This microlot from renowned coffee expert Israel Degafa comes from producers in Yirgacheffe. At his washing station, Israel uses a proprietary anaerobic fermentation protocol he's dubbed "alcoholic" due to the crisp, winey cups it produces. It's also juicy and sweet with big notes of strawberry, blackberry, banana, lemonade and pure cane sugar.
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Quick refresher: Wush wush (or Wushwush) is a village in the Keffa region of Ethiopia and also an heirloom variety of coffee (named for that village, of course). With wush wush gaining popularity in the specialty coffee world, farmers in other regions of Ethiopia have begun cultivating it, so not every wush wush comes from Keffa. Kind of a “every square is a rectangle but not every rectangle is a square” situation. And the bean is popular for a reason – it’s bright, sweet and super juicy!
If this all sounds familiar, it’s because we just can’t get enough of Wush Wush lately! This particular lot comes to us from producers in Yirgacheffe processed by renowned coffee veteran Israel Degafa. Israel and his team upped the ante with this microlot with a proprietary anaerobic fermentation he calls “alcoholic”. You can already guess this one’s gonna be winey! So after a grade 1 sorting of the best cherries, he places them in airtight bags in a cool environment to ferment for 4 days (96 hours). During this fermentation period, the coffee cherries are checked frequently to ensure fermentation is progressing according to Israel’s strict protocols. Finally, the cherries are finished drying on raised beds in the sun in the natural or dry processing tradition.
The result is a fruit bomb with lovely, crisp acidity and a dry, winey finish. It’s got a silky, smooth body, good balance and makes for a surprisingly clean cup despite the intense fermentation. My samples had a strawberry and banana smoothie vibe along with notes of juicy blackberry, lemonade and sugar cane. The finish reminds me of an expensive white wine - dry yet smooth, crisp but not tangy. Compared to our 120 hour Wush Wush from Guji, this one is a little less funky and wild, more refined but just as juicy!
Reminder! This coffee is raw, you must roast it before brewing
Recommended Roast Range: City to Full City (Light to medium)
Start at City (light) or just about 30 seconds into rolling first crack. From there, go a bit darker if desired, but find it best not to go any darker than Full City (Medium or after the end of first crack and before 2nd crack starts). Most folks will prefer a City + or at the tail end of first crack. Lighter roasts will have more zesty acidity while medium roasts will accentuate more body and rounded sweetness. Longer rest times are recommended (up to a week or longer) for optimal brewing performance.
I'm new to roasting, but I tried to do a light roast and rest for about 5 days. I didn't get the fruity punch I was hoping for, but it's likely my roast was off. That said I really enjoy the sharp bright flavour and syrupy consistency.
Erik J.5/5Verified
First roast came out a little darker than I'd planned, but first tasting = 5 Stars!
Carl B.5/5Verified
Fantastic, exotic coffee bean! I get strong winey, strawberry, juicy notes. Pretty substantial boozy notes as well, which I personally love in anaerobic coffee, but it could be off-putting to some people.
Captain's Coffee, please source more like this!
Cory F.5/5Verified
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Hetgan M.5/5Verified
It's really a super interesting and well-worked coffee.
Hetgan M.5/5Verified
Bag was broken open and spilled everywhere unfortunately. Others were good. Salvaged what I could but not ideal
Jesse S.1/5Verified
The taste is certainly "boozy" and different from a basic Colombian. I'm trying to decide whether or not I like it. So I suggest trying this but not a huge quantity until you decide for yourself whether or not you like it. If you are curious about different coffees then give it a go.
Light roast on a Hot Top with Artisan.
Jason H.4/5
This coffee is amazing. Very vibrant flavor through pour over and even makes great espresso. Not the easiest to roast or prettiest looking beans but great in the cup
Nick T.5/5Verified
Great fruity flavor. Excellent coffee.
Chad W.5/5Verified
Delicious, strawberry, chocolate
Really easy to roast. Yay
Robert M.5/5Verified
I roasted this two different ways:
City roast-dark, powerful, for my customers probably too dark.
High roast-milder but harder to discern what I was tasting.
John D.3/5Verified
Love this bean, had to come back for a bulk order this time. Better than described. Amazing flavors.
Carl I.5/5Verified
This is the best coffee I have roasted at home. I tend to have a variety of origins roasted and ready to drink at any given time- but when Wush Wush is available, it’s my go to. I get excited on mornings I have some fresh roasted Wush Wush to brew!
Zach5/5
Strawberry banana smoothie vibes.
Austin W.4/5Verified
Bold flavors with a smooth palate and finish
Tony P.5/5Verified
One of the best Yirgas yet. Best Buy!!
