Alchemist Coffee Lab
Ethiopia Guji
Ethiopia Guji
Flavor Profile: Blueberry, Honeydew, Jasmine Honeysuckle, Sweet & Sugary
Producer: Buku Sayisa Mill, Azeb Tadesse Coffee Supply
Process: Natural
Roast: Light-Medium
Region: Guji
Variety: Dega, Kurame, 74110
Species: Arabica
Growing Altitude: 2,300 MASL
Ethiopian Coffee | Buku Sayisa Washing Station
The area around Buku Sayisa is renowned for producing certified organic coffee, a rarity due to the high costs of official certification. While most Ethiopian farmers naturally practice organic farming, few pursue the formal certification process.
Buku Sayisa, located in West Guji, is a washing station that specializes in natural processing. Ripe, sorted cherries from farms at an altitude of 2,300 masl are dried for 12 to 15 days on raised beds. By meticulously avoiding overfermentation during the drying process, Buku Sayisa producers craft elegant cup profiles like this G1 coffee with flavor notes of blueberry, honeydew, and jasmine honeysuckle, resulting in a sweet and sugary taste.
Traceability is a key focus at Buku Sayisa, where a voucher system is used to track each coffee lot throughout the production chain. This system ensures that every step, from the receiving station to the drying stage, is documented, tying the coffee back to the farmers who produced it.
Guji Green Coffee Beans
The Oromo people of the Guji region have their own unique origin story for the discovery of coffee, reflecting its deep cultural significance. According to their legend, instead of Kaldi the goatherder, the Oromo sky god Waaqa wept over the wrongful death of a loyal servant, and his tears brought forth a new plant from the earth. Since as early as the 10th century, coffee has been revered in Oromo culture as a special plant, with beans mixed with fats to provide energy on long journeys.
Centuries later, Guji farmers continue to follow traditional growing methods that enhance the region's fertile soil. Many indigenous coffee varieties still thrive on Ethiopia's coffee farms. Coffee is typically intercropped with maize, barley, wheat, beans, and other crops that sustain the farmers' families.
Quality Grades For Ethiopian Coffee
In Ethiopia, coffee grading is based on both physical and cup qualities, including altitude, imperfections, and flavor. The grades range from 1 (highest) to 9 (lowest), with grades 1 and 2 classified as specialty coffee.
Ethiopia Green Coffee Beans
Ethiopia, the birthplace of Arabica coffee, contributes only 3-4% of the world's coffee supply, but the variety of flavors from this origin is remarkable. Ethiopian green coffee is celebrated for its bright fruit and floral notes, exceptional acidity, and sweetness. Among the many coffee-growing districts, Yirgacheffe, Sidama, and Guji stand out for their distinctive cup profiles.