Ethiopia
West Arsi Sebo

Washed process Ethiopian Heirloom

Flavour: jasmine, pink grapefruit, peach

Body: Acidity:

The Testi West Arsi Washing Station was established in 2010 and serves about 850 smallholder producers in the area.

The farmers deliver their cherry to the washing station, where it is depulped, fermented for 24–48 hours, and washed before being dried on raised beds for 12-15 days.

Testi is a family-owned producer and exporter in Ethiopia. They own a farm and washing stations in the Guji region, and have relationships with partners in Limu and also West Arsi – where this coffee was grown.

Ethiopia’s going through an unusual shift in coffee production, with the formerly tightly government controlled coffee production and export business going through a wave of deregulation.

Until recently all coffee was traded through the Ethiopian Coffee Exchange (ECX). As part of the ECX sale process separate growing lots were typically mixed, making traceability difficult. This in turn meant that exceptional small lots of coffee were blended with lesser quality, reducing their value.

The recent opening up of coffee trade and export outside the ECX has made it possible to find and share coffees such as this one.

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: Testi West Arsi Washing Station
Country: Ethiopia
Region: Nansebo, Werka
Altitude: 1900-2050m above sea level
Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom
Process: washed
Harvested: December 2018
Importer: Cafe Imports
Body: Light
Acidity: Refined
Tasting notes: Jasmine, pink grapefruit, peach
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 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.