Terry P.5/5
Some of the better coffee I’ve had. Lots of flavors: fruity a little peppery
Nathaniel S.5/5Verified
I’m in hopes that the next crop of this is equally as good. I’m on my 25th pound and that says something for a home roaster that doesn’t sell anything. This is one of my three favorites. I would caution first time roasters about the large amount of chaff. It can lead to a fire so keep a close eye on it. Enjoy
Donald E.5/5Verified
Fresh Wush wush, arrived timely, my favorite!!!
Rick R.5/5Verified
This is *the best* coffee that I have ever roasted at home (Gene Cafe). I first became aware of it when a small commercial roaster in my area offered this, and I was amazed by it. (But oh, the price!) Finding the green coffee here was wonderful, and I have been able to predictably coax out similar flavors on my home machine. To date, I think I've purchased over 20 lbs.
I roast about 75% of the way through first crack, dropping the coffee to cool at about 9-10 minutes in. Right after roasting, I get delicious flavors, particularly honeydew melon. But after about 10 days, this is simply comfort in a cup. Happiness, if happiness had a flavor. Rich and fruity, balanced and complex.
Derek Y.5/5
very expressive coffee. strong strawberry-forward, fruity and aromatic. not a beginner friendly green - it's very sensitive to airflow and heat management and can turn sharp or sour if roasted unevenly.
Tyler W.4/5Verified
Very tasty coffee, roasted it about a minute after first crack .brew methods French press, aeropress, pour over and cold brewed. All equaled a tasty cup.
David D.5/5Verified
good
Christine Y.5/5Verified
One of my faves!
John S.5/5Verified
Definitely has a fruitiness to it that I like! Thank you!
Arthur E.5/5Verified
Exquisite beans. Love them
Christiaan B.5/5Verified
The price was good. Got here in a good amount of time of time. The packaging was better than anywhere else I have ordered. Thank you!
Matthew R.5/5Verified
Could not be happier. Tasting profiles were spot on. I might never use your competitors again. Keep it up guys!
Michael F.5/5Verified
Wow, this latest crop is an absolute fruit bomb! Love me some Wush Wush!
Walter N.5/5Verified
I've bought several pounds in a couple of batches. Almost ready to buy more. No one here has mentioned melon or strawberry, but I get both, and I'm not the most sensitive to fruit variations. Today I let Copilot AI tell me its roast plan for my SR800. Now it needs some time to rest, but there was a bit less heat and longer wait for FC, with a drop at FC+90 (less than my previous) and the melon and strawberries are dancing.
Bone5/5
Wow. Just tried a batch and what a great flavor. First of all, I’ve never smelled better green beans. Every time I measure out a new batch I have to savor the aroma.
The coffee produced lots of berry and wine notes. Maybe some peach as well. My wife noticed chocolate. I ordered another five pounds just now.
Ed N.5/5
I’ve been buying the Wush Wush from Captain’s for three years now, and it never disappoints. I’ve roasted it anywhere from just into first crack to the end of first crack, and every batch turns out great.
The flavor is always smooth and vibrant, with really nice fruity notes that come through no matter how I roast it. It’s easy to work with and consistently delicious. This is one of my all-time favorites, and I’ll definitely keep coming back for more.
Mark Z.5/5Verified
Great coffee. Worth a try. Thank yall
Jared A.5/5Verified
Overall it was a great experience.
Zachary M.5/5Verified
My experience with anaerobic coffees has taught me to be patient and give the roast 10 days or more to set up. This Ethiopian is a perfect example of that theory. I roast this bean to just after first crack then immediately drop into my bean cooler to stop any rolling continuation of the roast. Wush Wush is a good example of the anaerobic process as the flavors are vivid and crisp. I enjoy the changing characteristics of this coffee as the cup cools. I do think you can take this coffee too dark and risk losing some of its subtle flavors . Just my opinion.
Donald E.5/5Verified
Bean was advertised as G1, but variance and frequency of blemish in beans throughout 10lb did not reflect that. Bean was more realistically exchange grade coffee, and consistency of the roast was affected accordingly. Tastes amazing for what it was, but much more quality was expected than delivered.
Jared M.3/5Verified
First crack is hard to hear in this crop, and it's a chaffy mess when it's light roasted, but it's all worth it for the delicious end result! I hope to see it every year!
Daniel D.5/5Verified
Bag was damaged by UPS!
Stephen S.4/5Verified
Ordered another 10 lbs after the first 10. I take it about 45 seconds into FC then into the bean cooler followed by 12 days of rest. Strawberry loveliness.
Paul C.5/5Verified
Juicy, red fruit forward w/ wine notes as described. I roasted with the nucleus link (Filter C 207.5; 10% development). This flavor profile became much more prominent after resting for 2 weeks.
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