Chestnut Ridge is a specialty coffee roaster in Harrisonburg, Virginia. For about the last two months, I’ve been enjoying their offering of the Wush Wush varietal from the Guji zone of Ethiopia. I’ve only sampled the world of specialty coffee for about a decade, so I don’t have a lot of experience. But this is one of the top three coffees that I’ve ever had, and certainly the best since the pandemic.

Wush Wush is a very fruity coffee, but it doesn’t strike me as overly acidic. The experience ends up being more like a syrup or candy, and I’ve begun to regard it as something like a dessert treat. The folks at Chestnut Ridge describe a mango flavor, but I’m never quite sure if I’m getting that flavor. Their other descriptor gets closer for me: “layered fruit”. I don’t know exactly what that means, but it seems to describe something of my experience.

My spouse doesn’t seem to enjoy anything resembling a light roast. Since I’m a home roaster, as well, I used to think that I was just doing a poor job at light roasts. But she doesn’t care for the Wush Wush, either. And that’s just as well, since a 12 oz bag will run $28. It’s good to be clear about your tastes, I guess.

However, if you do like light Ethiopian coffees, this is a great one! A visit to Chestnut Ridge is in order.