Ethiopia Worka Chelbessa – Sightglass Coffee

Sightglass is a fairly iconic roaster based out of San Francisco, which has been on my list of roasters to try for quite some time. I recently had a chance to try their coffee including a coffee in their First Batch series from India and this washed Ethiopian. Both were excellent, but this washed Ethiopian is still available on their site, so I wanted to feature this coffee for my review.

The coffee began with a sweet fragrance with notes of chocolate & stone fruit. The flavor reminded me of stone fruit, dark berries, and malted chocolate thanks to the creamy, velvety mouthfeel. The acidity was steady, rounded, and a bit more muted than I expected for an Ethiopian coffee. The sweetness was chocolate-toned with dark fruit supports and a thick, lingering finish that reminded me of apricot. The coffee was incredibly well-balanced and very approachable. It performed well in pour over, immersion, and espresso brews making it a great Ethiopian coffee to feature on their menu for an extended period of time.

The Bottom Line

The coffee wasn’t as complex or bold in its profile as some Ethiopians I’ve had recently. That said, it did have a wonderfully rich body and it did a nice job striking a balance between being approachable, yet complex. I think this coffee would appeal to a wide range of coffee lovers regardless of your preferences.