West Arsi (Nensebo)

West Arsi is a zone of Oromia whose best-known coffee comes from the Nensebo district. Smallholders grow local landraces in high coffee gardens and deliver cherry to washing stations such as Refisa, and their washed and natural lots now regularly score in the mid-90s.

The short version

• Oromia, southern Ethiopia: Nensebo and Kokosa districts.
• About 1,900–2,200 metres.
• Peach, bergamot and jasmine (washed); strawberry and honey (natural).
• 95 points with Coffee Review in 2021, 2024 and 2026.
• Six places in the 2021 Cup of Excellence.

What does West Arsi coffee taste like?

Floral and fruity, washed or natural. Coffee Review’s blind assessments:

Year	Coffee	Process	Score	Notes
2021	West Arsi Nensebo G1	Natural	95	Dried strawberry, honey, star jasmine, cedar, macadamia; vibrant acidity
2023	Werka, Nensebo	Natural	93	Baking chocolate, strawberry, lime zest, oak, narcissus; creamy
2024	West Arsi G1	Washed	95	Cocoa nib, narcissus, apricot, almond, lemon balm; sparkling acidity
2026	Refisa, West Arsi	Washed	95	White peach, bergamot, honeysuckle, cocoa nib, Meyer lemon; bright, juicy

Source: Coffee Review. All were produced by smallholders from local landrace varieties.

In the 2021 Cup of Excellence, West Arsi took six of the top 30 places, all naturals: five from Nensebo, the best 12th with 88.38, and one from Kokosa, 21st with 87.85, the Alliance for Coffee Excellence reports. The lots were of the selections 74110, 74112 and 74158.

Where and how is it grown?

Measure	Detail	Source
Altitude, Refisa	1,900–2,200 m	Great Circle Coffee
Altitude, Refisa	1,900–2,050 m	Red Rooster Coffee
Altitude, Nensebo	2,100 m	Ally Coffee
Harvest	November–January	Ally Coffee
Refisa washing station	Founded 2010; about 850 smallholders (640+ on one lot)	Red Rooster; Great Circle
Varieties	Local landraces called Wolisho and Kurume	Great Circle Coffee

West Arsi is a high, subtropical zone with dark and red fertile soils, Red Rooster says, and most farmers have less than a hectare, more coffee garden than farm. At Refisa, cherry is hand-picked, pulped, fermented, washed and dried on raised beds. In Nensebo alone, more than 5,000 hectares are planted with coffee, an important cash crop, Wikipedia says.

Where West Arsi belongs is not settled in the trade. Coffee Review has listed two West Arsi coffees with an origin in the Guji Zone, and one roaster places Refisa in Sidamo, but the Cup of Excellence lists West Arsi as its own zone of Oromia. In 2025/26 the southern belt, including West Arsi, had a smaller, later crop after late rains, USDA reports.

West Arsi and other Ethiopian origins

• Coffee in Ethiopia: the whole country, its harvest and its trade.
• Guji: the Oromia zone it is sometimes sold under.
• Sidamo and Yirgacheffe: the southern coffees.