Guji Gr. 2 Fully Washed

The Guji region lies approximately 300 to 400 kilometers south of Addis Ababa in the Guji Zone of the Oromia Region. In 2002, Guji itself detached from Yirgacheffe, which had previously been folded in with the Sidamo name. Before Yirgacheffe was its own region, those coffees were blended with coffee from a wide geographical area that encompassed much of central-south Ethiopia under the grade “Sidamo”. Despite its long journey, Guji coffees are widely recognized as distinct from both Yirgacheffe and Sidamo coffee thanks to the unique local varieties and microclimates. The Guji region takes its name from the Oromo people, a tribe that has farmed coffee on the land for generations. 

Farming methods in Guji remain largely traditional. Guji farmers typically intercrop their coffee plants with other food crops. This method is common among smallholders because it maximizes land use and provides food for their families.  

In addition to remaining traditionally intercropped, most farms are also organic-by-default. Farmers in Guji typically use very few — if any — fertilizers or pesticides. Most farm work is done manually and very few tasks are mechanized, even during processing. 

Due to the size of most plots, coffee is typically handpicked by landowners and their families.

All coffee is selectively hand-harvested before being delivered to a collection center or directly to the washing station. At the washing station, coffee is sorted to remove damaged or underripe cherry and is then delivered to the pulpers to be pulped. It will then be fermented for around 24 hours, depending on the weather conditions. 

Once fermentation is complete the parchment is thoroughly washed and is then graded in washing channels, where each lot is separated into two grades by on density. Once graded, the coffee is sometimes soaked under clean spring water in tanks for 12 to 24 hours to remove all traces of fermented mucilage.

After washing, the coffee is delivered to raised beds to dry under shade for 10-14 days until moisture content reaches 12%. During this time, the coffee is regularly turned and hand-sorted several times to remove any damaged or discolored beans. Coffee is covered with plastic during the hottest hours of the day to protect the parchment from drying too quickly and overnight to prevent condensation from seeping into the drying parchment. This level of labor and love results in a truly exquisite cup profile.

The Oromos in Ethiopia were consuming coffee centuries before the appearance of the legendary story of Kaldi and his goats. 

The Oromos’ coffee-origin story tells of Waqa, the supreme sky God, who punished one of his men with death. It was only after the man’s death that Waqa realized the man was innocent and had been a loyal servant. The next morning, Waqa visited the man’s burial place. Full of grief about killing an innocent and loyal man, tears fell from his eyes onto the grave. Watered by Waqa’s tears, a previously unseen plant emerged from the soil. As you may have guessed, that mysterious, new plant that grew nourished by Waqa's tears was coffee. 

Today, Oromia’s fertile red soil is primed for coffee cultivation. The highland slopes nurture countless heirloom varieties that are found nowhere else. 

In the Ethiopian grading system, grade 2 refers to the cup quality as well as physical quality of a coffee. A grade 2 allows between four and 13 full defects per 300gr green sample. The cup typically has fruity and clean characteristics without any off-flavors.  

Ethiopia Sidamo 2 is a classic in every coffee range and is especially popular in blends. The cup quality can be very surprising for prices well below the grade 1 price point. For us, grade 2 coffee typically sits around an 83-84 cup score.