Ethiopia – Guji

This dry process coffee was processed at a private mill in the village of Harsu Wokilo, Uraga, and serves roughly 120 smallholder coffee farms in the surrounding area. The processing site sits at 2200 meters above sea level, and some of the farms reach as high as 2350 meters! The high altitude leads to some very small, dense coffee. They produce both dry and wet process coffees. The dry process method involves drying the whole coffee cherry in the sun, fruit and all. When done with care, it can be complex, fruited, and even aromatic like their washed counterparts. Special attention is given to removing coffee that is not uniformly ripe in order to create their Grade 1 lots. It requires a lot of hand labor, and helps with uniformity in the cup. The coffee dries for 2-3 weeks on raised beds, then stored in a cool warehouse where it rests for at least a month before being prepared for export. The Harsu Wokilo mill is run by Gemechu Shonora, along with brothers Shebura, Morkata and Adugna. Their father worked for the local union many years ago as a coffee collector, going out into the surrounding towns buying coffee cherries from farmers.

I was impressed with how strong this natural coffee from Uraga is cupping, the heavy fruits backed up by intense sweetness, and also with some perfumed floral notes in aroma. The dry fragrance had layers of natural dried fruits, like peach and apricot, with a ripe berry note, and some rustic molasses. When pouring hot water on the grounds, you could smell the potent fruits from across the room! Ripe fruits, juicy berry, and a fragrant nectarine note smelled delicious, and were marked by a very nice floral overlay. At City and City+, you can expect red fruits, jammy notes, and a somewhat elegant cup aroma. I say “somewhat” because this is a dry process coffee, not washed, and as such, presents a rustic side too. The coffee yields flavors of fresh red cherry, and a raspberry juice note that brings some acidity with it. There was a note of rustic fig jam at City+, and some dehydrated fruit notes, such as slab apricot and peach. The aroma had a very nice floral note for natural, that both enhanced some of the ripe fruit notes, as well as introduced hints of fragrant flowers. I picked up on some aromatic woody notes in the finish, but they did not take away from the rest.

You might also enjoy our Burundi, also a fruited African bean but at a medium roast level.