Natural Guji Landrace by Mi'eessa Robe, Ethiopia

Description

A coffee we keep coming back to This is the third year we have shared coffee from Mi’eessa Robe, and it remains one of our favourite expressions of Guji. Mi’eessa farms eight hectares in Sukke Qutto, Shaakiso, high in the mountains of southern Ethiopia. His land begins at an already remarkable 2,000 metres and reaches 2,350 metres above sea level. He inherited the farm from his parents and has grown coffee here throughout his life. At this elevation, cool temperatures allow the cherries to mature slowly, building sweetness and aromatic complexity. The farm is planted with local Guji landraces—part of the extraordinary genetic diversity that makes Ethiopian coffee so distinctive. Why this coffee is significant Our relationship with Mi’eessa is closely connected to Ture Waji, founder of Sookoo Coffee, with whom we have worked for the past three seasons. Ture founded Sookoo in late 2018 to produce exceptional coffees from the communities of Guji. One of the things we value most about his work is the ability to preserve individual farmer lots. Coffee in Ethiopia is often collected from many small farms and combined at a central processing station. When a farmer delivers enough exceptional cherry, Ture and his team can keep that coffee separate throughout processing and drying. Mi’eessa is one of those farmers. His eight-hectare farm produces enough cherry for Sookoo to maintain the lot independently, giving us something relatively unusual in Ethiopia: a coffee with a clear connection all the way back to the individual farmer who grew it. The cup experience This is everything we love about naturally processed coffee from Guji. The cup opens with wonderful florals and crisp grape, followed by juicy peach and ripe berries. Sweet citrus brings freshness and definition, while the natural process gives the coffee a rich, velvety body. There is plenty of fruit and sweetness, but the coffee remains beautifully lifted and composed. Floral · Crisp Grape · Juicy Peach · Ripe Berries · Sweet Citrus Producer and place Mi’eessa’s farm lies in Sukke Qutto Kebele, within Shaakiso Woreda in Ethiopia’s Guji Zone. Its exceptional elevation—rising from 2,000 to 2,350 metres—creates cool growing conditions and a long, gradual maturation period. Combined with the farm’s local landraces, this produces the floral character, vivid fruit and elegant structure for which Guji coffees are celebrated. Processing and its effect on the cup Mi’eessa’s cherries are delivered to Ture Waji and the Sookoo Coffee team, where they are kept separate and dried as an individual farmer lot. The coffee is processed as a traditional natural, with the cherries dried intact. For us, that simplicity is part of what makes this coffee so compelling. There is no elaborate fermentation designed to create flavour. The process simply gives the ripe fruit, extraordinary elevation and local varieties room to speak. The result is generous in sweetness and texture, with ripe berry character and a velvety body, while the elevation preserves the florals, crisp grape and citrus clarity. Double Bloom recipe Coffee: 15 g Water: 250 g Temperature: 94°C Grind: Medium-fine Target brew time: 2:45–3:10 Rinse the filter and add the ground coffee. At 0:00, pour 50 g of water and gently swirl to saturate all the grounds. At 0:40, pour a second 50 g bloom, bringing the total to 100 g. At 1:15, pour slowly and evenly to 250 g. Give the brewer one gentle final swirl and allow it to draw down. Why this recipe suits the coffee This dense, high-elevation coffee benefits from a relatively high brewing temperature and a medium-fine grind, helping extract its sweetness and aromatic complexity. The two-stage bloom promotes even saturation and manages the gas held by the natural-processed beans. This brings greater definition to the florals, grape and sweet citrus while keeping the peach and berry character juicy rather than heavy. Aim for the shorter end of the brew-time range for a brighter, more floral cup. Extend the drawdown slightly if you prefer greater sweetness and a rounder, more velvety texture. Our recommendation A beautiful coffee from an extraordinary place—and a relationship we are proud to continue for a third year. Brew it as a filter coffee to experience its full aromatic range: lifted florals, crisp grape, juicy stone fruit and the deep sweetness of ripe berries. Coffee details Producer: Mi’eessa Robe Milling and processing: Ture Waji / Sookoo Coffee Location: Sukke Qutto Kebele, Shaakiso Woreda, Guji Zone, Ethiopia Elevation: 2,000–2,350 m.a.s.l. Variety: Guji local landraces Process: Natural