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Tasting Notes: Mango, Berry, Lychee, Brown Sugar, Tea Rose
Roast: Light/Medium
Varietal: JARC Varieties, Local Landraces
Process: Natural
Ethiopia Guji Shakiso Green Coffee
Guji is a unique coffee region that sets itself apart from neighboring areas like Yirgacheffe and Sidama with distinct coffee varieties native to the landscape and a balanced, complex flavor profile that comes with them. It’s a rural location, but despite its accessibility challenges, woredas (districts) in Guji like Shakiso have still made names for themselves in the global market with a reputation for fantastic coffees.
The Sawana Washing Station, at 1,800 to 2,200masl, is a prominent hub for processing Shakiso green coffee, whether it’s with the natural or washed process. The coffee cherries for this lot were sourced from smallholders in the community.
Natural Process Green Coffee from Ethiopia
Ethiopian green coffee is renowned for its vibrant fruit and floral flavors, characterized by exceptional acidity and sweetness. Among the many coffee-growing districts in the country, Yirgacheffe, Sidama, and Guji are particularly noted for their unique cup profiles.
The majority of coffee from Ethiopia is natural processed, which requires fewer resources and minimal infrastructure. Only the ripest coffee cherries are harvested and dried whole, usually on patios or raised beds in the sun. At Sawana, cherries are dried on 200 raised beds in layers that are four to seven centimeters thick and turned every 30 minutes for three to four weeks. That’s a lot of raking!
After achieving optimal moisture levels, the cherries are hulled to separate the fruit from the beans. The natural process results in sweet, intense flavors with a strong fruit-forward profile like the sweet mango, berry, lychee, brown sugar, and tea rose notes found in this Shakiso green coffee.
Ethiopian Coffee History
Ethiopian coffee goes way back—so far, it predates written history! Arabica coffee plants are native to Ethiopia, and coffee consumption has played a symbolic role in local culture for centuries before coffee was adopted as the global go-to beverage. Most Ethiopian coffee producers are smallholders who use traditional cultivation, harvesting, and processing methods, often without chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
Although the historical infrastructure of bringing Ethiopian coffee to market made full traceability difficult, new regulations have allowed farmers to apply for export licenses and sell their coffee directly. The new system, introduced in 2017, empowers Ethiopian coffee farmers to have more control over their part in the supply chain and be fairly compensated for their efforts in quality coffee production.
