ETERNAL DESCENT, Ethiopia

Apple Candy, Peach, Gold Kiwifruit

Masina Washing Station sits in the Masina kebele of the Adola woreda, in Guji, Oromia. It was built in 2017 with export partner Primrose, and it was here that the first Ethiopian carbonic maceration lots from Project Origin were produced and refined. A washed lot from this woreda carried a barista to victory at the 2018 World Barista Championship.

A river runs beside the station that the community once waded through to reach town and school. A bridge now spans it, sparing a walk of one to two hours to the nearest crossing. Cherry is delivered by smallholders from the surrounding kebele, grown in backyard plots known as garden coffee.

Processing is held under control from the moment the cherry arrives. Only ripe red cherry at 20 - 22 Brix is hand sorted, then sealed into tanks flushed with CO2 to push the oxygen out. Yeast activity, temperature and humidity are managed through the ferment. The coffee is pulped and washed, then dried on raised beds for 15 to 20 days, followed by a minimum triple pass through colour sorting and hand sorting tables.

The varietal is Heirloom, the mixed indigenous population that defines Guji. Altitude runs 1,950 - 2,300 metres, high enough to slow the cherry and hold density in the seed. A defined, structured cup with clear sweetness and a long finish.