About This Coffee
This coffee is produced in Uraga, a subregion of Gujim at the towering heights of 2,160 meters above sea level. This coffee is flavorful and nuanced with berries, stone fruit and tea. The Guji region lies approximately 300 to 400 km south of Addis Ababa in the Guji Zone of the Oromia Region. The region has a long genealogy. In 2002, Guji itself detached from Yirgacheffe, which had previously been folded in with the Sidamo name. Guji takes its name from the Oromo people, a tribe who have farmed coffee on the land for generations.
Coffee from Guji was once lumped in with coffees from all over the Yirgacheff region. 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.
Cultivation
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 traditional and 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.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Cherry is selectively handpicked and processed at the farm. Ripe, red cherry is pulped on a disc pulper and fermented in water. Following fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and laid of raised beds to dry. Parchment is raked frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 5 to 7 days for parchment to dry. Once dry, parchment is bagged and rested in a warehouse before being taken to a processing site in Addis Ababa.
Ethiopia Grade 1
Grades in Ethiopia depend on visual inspection for defects and on cup quality. Grade 1 is considered the highest quality coffee. Grade 1 and 2 are considered specialty coffee, grades 3-9 are classified as commercial coffee. Grade 1 is free of cup faults and taints and has zero quakers.
Coffee in Ethiopia
While Ethiopia is famous as coffee’s birthplace, today it remains a specialty coffee industry darling for its incredible variety of flavors. While full traceability has been difficult in recent history, new regulations have made direct purchasing possible. We’re partnering directly with farmers to help them produce top quality specialty lots that are now completely traceable, adding value for farmers and roasters, alike.
The exceptional quality of Ethiopian coffee is due to a combination of factors. The genetic diversity of coffee varieties means that we find a diversity of flavor, even between (or within) farms with similar growing conditions and processing. In addition to varieties, processing methods also contribute to end quality. The final key ingredients for excellent coffee in Ethiopia are the producing traditions that have created the genetic diversity, processing infrastructure and great coffee we enjoy today.
Most producers in Ethiopia are smallholders, and the majority continue to cultivate coffee using traditional methods. As a result, most coffee is grown with no chemical fertilizer or pesticide use. Coffee is almost entirely cultivated, harvested and dried using manual systems.