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Bench Maji, Ethiopia, Washed
Citrus, yellow stonefruit and white tea
Clean and citrus-forward with a gentle sweetness – bright citrus acidity leads into ripe yellow stonefruit, with a delicate white tea note that lingers through the finish and lightens as it cools.
| TASTES LIKE | Citrus, yellow stonefruit and white tea |
| ROAST | Espresso |
Coffees from the Bench Maji Zone are grown by smallholder farmers on forest-edge garden plots, where coffee trees thrive under natural shade alongside food crops in one of Ethiopia's most biodiverse and least-disturbed growing zones. The region borders Keffa – widely regarded as the birthplace of wild Coffea arabica – and the genetic complexity found here reflects centuries of undisturbed natural selection. Farmers harvest ripe cherries by hand before delivering them to a centralised washing station, where lots from multiple farms are combined and processed together. Project Origin works with long-term exporting partner Primrose to maintain processing standards and producer relationships across every harvest, ensuring traceability across this exceptional and relatively rare origin.
| PRODUCER | Smallholder Farmers (via washing station & Primrose) |
| REGION | Bench Maji Zone |
| VARIETAL | Heirloom |
| PROCESS | Washed |
| ALTITUDE | 1275–1700 masl |
Ethiopia is the birthplace of Arabica coffee and home to an unmatched diversity of indigenous heirloom varieties, many growing semi-wild in forest and garden systems that have evolved over centuries. The Bench Maji Zone sits in the south-west of the country, neighbouring the Keffa region where Coffea arabica is believed to have first been discovered by local Oromo communities. Coffee production here spans garden and forest systems – among the most genetically diverse in the world, and accounting for only a small fraction of national output. Exporter relationships and direct-trade sourcing have increasingly enabled individual washing stations and growing zones to be identified in their own right, giving rare coffees from this corner of Ethiopia greater recognition in specialty markets.
NOTE THESE ARE A STARTING POINT AND INDICATE A RANGE TO WORK WITHIN
| Age Best Used | 10-25 days after roast |
| Brew Parameters | Dose 20.3g in the portafilter to extract 42g in the cups in 25 seconds at 93.5 degrees C |
| Best Freeze Date | 10-14 days after roast |