Ethiopia
Gigesa

Washed process Ethiopian Heirloom

Flavour: concord grape, apricot, and chamomile

Body: Acidity:

We’ve been waiting for this day since Reuben was in Ethiopia tasting new coffees back at the start of 2017 — the first of the fresh crop of Ethiopians are here!

It takes a while for coffee to make its way from the growing regions out of the country and through Djibouti to get to port and then by sea to us in Sydney, so we’re always excited to see the first bags arrive at the warehouse and taste the first roast… and now to share it with you.

There are around 850 smallholder farmers who supply coffee to the Gigesa Washing Station in Shakisso, in the Oromia region of Ethiopia.

The average farm is around 2.5 hectares and planted with corn, grains, and false banana, alongside coffee, and often under shade trees such as Birbira, Wanza, and Acacia.

The wet mill uses clean river water to process the washed coffee, which is fermented in tanks for 48 hours before being washed clean of its mucilage and dried on raised beds.

Like most of the crops from Ethiopia, this is a mix of locally grown varietals referred to as Ethiopian Heirloom. This is the birthplace of coffee, so unlike places where coffee is introduced as a crop, here farmers often cultivate the trees growing naturally on their property.

We hope you enjoy the Gigesa as much as we are at the roastery right now. There's some more new origins lined up for the next few deliveries so there's plenty more to come!

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

Producer: Gigesa Washing Station
Country: Ethiopia
Region: Danbi Uddo, Gigesa, Shakisso
Altitude: 1800 – 1950m above sea level
Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom
Process: washed
Harvested: January 2017
Importer: Cafe Imports
Body: Light
Acidity: Delicate
Tasting notes: Concord grape, apricot, and chamomile
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

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 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.