Wushwush coffee bean, a rare variety in Birch Estate in Whelan, Colombia

In Ethiopia, in recent years, in addition to the native species, it seems that more and more varieties have been seen, such as the 74 series, Wush Wush, Dega, etc. Among them, Wush Wush is a lovely variety both looking and pronounced. Although it is not common on the market, whenever it appears on bean lists, it always seems to attract the attention of coffee lovers. Then, it is better to choose a day than hit the sun. Today, Qianjie will come to popularize this variety for everyone.

Like the famous Rose Summer, Wush Wush is also a heirloom coffee from Ethiopia. It was found in Wush Wush, a small village about a few kilometers away from the Kafa Ecological Circle, located in the town of Gimbo. Wush Wush Village is famous for its fertile highland, so it not only retains the varieties that are now popular in the coffee circle, but also produces a high-quality tea with the same name, which is told about by people.

In 1970, a serious coffee anthrax epidemic swept across Ethiopia, which caused more than 70% of the production of Kenya's coffee industry. Therefore, in order to fight anthrax, Ethiopia's famous Jima Agricultural Research Center (JARC) hopes to breed varieties that are naturally resistant to anthrax from wild coffee trees.

To this end, JARC explored areas covered by virgin forests in western Ethiopia, including Bishari, Gera, Wasi, WushWush and other places. Because this is the origin center of Arabica, researchers selected hundreds of coffee plants and brought them back to the laboratory because of their genetic complexity.

After years of research and cultivation, in 1978, JARC selected a total of 13 anthrax-resistant varieties from them and began to promote planting throughout Ethiopia. According to the year of the election, these varieties were also labeled with the corresponding "74**" or "75***" numbered. Seeing this, friends who like Ethiopian coffee should have seen that they are the origin of the now-famous 74110 and 74158.

Around 2002, JARC paid attention to 25 anti-anthrax coffee varieties selected from Wush Wush Village, and continued to cultivate and purify them. It was found that not only were they antiviral, but also had excellent flavor. In 2006, JARC officially released a purified variety of Wush Wush, which needed to be planted at a high altitude of 1,700 to 2,100 meters, which led to the current hot coffee.

However, Qianjie found that compared with Ethiopia, most of the Wush sold on the market came from a country on another continent-Colombia. In terms of output, Wush Wush in Colombia has already far surpassed Ethiopia and has become the second hometown of this breed. So why did a variety produced in a small Ethiopian town appear in Colombia?

In the late 1970s, Cenicafé, the National Coffee Research Center of Colombia, brought back Wush Wush coffee seedlings from Ethiopia for cultivation and research. After screening and cultivation by experimenters, the saplings were distributed to representative manors in various regions of Colombia from about 1980 to 1990, and the first batch of trial planting was carried out. In this way, Wush Wush not only settled in Colombia, but gradually developed stronger adaptability through the differences brought by different terrains, soils, and planting patterns of various farms.

Today, this variety has spread throughout the provinces of Santander, Tomali, Whelan and other provinces of Colombia, and has also extended different flavors and tastes due to the climate and planting management of each place. In order to try this "unpopular" coffee variety, Front Street recently bought a Colombia wushwush, which comes from the historic Finca Betulia in the Whelan region and is processed by sun treatment.

Front Street Coffee: Colombia Birch Estate wushwush

Production area: Whelan, Colombia

Manor: Birch Manor

Altitude: 1450~1550 meters

Variety: wushwush

Treatment method: Sun exposure

Flavors: dark plum, black plum, lemon, dried blueberry

Luis Anibal Calderón is located in Acevedo, Huila Province. Luis Anibal Calderón is a second-generation farmer. He has been working in the coffee field with his father since he was 12 years old. When he was 15, his father gave him a small piece of land. Later, Luis was able to earn income from it every year, which led to his interest in coffee growing. In 2005, Louis finally saved enough savings to buy a 20-acre piece of land and established a Birch Estate.

In 2012, in order to get rid of economic difficulties, Louis began to try to plant rose summer varieties and cultivated about 5000 saplings, accounting for 5% of all coffee trees at that time. By 2015, these rose summer varieties blossomed and blossomed as scheduled, and Louis received a good financial return, which also made him believe that only planting rare and advantageous varieties was a good way out. As a result, he introduced many rare varieties on the market, such as pink bourbon, striped bourbon, Sidra, Java, Papayo, and Wushwush introduced today on Front Street.

Regarding the sun-cured Wushwush of Birch Manor, Qianjie observed that the raw beans of this variety are generally small and the grains are round. In order to highlight the tonality of its acidity, Qianjie baked them in a medium light degree and tasted them in the form of cup testing.

In terms of dry aroma, this Wushwush has a strong berry aroma after grinding and a little tonality of raisins, which reminds people of nine-made plum blossoms. With the injection of high-temperature hot water, the coffee begins to exude the sweetness of brown sugar. When sipped, the coffee is mellow and sour at the entrance, with the main flavors of dark berries, brins, and grapes. It also has a black-plum aroma and a hint of spice. The taste is round and solid.