Colombia Huila Birch Estate Natural WushwushCoffee Bean Intro:

PRI Coffee: Colombia · Birch Estate Wushwush

Region: Huila, Colombia

Estate: Birch Estate

Elevation: 1450~1550 meters

Variety: Wushwush

Process: Natural

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

In Ethiopia, in recent years besides the native varieties, we seem to be seeing more and more other varieties such as the 74 series, Wush Wush, Dega, etc. Among them, Wush Wush is a variety that looks and sounds adorable. Although it’s not commonly seen on the market, whenever it appears on a coffee menu, it seems to always attract the attention of coffee enthusiasts. So, rather than waiting for the right day, let’s just do it today—PRI Coffee is here to introduce this variety to everyone.

Just like the famous Gesha, Wush Wush is also a heirloom coffee from Ethiopia. It was discovered in a small village called Wush Wush, located within the Gimbo town, about a few kilometers from the Yirgacheffe coffee region. The village of Wush Wush is known for its fertile highlands, which not only preserve the now-popular coffee variety but also produce a high-quality tea of the same name, often spoken of fondly.

In 1970, a severe outbreak of coffee anthracnose swept through Ethiopia. This disease had previously caused over 70% reduction in Kenya’s coffee production. To combat anthracnose, Ethiopia’s renowned Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) hoped to breed varieties from wild coffee trees that were naturally resistant to the disease.

For this purpose, JARC explored the western part of Ethiopia covered with primary forests, including areas such as Bishari, Gera, Wasi, and Wush Wush. As these are the centers of Arabica origin with complex genetics, researchers selected hundreds of coffee trees to bring back to the lab.

After years of research and cultivation, in 1978, JARC selected a total of 13 anthracnose-resistant varieties and began promoting their cultivation across Ethiopia. According to the year they were selected, these varieties were also given corresponding “74***” or “75***” codes. Coffee lovers familiar with Ethiopian beans would likely recognize these as the origins of the now-renowned 74110 and 74158.

Around 2002, JARC turned its attention again to 25 anthracnose-resistant varieties selected from the Wush Wush village, continuing to cultivate and purify them. They found that in addition to virus resistance, these varieties also had exceptional flavor. In 2006, JARC officially released the purified Wush Wush variety, which needs to be grown at high altitudes between 1700~2100 meters, thus giving rise to the currently popular coffee.

But PRI Coffee found that compared to Ethiopia, most of the Wush Wush sold on the market actually comes from another country on another continent—Colombia. In terms of production volume, Colombian Wush Wush has long surpassed that of Ethiopia, making it the second home of this variety. So why does a variety originating from a small Ethiopian town appear in Colombia?

In the late 1970s, Colombia’s National Coffee Research Center Cenicafé brought back Wush Wush coffee seedlings from Ethiopia for cultivation and research. After screening and cultivation by lab personnel, the seedlings were distributed to representative estates in various regions of Colombia around 1980~1990 for the first trials. And so, Wush Wush not only settled in Colombia but gradually developed stronger adaptability through differences in terroir, climate, soil, and farming practices across farms.

Nowadays, this variety has spread across Colombian provinces such as Santander, Tolima, and Huila, also developing different flavor and taste profiles due to varying local terroirs, climates, and cultivation management. To try out this “niche” coffee variety, PRI Coffee recently got a Colombian Wush Wush from the historic Birch Estate (Finca Betulia) in the Huila region, processed using the natural method.

Birch Estate is located in Acevedo, Huila Province. Luis Anibal Calderón, the second-generation coffee farmer, started helping his father in the coffee fields from the age of 12. At 15, his father gave him a small piece of land, and later Luis was able to earn income from it every year, which cultivated his interest in coffee farming. In 2005, Luis finally saved enough money to buy a 20-hectare plot of land and established Birch Estate.

In 2012, to overcome financial difficulties, Luis began experimenting with planting the Gesha variety, cultivating about 5,000 seedlings, which made up 5% of all coffee trees at the time. By 2015, these Gesha varieties flowered and fruited as expected, bringing Luis a good economic return. This convinced him that planting rare, superior varieties was the way forward. So he went on to introduce many rare varieties on the market, such as Pink Bourbon, Striped— Bourbon , Sidra, Java, Papayo, and the Wushwush that PRI Coffee introduces today.

Regarding the natural Wushwush from Birch Estate, PRI Coffee observed that the green beans of this variety are generally smaller, with rounder particles. To highlight its fruity acidity, PRI Coffee used a medium-light roast level and tasted it in a cupping format.