Guji Uraga

Description

This is an all-around lovely coffee from Uraga Woreda in Ethiopia’s Guji Zone. The cup delivers bountiful classic Ethiopian style fruitiness with a well-balanced chocolate body. After some challenging seasons, it’s especially exciting to have Ethiopian coffees back in the lineup that are tasting this good again! COFFEE DEETS CONTINENT: Africa COUNTRY: Ethiopia REGION: Uraga Woreda VARIETAL: Mixed Heirlooms FARM: Local smallholder farms FARMER: Jorge Rojas PROCESS: Natural ALTITUDE: 2300 masl BREW THIS This is a super versatile coffee that works beautifully with just about any brew method. ABOUT THE FARMERS This coffee comes from smallholder farmers in Uraga Woreda, one of the highest elevation zones producing coffee in Ethiopia. Thousands of farmers live and farm throughout the region, with most cultivating less than half a hectare of coffee. Traditional intercropping is a common practice, with coffee grown alongside other cash crops, such as fruits, vegetables, and grains. Much of the region consists of semi-forest environments, where a natural canopy provides ample shade for the coffee plants. Elevations in Uraga reach above 2300 meters above sea level. Farmers in the area typically grow JARC (Jimma Agricultural Research Centre) selections, which are specific coffee cultivars from local landraces, chosen to match with the various agro-forestry zones of Ethiopia. These selections are identified by classification numbers like 74110, 74158, and 74112, and are commonly distributed to farmers through seedling programs in Ethiopia. ABOUT THE PROCESSING As with most coffees from Ethiopia, detailed processing information can be limited, since these lots are often made up of coffee from hundreds of smallholder farms. What we do know is that the coffee cherries were hand harvested at peak ripeness, then floated in tanks of water to remove potentially unripe fruit. The remaining cherries were then dried on raised drying beds, where they were carefully hand sorted for defects throughout the 2-3 weeks it took to dry.