Ethiopia
Mulish Washing Station

This is the first coffee lot we’ve ever bought from Trabocca, a coffee importer we respect for their sourcing and transparency practices. In this lot we taste orange blossom, grapefruit and red berry.

Washed process Ethiopian Heirloom

Flavour: orange blossom, grapefruit, red berry

Body: Acidity:

Roast: omni (filter + espresso)

For a long time, coffee from this region was grouped under the banner of Sidamo coffee, but since 2002 it was recognized as unique and given its own name. That does not mean the region was a coffee producing powerhouse in 2014 when Faysel, the founder of Testi Coffee, first visited the area. He was looking for a place to start a washing station. At the time, there were a few coffee farmers in the area, but not too many. Undeterred, and quite sure that this lush, fertile area would soon be producing much more coffee, Faysel and the Testi Coffee team set about establishing their first washing station – Mulish.

The rest, as they say, is history. The Mulish washing station – 40 km away from Shakiso town – is now well established as one of the best in the Guji zone. Set on a slope leading down to the Mormora river, the washing station sits on four hectares of land. It is fully equipped for the coffee washing process. After it started operations, the number of coffee farmers in the area has grown, as have the number of those working with the washing station. In fact, Testi even had to expand operations in 2016 and open a sister washing station (Bishan Dimo) to serve farmers in the same area.

Now, in 2022, over one thousand farmers bring their cherries to the Mulish and Bishan Dimo washing stations.

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: Faisal Abdush
Farm/Coop: Mulish Washing Station
Country: Ethiopia
Region: Guji
Altitude: 1800 - 1950m above sea level
Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom
Process: washed
Harvested: November 2023
Importer: Trabocca
Body
Acidity
Tasting notes: Orange blossom, grapefruit, red berry
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…

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.