SASABA - Ethiopian filter coffee

The new harvest is here and we like it even better than the last one!

We are very happy to have this great Ethiopian coffee back in our range.

The SASABA is a washed coffee from the Guji region in Ethiopia. We roast it as a filter coffeevery light to emphasize the delicate fruity and floral aromas, which suits it exceptionally well.

The SASABA is a super delicate,light coffeeand impresses with complex fruit and floral elements. The structure is tea-like and thesweetness is well-defined. The acidity is harmonious and reminiscent of stone fruit.

We taste peach, bergamot and hibiscus, as well as a hint of lilac blossom and sweet raisins. The light body harmonizes very well with the fruity, floral aromas. The acidity is well integrated, juicy and balanced. A great coffee for warm and cold days.

Incredibly well-balanced, super smooth and complex with a great mouthfeel and long-lasting sweetness!

Aromas: Peach, bergamot, hibiscus, raisin, lilac blossom

Body: light

Mouthfeel: creamy, smooth

Roast level: light

Recommended for:V60, Kalita, Origami, Fellow X, Aeropress, Chemex, Cold Brew and portafilter

Cupping Score: 88

Importer: Trabocca (transparently traded) 

Highland coffee from Guji, Ethiopia

• Varieties:Heirloom
• Producer: Sasaba Washing Station / Tsegay Hagos Tesfaye
• Region:Guji
• Altitude:2150 masl
• Harvest: 2025 / 2026
• Process:fully washed
• FOB: USD 3.98/lb or EUR 8.04/kg green
• Farm Gate: ETB 57/kg of cherry > EUR 0.93/kg of cherry > EUR 6.05/kg

The road to Sasaba washing station

Drive south on the Addis Ababa-Moyale highway, keep going past Yirgacheffe and drive through the otherworldly, cloud-crowned mountains of the region until you finally reach the bustling small town of Bule Hora.

From Bule Hora, older roads wind their way, which are strikingly different from the new highway leading to them and much more demanding.

In this fertile area of the Kercha district, Tsegay Hagos Tesfaye, founder and owner of Sasaba, has built two washing stations and dry mills that supply Trabocca - one of which is Sasaba.

Equipped with a large pulper and over 600 African drying beds, Sasaba processes coffee from over 500 smallholder farmers who work in the hills surrounding the wet mill. Like much of Kercha, the small plots around Sasaba are located at altitudes around the 2000-meter mark.

The Sasaba smallholders

The Sasaba smallholders are a mix of Gedeo and Guji farmers, many of whom have lived here for generations and have been growing coffee side by side. Much like the rest of the Kercha district, most farmers in this area identify as Protestant Christians. Their coffee grows on the slopes of the hills around Sasaba in the shade of a mixture of existing forest trees and trees planted by the farmers, such as enset trees (false banana).

Processing in Sasaba

At the Sasaba washing station, the red cherries are collected from the end of October to December and brought to the Sasaba washing station. Cherries destined for washed processing are processed on-site and fermented for about 48 to 72 hours before being laid out on drying beds for about 7 to 8 days. Naturals are usually dried for 15 to 20 days.

“Sasaba does not grow alone” Tsegay Hagos Tesfaye

Tsegay Hagos knows that the success of the Sasaba mill is closely linked to that of the smallholder farmers. “Sasaba does not grow alone,” he says, adding: “We support and train our farmers so that one day they can export their own coffee.”

The company has a very close relationship with the farmers it works with and is always ready to help them - whether it is transport for medical emergencies or loans during the lean months of the rainy season.

“We are by their side, no matter what happens,” says Tsegay, ‘and that is why they are by our side,’ he adds. This leads to a positive spiral in which both the smallholder farmers and the mills benefit from better coffee and better sales.

Graycano, V60, Origami, Kalita, Fellow X:

• Brew ratio: 15g coffee - 250g water; temperature 93°; 26 clicks C40 MK4
• 0:00 - 0:10 - 50ml - Swirl
• 0:10 - 0:45 - (Bloom)
• 0:45 - 1:00 - 50ml
• 1:05 - 1:15 - 50ml
• 1:25 - 1:35 - 50ml
• 1:45 - 1:55 - 50ml - then swirl
• 2:50 - finished

The recipe also works with 18g/300ml or 20g/325ml; in this case, pour in 60ml/65ml increments and grind a little coarser if necessary (27 clicks)

Portafilter:

• Ratio 1:2
• Temperature 93°
• PI 25 seconds at 2-3 bar
• 25 seconds at 9 bar
• Total time approx. 50 seconds

AeroPress:

• AeroPress inverted.
  
• 18g coffee; (25 clicks); 170ml water; 90°
  
• 0:00 - 0:30 add 50ml of water and stir slowly 5 times
  
• 0:30 - 1:00 and fill up to 170ml, stir 10 times, then put the filter on, let the air out and place it on the server.
  
• Start pushing slowly at 1:30 minutes, finish at 2:00 minutes.
  
• then pour in 50ml (slightly cooled) water from the kettle

Chemex 3 Cup:

• 20g coffee;
  
• 330ml water,
  
• Water temperature 95°;
  
• 3:30 minutes extraction time including blooming;
  
• 3 pours
  

Hario Switch(from the coffee makerscopied:)

• 17g coffee (27 clicks);
• 250ml water (90°)
• Bloom 50g water 25s; then valve open
• at 35s pour to 150g
• at 1:15min close the valve and pour to 250g
• at 1:50 valve open again and gentle swirl
• finished at about 2:40.
  

Have fun trying it out and experimenting yourself ;-)