In this article, we turn our attention to Wush Wush, a rare wild variety of Coffea arabica grown in the Kaffa
region of Ethiopia.
Wush Wush is named after the Ethiopian village where it was discovered in the 1930s. It serves as a prime
example of how, despite great flavor potential — often compared to top-tier specialty coffees — a variety may
never break into the mainstream market, even nearly 90 years after its discovery.
Background on Wush Wush
Wush Wush is a wild arabica coffee. According to geneticists, while it does not tend to hybridize naturally,
over 20 hybrids have been recorded in the decades since its discovery.
It is believed that Wush Wush originated as a natural mutation of Typica. The trees can grow up to six
meters tall, with open crowns and thin branches. The cherries are small to medium in size, round or oval-shaped,
and turn bright red when ripe. The beans are slightly elongated and curved.
Proper fermentation and roasting bring out its most desirable notes, including citrus, peach, and jasmine.
Cuppers and coffee professionals also report flavors of:
● Watermelon
● Unripe strawberry
● Date
● Banana
● Grass
● Chamomile
● Passion fruit
● Chocolate
● Violet
● Sage
From a genetic standpoint, Wush Wush has a unique DNA profile that sets it apart from other arabica
varieties, contributing to a distinct flavor rarely found on the global coffee market.
Key Advantages of Wush Wush over Cultivated Arabicas:
● High resistance to extreme weather — including cold, heat, droughts, and floods
● Grows at 2,000 meters above sea level, which contributes to its exclusive flavor
● Considered specialty-grade due to its exceptional cup profile — a rare feat for a wild variety (most
specialty coffees come from decades of deliberate breeding)
● Offers complex yet balanced acidity, the highest sweetness among arabicas, a pronounced fruity-floral-
berry aroma, medium body, and long-lasting aftertaste
● Naturally lower caffeine content and higher antioxidant levels
Modern coffee enthusiasts are drawn to Wush Wush thanks to its high SCA scores. There are unverified
reports of samples scoring as high as 96 points (out of 100), which would make it the highest-rated coffee in the
world. While this claim lacks documentation, more reliable sources mention scores around 85.5, which still places it
close to specialty grade (90+ is required for official classification).
Why Wush Wush Remains a Rarity
Despite its impressive profile, Wush Wush has not reached the mass market, due to several key challenges:
1. Like most wild trees, Wush Wush has low yields
2. It is prone to spontaneous mutations, making it difficult for farmers to predict bean or cup quality from
harvest to harvest — even when propagated from stable plants
3. It lacks genetic uniformity — plants differ significantly depending on region, terroir, and climate, and
farmers have yet to learn how to reliably distinguish them
4. There is insufficient data on proper cherry fermentation methods (from sun-drying to 120-hour anaerobic
fermentation), and many farmers aren’t ready for such experimentation
5. There’s no established roasting profile, due to size, shape, and density variations in the beans — a
common issue with wild varieties. Modern roasters struggle to roast Wush Wush evenly. Roasters still need
to fine-tune their approach, depending on the processing method used.
Because of these drawbacks, Wush Wush remains a curiosity, rather than a mainstream offering. Today, it’s
mostly explored by adventurous coffee lovers and innovative coffee shops who enjoy pushing boundaries.
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