Ethiopia

Girma Sintayehu

Kurume

Washed process Kurume

Flavour: apricot, lemon myrtle, honeydew melon

Single-producer lots from Ethiopia are a rarity, but Girma has achieved this distinction with talent and years of dedication. Expect a breezy brew with sweet and fruity flavours.

Single producers like Girma Sintayehu are rare in Ethiopia, where coffee produced in cooperatives dominate the national output.

Girma, a current member of Jabanto farmers group, started producing coffee in 1991 after spending several years trading other commodities between the Dilla and Biloya towns. Since then, he has become highly knowledgeable in harvest and processing techniques, constantly staying up to date with the latest trends and technology thanks to his close collaboration with the bureau of agriculture and research centre. This extensive experience has naturally led him to become a leader and organiser for the community of coffee growers around the region.

Today, Girma grows coffee on his own 7-hectare farm in the village of Biloya, and sometimes contracts it from other producers near the Sashamene village where he can source different varietals.

This is a fully washed lot of Kurume, a sub-varietal that falls under the Heirloom or landrace umbrella. Once the ripe cherries arrive at the station, they are immediately pulped and soaked under water for 48 hours (this is the wet fermentation stage). Then, the mucilage (or outer layers) are removed using clean water and the clean parchment coffee beans are transferred to another tank where they stay submerged in water for 2-4 additional hours. Finally, a combined drying stage of over 10 days sees the beans reach a humidity level of ~10%—the green coffee is ready to store and await shipping.

All images and information about this coffee and producers have been kindly shared by its importer, Condesa CoLab, and edited by us, Sample Coffee (unless linked to or credited otherwise).

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Our ‘sweet spot’ for opening each coffee bag and brewing its contents is during days ~15-35 post-roast date.

Learn more about our updated coffee aging recommendations.

Need any brewing tips?

Head to our brew guides and find your favourite filter method—or head straight to our single origin espresso recipe. If you have further questions, send us an email. We’re always keen to help.

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

Girma Sintayehu

Country

Ethiopia

Region

Biloya, Kochere

Altitude

1800-1950m above sea level

Variety

Kurume

Process

washed

Importer

Condesa Co.Lab

Body

Acidity

Tasting notes

Apricot, lemon myrtle, honeydew melon

Roast style

Omni (filter + espresso)