Ethiopia

Bishan Wate

Washed process Ethiopian Heirloom

Flavour: peach, orange blossom, green and black tea, apricot

Very Special

Sitting at 2,100m above sea level, Bishan Wate produces exceptional washed, natural and special preparation lots. The site was built by Testi in 2021 as a ‘premium’ facility, and selected for its natural advantages – including its high elevation, the surrounding region’s characteristics and access to fresh, clean water (in this case, from nearby Wate river). By choosing sites in areas favoured with great growing conditions and paying premiums for properly harvested fruit, Testi ensures they only receive extremely high quality cherry, resulting in outstanding complexity and distinction in the resulting cup.

This lot was processed at Bishan Wate washing station, a privately-owned washing station that is located in the Hambella Womena woreda (administrative district) in Ethiopia’s Guji zone. The washing station is found in the kebele (local village) of Buku Seyisa, and is one of 28 owned and managed by Testi Coffee, a family-owned company founded by Mr. Faysel A. Yonis.

Premium Washed

The washing station currently employs some 20 permanent staff and around 150 seasonal workers. During harvest, freshly picked coffee cherry is delivered daily by between 600 to 800 independent outgrowers from the nearby kebeles of Buku Seyisa, Tirtira Goyo and Wade Suke. At Bishan Wate, Testi separates and processes each kebele’s cherry delivery as a distinct lot, providing extra traceability. This particular coffee comes from the kebele of Buku Seyisa.

The majority of the families that contribute to this lot farm organically on tiny plots of land, averaging under one hectare in size. Coffee is their main cash crop and grows alongside food crops of corn, grain and bananas, under the shade of native Birbira, Wanza, and Acacia trees. The average elevation of the farms in this region is very high – around 2,000–2,200m above sea level – and this, combined with the region’s cool temperatures, is ideal for the slow ripening of coffee cherries, leading to denser beans and a sweeter, more complex cup profile. Most outgrowers who contribute to this lot live within 5-7 kilometres of Bishan Wate washing station, and their crop grows under exceptionally prodigious conditions, which adds to the distinct cup quality of this lot.

Premium Cherry Selection

This coffee lot was produced as part of Testi’s quality improvement initiative, Premium Cherry Selection (PCS). Launched in 2018, the Premium Cherry Selection program ensures that best practices are used for growing, harvesting and processing the coffee cherry. Through the program, Testi pay a premium to farmers who pick and deliver only the ripest cherries from their farms. Coffees produced as part of the program represent the highest quality and cleanest cup profile available from the washing station and wider region.

Learn everything about this coffee:

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Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 15-49 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Our recommended brewing window

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check our brew guides.
For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

• Dose: 20g ground coffee
• Yield: 60g espresso
• Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

• Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
• Labels: recyclable
• Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
• Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

Learn more:
Our packaging

Producer

Bishan Wate

Farm/Coop

Buku Seyisa

Country

Ethiopia

Region

Sidamo

Altitude

2185m above sea level

Variety

Ethiopian Heirloom

Process

washed

Importer

Melbourne Coffee Merchants

Body

Acidity

Tasting notes

Peach, orange blossom, green and black tea, apricot

Roast style

Omni (filter + espresso)