Climpson & Sons: Estate Espresso: Ethiopia, Sasaba Washing Station, Washed

Our signature espresso has gone solo as 100% Sidamo Sasaba from the Guji region of Ethiopia. We have put our name to this coffee, because, like us, each year it has improved in quality and consistency, to the point that we wanted to showcase this as a stand-alone representation of Ethiopian espresso.

Working with this coffee for the last four years, we have tweaked our approach to emphasise sweetness and usability for a real crowd-pleasing flavour profile.

With limited foreign access to coffee buying in Ethiopia, we are fortunate to have achieved a reliable link, maintaining traceability. This coffee is a fantastic example of great quality washed Ethiopian heirloom varietals; it is clean and balanced. The altitude, processing and detailed export make for a coffee that impressively holds its consistency and flavour all year round.

We have invested a huge amount of time and focus researching the quality, consistency and longevity of this coffee and our Head of Quality Matt used it at the UK Barista Champs to showcase that you can have an incredibly delicious, approachable and fundamentally accessible coffee.

The Sasaba Washing Station is located in the Oromia State in the Guji District. Access is a challenge – the road being too rough for Land Cruisers, the next best option is to access by Soviet-Era Kamas trucks with 6-wheel drive to reach the washing station.

The washing station is productive and run well by Tsegaye, the owner of the washing station. His open-minded attitude ensures there is a feedback loop between producer and green brokers creating the potential for exemplary coffees and higher premiums for the farmers. The farmers that sell their cherries to Sasaba washing station are all small holders in the local surrounds. The cherries are processed on-site, fermented for about 48-72 hours before they are placed on the drying beds for around 7-8 days.