Ethiopia
Qilenso

Washed process Bourbon, Typica, Ethiopian Heirloom

Flavour: grape jelly and lemongrass tea

Body: Acidity:

Qilenso is a privately owned washing station in Ethiopia’s Guji region – one of several regions which were previously grouped together under the wider area of Sidamo.

The washing station’s name, pronounced “Kilen-so,” translates to ‘Air.’

Coffee cherries are produced and delivered daily to Qilenso by 550-600 nearby small producers, who mostly farm organically on small plots of land of around 0.7 hectares.

Washed method involves hand-sorting coffee cherries to remove any damaged or unripe fruit, then the skin of the cherries is removed using a simple disc pulper.

The resulting coffee is then graded by weight; heavier beans are superior quality and deliver a sweeter cup. The lot we’re sharing is Grade 1, indicating that it’s the very best quality.

After grading, the parchment-covered coffee is then soaked in tanks of clean water for 16–48 hours to remove the mucilage (the fleshy pulp around the bean) by allowing it to ferment and detach from the coffee.

The coffee is then re-washed and graded again by density in washing channels and then dried for 10–15 days on African drying beds. The coffee is covered at midday to protect from full sun and overnight to prevent damage from morning dew.

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

Country: Ethiopia
Region: Guji, Sidamo
Altitude: 1900 - 2000m above sea level
Varieties: Bourbon, Typica, and Ethiopian Heirloom
Process: washed
Harvested: December 2016
Importer: Melbourne Coffee Merchants
Body: Medium
Acidity: Balanced
Tasting notes: Grape jelly and lemongrass tea
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Varieties

Bourbon variety

A natural mutation of the Typica varietal, Bourbon is named after Reunion Island (then known as Il Bourbon) where the French cultivated the Typica plants which naturally mutated.

Ethiopian Heirloom variety

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

Typica variety

Considered to be one of the ‘genus’ varietals from which all other varietals have mutated from

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.