Named after the people of the Oromia tribe, Guji is one of the important coffee regions of Ethiopia. Located in Southern Ethiopia, it is a remote place, which is beautifully forested. In many ways, this area is often considered an untouched part of Ethiopia. When driving through the rural roads of this area, you will find lush green forests gently undulating over the valleys and hills as far as you will be able to see.
The Oromo tribe in Guji considers their region as the nerve of the Oromo culture. The wisdom, customs, and ceremonies, which come with the Gada age-group system, are followed widely among the people. Apart from the system, coffee farming is another popular culture of Guji.
The best thing about Guji coffee is that it is grown using different organic fertilizers and natural composts. Then the berries are hand-picked, washed completely, and sun-dried on the raised African drying beds. And the result is organically grown, highly regarded, and exotic coffee. The washed process offers an amazingly clean tasting cup.
About Guji coffee:
Guji coffee is known for its unique profile that differentiates it from Sidamo and Yirgacheffe coffee profiles. But there are some discussions as to whether all Guji coffees can be confined to a single flavor profile. Usually, coffees from Guji offer a pleasingly complex and balanced cup profile, which is ideal for both espresso and filter.
But the landscape of Guji is diverse and there are some microclimates in this region. Some of the areas are higher than others, and some areas are more forested than others. So, there is one question of which variety these beans are off. These things mean that the coffee produced in this region comes with different flavor profiles even if they are grown in different areas or on farms in the same region.
If we talk about topography, flavors, and culture, Guji coffee has a completely different terroir while they endure the classic features like the sweet aromas of chocolate and sweet peach. So, a cup of Guji coffee can offer some bold characters with a smooth mouthfeel of chocolate. And the overall experience is clean, exotic, and spicy. Some of the coffee variants of this region are rich and available with extravagant notes of jasmine and dark chocolate, and sweetly tart and crisp acidity.
So, if you are going to try Guji Speciality coffee in United States for the first time, you will be enjoying an extraordinarily clean tasting cup with a smooth mouthfeel and bright citrus acidity. Besides, you will be enjoying the enjoyable nuances of watermelon, berries, and apricot lively dancing throughout your cup while the notes of almond butter, roasted cacao nibs, and maple syrup swirl together offering a great experience with a sweet and delicate floral aftertaste. This balanced and composite cup profile makes it perfect with both espresso and filter.
How Guji coffee is processed?
If you are new in this industry, then try to find out what people are exactly speaking when they talk about the processing methods in coffee. This term mainly refers to what happens to the beans once they are picked as coffee cherries until the beans are dried and ready to export. In earlier times, the Guji region offers both natural and washed processing techniques for coffee. But recently, the producers also have started offering honey processing techniques. Let’s have a look at the details of each processing method:
Natural processing: Natural processing is the method where the coffee cherries are grown and after that, the berries are dried on the patios keeping the entire berries intact. After a particular period is passed, the beans are pulped out through the wet mil pulping machines. After that, these beans are washed and dried to 11% moisture. As a result, this process makes the beans slightly fermented while inside areas of the cherries remain on the drying patios.
Washed processing: This process starts with picking the coffee cherries and then running those through pulping machines for eliminating the skin and cherry. After that, they are sent to a wash tank for a particular period of around 24-36 hours where the remaining residue of the cherry is washed off. Then the beans are dried on the drying patios until 11% moisture is left. As a result, you get a clean tasting cup, which is not that fruity. But here the acidity is higher and the taste is brighter.
Honey processing: This method of processing coffee beans is quite similar to natural processing except for the difference that here that beans are pulped out initially of the cherry. After that, they are dried carefully with the residue of sticky cherry intact. As a result, this processing method helps to create a fruitier coffee profile in the beans. Besides, here the beans offer a fruity intensity of the ferment notes.
