In the world of specialty coffee, the Ethiopian Wush Wush varietal has steadily gained popularity. Many roasters celebrate its unique and complex characteristics, often compared to Gesha, but standing out on its own merits.
Origins and Cultivation
Wush Wush is known as an heirloom varietal, named after the place it was first found. Like Gesha, Wush Wush originates from a small area - Wushwush - in the Southwest of Ethiopia, where tea is also grown thanks to the fertile highlands.
Following the path of Gesha, Wush Wush made its way to South America; the fertile soils and high altitudes in Colombia provide ideal growing conditions for the crop. The varietal is known to possess a good tolerance to a range of climates but produces a low yield.
Many notable heirloom varieties from Ethiopia’s coffee growing regions are named after the location where they are first found. Wushwush (no space) is a small area in southwest Ethiopia, not far from the renowned growing regions of Jimma and Sidamo. Wushwush is known for its fertile highlands, where rich, vibrant teas grow, with sensory properties like those of Wush Wush coffee.
The Wush Wush Bean
As well as being distinctive in tasting note range, the Wush Wush bean is unconventional in appearance, often unique and small. Smaller beans are often denser, meaning there’s a greater chance of further sweetness development during the roast. The roaster needs to take great care in getting the roast recipe just right.
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When profiling this coffee for the first time, roasters need to take care. The beans are all so different and really small, which meant that the air flow would fling them into the chaff collector. Smaller-sized beans are generally denser, meaning that the sugars develop further during the roast. Ultimately, this means sweeter and more complex flavour profiles in the cup.
Processing Methods
Experimental processing methods are also common with varieties like Wush Wush, as producers attempt to elevate the fruitier characteristics of the coffee. Long periods of fermentation and “funky”, sweet, and fruity flavours are common in many Wush Wush lots.
Understanding some of the common processing techniques that producers use for Wush Wush will help roasters adjust their profile accordingly.
Flavor Profile
Wush Wush is a beautifully varied varietal, where sweetness is prevalent, and a delicate, floral, and fruity range of flavour potential can be harnessed. The team hand-picks the ripest coffee cherries and transports them to the washing station.
They then sorted for density and quality before being placed in sealed barrels to ferment anaerobically for 120 hours. They’re then rinsed and dried on raised beds for 13-16 days until they reach a 10-11% moisture content. It has notes of watermelon gummies, ripe peach, and banana with a slight boozy note in the finish, kinda like sangria.
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The fruity notes are unmistakably watermelon, and to find a coffee this interesting and also in balance makes it a true gem. As you smell this coffee brewing the fruity and floral notes immediately are picked up on. Bringing the coffee to your lips it greets you with a full body floral component and quickly transitions into a tropical fruit note and then settles into the watermelon note.
Each has its own personality, intensity, and unique flavour, with notes like blueberries, vanilla, maple and lavender. Sometimes it would have spicy or botanical notes, as well as [flavours of] unripe strawberries. It would be unfair to say that all Wush Wush tastes the same within their variety strains.
Tasting Notes
- Watermelon Sour Patch Kids
- Jasmine
- Fruit Bomb
- Strawberry
- Floral Notes
This Ethiopian Wush Wush is simply wild. The fruity notes are unmistakably watermelon and to find a coffee this interesting and also in balance makes it a true gem. The flavor profile of this coffee really shines most as we let it cool down from brewing temperatures to near 130° f. As you smell this coffee brewing the fruity and floral notes immediately are picked up on. Bringing the coffee to your lips it greets you with a full body floral component and quickly transitions into a tropical fruit note and then settles into the watermelon note.
Journey of Coffee | From Ethiopia to your cup
Roasting and Brewing
We recommend resting fresh coffee before drinking it. This allows the volatility of the roast time to subside, and the sweetness and character to shine. When a customer wants to try something different, it is what we recommend. We also sell it as an espresso tonic and it is a really nice and fruity, refreshing drink. Customers really like it; it is a dessert coffee for most.
Even with this unconventional sourcing method, Jon says the coffee still worked well with Onyx’s branding. He says customers enjoyed the flavour profile. “It was very tropical, and very, very sweet,” Jon says. “Almost sickly sweet, with flavours of date, or banana, or overripe fruit.”
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The Future of Wush Wush
Wush Wush has great potential to succeed in different international markets, and not just because of its flavour profiles. It is also a robust crop that suits a range of different climates. Resilient, versatile varieties are already becoming more desirable among producers.
Wush Wush is a unique variety. It has excellent production potential and sufficient tolerance to drought, flood, hot weather and chilly temperatures at higher altitudes. It fits perfectly in the Colombian mild category, which opens doors for Colombian specialty coffee to enter new markets.
Thanks to its highly desirable flavour profile, resilience, and hardiness, it may not take long before this happens. Next time you visit your local specialty coffee shop, keep an eye out for this unique coffee. It could have a big part to play in the decades to come.
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tags: #Ethiopia
