopia

Farm processes

Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.