Ethiopia Aroresa – Washed Sidama Heirloom, Grade 1

Grapefruit, passion fruit and papaya – a bright, clean washed Ethiopian that tastes like a tropical fruit bowl with the lights on.

At a glance

• Origin: Aroresa district, Bensa zone, Sidama, Ethiopia
• Producer: local smallholder farmers; lot sourced via supplier Melesse Mekuria
• Variety: Ethiopian heirloom
• Altitude: 1800–2200 m
• Process: washed, Grade 1
• Roast: omni – filter and espresso
• Tasting notes: grapefruit, passion fruit, papaya
• Roasted by: Guido, Bucharest

In the cup

It opens sharp and refreshing, a squeeze of grapefruit that wakes everything up. Give it a minute and the cup turns juicy: passion fruit and ripe papaya fill in the middle, sweet and a little exotic. The finish is clean and cool, with none of the heaviness you'd get from a fruit-forward natural. On a V60 it reads as clarity first, fruit second; as espresso the grapefruit and papaya fold together into something syrupy and lively.

Where it comes from

Aroresa is a woreda, an administrative district, in the Bensa zone of Sidama, in Ethiopia's south. Coffee here grows on smallholdings tucked between enset plants and shade trees, at altitudes that climb past 2000 metres. That altitude matters: cool nights slow down how the cherries ripen, so the seeds grow dense and pack in sugar and acidity. Most farmers own only a few hundred trees and deliver ripe cherry to a nearby washing station, where lots from many families come together. This Grade 1 lot was put together by supplier Melesse Mekuria, who works with the local growers, and picked by Guido for its fruit. Sidama's washed coffees are known for bright acidity, floral lift and very clean cups, and Aroresa sits right in that tradition – with a tropical twist.

How it's processed

1. Ripe cherries are hand-picked by the farming families and delivered to the washing station.
2. The fruit skin is removed and the seeds ferment in their sticky mucilage.
3. The coffee is washed clean with water, which removes the fruit layer and locks in clarity.
4. The parchment is dried, then milled and graded – this lot made Grade 1, Ethiopia's top export grade.

How we brew it

• Filter (V60): 15 g coffee, 250 g water at 94–96 °C, total time around 2:45–3:15. Grind medium-fine; this one likes a hot, steady pour.
• Espresso: 18 g in, 40–44 g out in 27–31 seconds. Great straight, and it keeps its fruit in a small flat white.

Why it's on our shelf

Aroresa is the kind of Ethiopian we brew on repeat at home: crisp enough for a morning V60, juicy enough that you notice it after the second cup.