Ethiopia Guji Shakiso Natural

When the processing goes well and the roast is complimentary, naturally processed Ethiopian coffee can be some of the most exciting and impactful flavors found in a cup! I personally am on a constant quest to find those jammy fruit flavors and blueberry notes that can be found in these landrace varietals from across Ethiopia, especially in the sun-dried/natural processed lots. This Shakiso G3 natural from the Guji area showcases these desired traits while still remaining rather clean in the cup, not exhibiting too much rusticity (earthy, dusty notes) nor excess fermentation. We’ve had naturals from this zone in the past two years and were seriously impressed with the quality, so we again trusted our friends at Red Fox when we saw this one available. I roasted this coffee pretty light to make sure all the delicate flavors and sweetness were not lost or covered by overly roasty tones. I suggest brewing this as a filter coffee (v60, aeropress, chemex) or as an espresso.

-Colin Quinn, Head roaster

From Red Fox Importers- “Kayon Mountain farm is located in the Oromia Region’s Guji Zone within the Shakiso woreda, in the Taro Kebele. It was established in 2012 by a family who have been in coffee for a generation. Along with growing, the farm also does some amount of processing and exporting. Most families in the rural Taro Kebele make a living from farming, with coffee as a primary cash crop alongside subsistence crops for family consumption and other cash crops like bananas.

In addition to premium coffee, Kayon Mountain has a focus on social responsibility. It has constructed a high school in Taro so that students won’t have to travel to receive education, distributed coffee seedlings to local producers, financially assisted member farmers in times of need, and supports an orphanage school in a neighboring village.

This is a natural processed coffee (often called “sundried” in Ethiopia), so instead of removing the fruit and drying in parchment, whole, ripe cherries are then dried in the sunshine on raised drying beds for about 15–18 days depending on the weather conditions. They’re turned regularly to prevent moisture concentration or overdrying. The cherries are covered with plastic or shade nets during the midday heat and at night.

The natural process is difficult to execute well: beans need to be turned frequently for consistent and even drying. It’s easy to end up with mold issues or an excess of fermentation flavor, or at the very least achieve an acceptable cup but overpower the natural terroir of the coffee (the unique flavor that comes from variety, soil, proper harvest, and clean processing). But, when done right, the results can be sublime, with the natural terroir of the coffee further enhanced by an additional injection of sweetness and high-impact fruit flavor.”