Ethiopia

Chelelectu

Washed process Ethiopian Heirloom
Flavour: concord grape (grape jelly), tea
Body:     Acidity:

Our first Brew Crew coffee release comes from a small private wetmill in the community of Chelelectu in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is quite literally the birthplace of the varieties of coffee that we’re going to be sharing with you as part of your subscription.

This is an Ethiopian Heirloom coffee, which means rather than being one varietal of coffee it’s actually a mix of the natively growing varietals of the area.

It’s this mix that gives it the complexity that’s a signature of Ethiopian coffee. The genetic diversity in Ethiopian coffee farms also gives them greater resistance to pests and disease which leads to less use of pesticides.

Producers

This coffee comes from 700 smallholders, mainly small family plots of both recently planted trees of improved varietals and traditional old varieties.

Processing

Cherries are hand sorted for unripes and overripes by the farmers before they go in to production. A machine called a pulper removes the skin and pulp. The coffees are then fermented under water for 24–36 hours, depending on the weather conditions. It’s then graded in washing channels in to two grades based on density, and soaked under clean water in tanks for 12-24 hours. They are then sun dried for 10–15 days days on raised drying beds on hessian cloths, which allows for air movement around the coffee.

Learn everything about this coffee:

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

Variety

Ethiopian Heirloom variety

Heirloom (or sometimes Landrace) is an umbrella term that refers to all the coffee varietals endemic to Ethiopia.

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 Yirgacheffe region of Ethiopia

Unique for its floral and highly aromatic coffees. Some our of very favourite and memorable Ethiopian coffees have emerged from this legendary region.

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.

9 brew notes from subscribers

Coffee delivery: coffee in resealable bag and farm information card

Subscribe to a world of coffee

Discover a new single origin coffee from Sample every 1-5 weeks with no delivery fees.

No up-front purchase, and you can pause, cancel, or change plans at any time.

Subscribe now

Available to order online this week:

See all current coffees