Ethiopia, Bishaan

This is one of the most anticipated coffees each year for us, mainly because there is such a cool story behind it. This is the day-lot that we personally helped with when we visited Abana Estate back in the end of November 2022. We bought this coffee, Dammu, from them the year before and it was one of our favorite coffees of that year. While at their farm, we talked with Bekkel, the farm manager, and suggested that they add in a water fermentation process to this coffee. We thought it might make this coffee cleaner and add acidity. We told them that if they did this we would buy the whole day-lot no matter how it tasted. They were all excited about this and even gave us the opportunity to name this coffee. So we came up with the name, Bishaan. Bishaan means water in Oromo, which is one of the more popular languages in the Limu area of Ethiopia.

A day lot is simply all the coffee cherries harvested from one particular day and kept together throughout the entire processing. Once harvested the coffee cherries are float tested to filter through any under ripe cherries that are not dense enough to sink to the bottom. This day-lot was then rested in their coffee cherries on a raised bed, wrapped in a tarp for 24 hours. After that, they get depulped and placed under water to ferment for another 24 hours. This will help break down the mucilage surrounding the bean. Once fermentation is complete, this coffee goes through a washing process, then dried on raised beds before getting bagged and sent to the dry mill. 

The unique thing about the coffee we get from Abana Estate is that they grow and process their coffee right there on their farm. This is fairly rare in Ethiopia, where you usually have co-ops or communities growing coffee and selling the coffee cherries to the local wet mill. This estate allows us to identify each coffee more directly to where we can locate exactly where the coffee was from. We love this coffee and are honored to be apart in the process of making this coffee. We hope you enjoy it!

Sourced from the Abana Estate in the Limu region, this Ethiopia, Bishaan selection is roasted by Lineage Roasting. The Limu region is widely recognized for producing coffees that balance vibrant acidity with complex, layered profiles, often reflecting the unique terroir of Ethiopia · Limu. As a washed coffee, this lot undergoes a meticulous processing method designed to highlight the inherent clarity and brightness of the bean.

In the cup, this coffee presents distinct notes of red fruit and starfruit. While flavor profiles can be subjective, these characteristics align with the bright, fruit-forward qualities often sought in high-quality East African coffees. To better understand how these specific descriptors relate to the broader spectrum of coffee aromatics and tastes, you may find it helpful to reference the flavor wheel. This offering serves as a refined example of the precision and care applied to traditional washed processing in one of the world’s most storied coffee-growing landscapes.