This classic wet-processed Guji Uraga is designated Grade 1 to signify a spectacular washed Ethiopian coffee. The cup is bright and vibrant with leading notes of stone fruit and cocoa. It oozes kiwi and rosemary, raspberry and jasmine. A buttery body underscores abundant floral character, and a quietly rich finish emphasizes apricot and honey with a trace of lemony notes.
Our Ethiopian was sourced from 600 family-owned farms organized around a private washing station in Uraga. Feku Jiberil operates the facility in the town of Tomme in the Guji Zone where he works with smallholder farmers who cultivate their crops of largely indigerous Arabica varieties long grown in southern Ethiopia using centuries-old organic practices. The Uraga washing stations turns heirloom Arabica into a washed coffee that's distinctly tropical and refined. Picked in January and available in late summer, this is a coffee at its peak of flavor.
Guji is part of Ethiopia's largest region, Oromia, and shares a border with the Gedeo Zone - home to Yirgacheffe. The two share many similar cup characteristics, as well as some of their own uniquely regional idiosyncrasies.
Processing is done traditionally using the wet or washed method whereby the fruit skin and pulp are removed prior to drying. Coffee growers deliver their ripe cherries to the Feku washing station where the cherries are sorted and pulped. After pulping, the beans undergo a long underwater fermentation of 36 to 48 hours and a post-wash soak.
The wet beans in parchment are placed on raised drying beds in thin layers and turned every 2 to 3 hours during the first few days of the drying process. Depending on the weather, the beans are dried for 10 to 12 days until the moisture content in the coffee beans is reduced to 11.5 percent. The beans are then transported to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, to be milled and bagged prior to export.
Brewing Applications: Shines with any brewing method, especially the filter drip. Espresso will highlight its caramel and milk chocolate notes.
ORIGIN INFORMATION
Grower: 600 smallholder farmers organized around Feku Jiberil's coffee washing station
Variety: Indigenous heirloom varieties and selections
Region: Tomme, Guji Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
Harvest: October - January
Altitude: 1650-1800 meters
Soil: Vertisol
Process: Fully washed after pulping and fermenting for 36 hours, followed by an overnight soak, then dried on raised beds
