We might have just found our most fantastic coffee so far on our journey around the world in search of the next best tasting coffee we can roast for you!
While Ethiopia is famous as coffee’s birthplace, today it remains a specialty coffee industry darling, with its incredible variety of flavors, this coffee we have from West Guji certainly does not disappoint of flavor. This natural processed bean has been roasted medium to bring out the maximum flavors of this coffee, when it hits the mouth you first get this brightness dashing around with tasting notes of blueberries, blackberries and apricot followed by balanced bodied taste the medium roast brings.
Farming methods in this region 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 by the immediate family.
This coffee is grown by a small number of local farmers each with an average farm size of 2 hectares, the coffee consists of the heirloom varietals endemic to the region, grown under shade and plucked, cherry-red ripe, before being delivered to the care of owner-operator Ashenafi Woressa for processing and grading. The cherries are dried under the sun for eighteen to twenty-one days. Cherries need to be raked permanently in order to ensure a consistent drying process. In the daytime the heats can be intense, so between the hours of 12 and 3pm, the beds are shaded to avoid scorching or too rapid drying; likewise, the cool of the evening requires cover to protect from any rains.
This coffee is very diverse and versatile, it tastes fantastic whatever the brewing method, but if you really want to tastes those sweet red berry notes, pour over or AeroPress works amazingly. Enjoy!