Lemon, Peach, Dark Chocolate
From the Jimma zone in western Ethiopia, Beshasha is a washed coffee built on ancient varieties that have been quietly doing their thing for a very long time. As a filter it brings lemon brightness and a soft peach sweetness; as an espresso, dark chocolate depth takes over. Press Coffee & Co have labelled it Omni, and the cup makes a decent case for that.
Lemon-bright, easy across both methods
Beshasha comes from the Agaro area of the Jimma zone in western Ethiopia, a region with a long history of growing exceptional coffee. The varieties here tell that story well: 74110 and 74112 were selected in 1974 from wild forest trees by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre, chosen for resilience and cup quality in equal measure, while the heirloom component is ancient indigenous Ethiopian genetics that has never needed improving on. Washed processing strips things back to what the bean actually is - and with Beshasha, that turns out to be worth paying attention to.
As a filter it's delicate and fruit-led, with a clean lemon brightness that lingers. Pull it as an espresso and a dark chocolate body comes forward, with a soft peach sweetness underneath. Press Coffee have labelled it Omni, which is their way of saying it holds up beautifully in both directions - not a compromise, just a coffee that happens to be versatile.
If you tend to brew filter at home but occasionally pull shots, this is the kind of coffee that makes switching between the two feel effortless.
About the Roaster
Press Coffee started life in 2013 as a single espresso bar on Fleet Street, grew to seven sites across Central London, and in 2019 found its footing with a roastery in Herne Hill. Andy and Nelly now run it as a focused roasting operation - sourcing, roasting and supplying coffee to wholesale partners and home brewers alike, with a small, close-knit team who take the coffee seriously without making a performance of it.
