Ethiopia — Guji Hadeso Washing Station Local Varieties (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍈 Green Melon • 🍬 White Sugar • 🌸 Almond Blossom

DETAILS

• Producer: ~500 smallholder farmers

• Washing Station: Guji Hadeso

• Region: Guji, Oromia, Ethiopia

• Varietal: Local varieties

• Process: Washed

• Altitude: 1850–2100 MASL

• Harvest: 2026

• Grade: Gr.1

• Exporter: Testi Specialty Coffee

• Size: 250g / 1kg

INTRO

A coffee with a very sweet fragrance and floral notes reminiscent of lemongrass and almond blossom. We also find herbal notes like white tea. On the palate it's very sweet, with a soft acidity and a honeyed body—a classic washed Ethiopian coffee.

THE PRODUCER

The Guji region sits approximately 300–400 km south of Addis Ababa, in the Oromia region. Guji has a long history: in 2002 it separated from Yirgacheffe, which had previously been integrated within the name Sidamo. The Guji region, established in 2002, takes its name from the Oromo people, an ethnic group that has cultivated coffee on these lands for generations.

Guji coffee was once grouped with coffees from across the Yirgacheffe region. Before Yirgacheffe became its own region, those coffees were blended with coffee from a wide geographical area covering much of south-central Ethiopia, under the "Sidamo" designation. Despite this shared history, Guji coffees are widely recognised as distinct from both Yirgacheffe and Sidamo, thanks to their unique local varieties and microclimates.

This particular coffee represents the dedication of 500 smallholder producers from the Guji region, carefully selected and graded (Gr.1) to achieve consistent quality, allowing the character of the soil, climate and local varieties to shine. Beyond processing high quality coffee, Testi Specialty Coffee (the exporter of this lot) also contributes to community welfare—helping to build schools for local children, supporting water access projects, and helping connect homes to the electricity grid across various regions of Ethiopia.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Guji Hadeso involves:

• 🍒 Selective Hand Harvest — Due to the small size of most plots, cherries are typically hand-picked by owners and their families

• 👁️ Sorting — Cherries sorted at the washing station to remove damaged or unripe fruit

• 🔧 De-Pulping — Carried out 6–8 hours after harvest to prevent additional natural fermentation

• 🧪 Fermentation — 36–48 hours in tanks, with water refreshed frequently

• 🚿 Washing and Channel Grading — Parchment thoroughly washed and graded in washing channels until mucilage is completely removed

• ☀️ Raised Bed Drying — 5–7 days under parabolic mesh until moisture content reaches 11–12%, with parchment regularly turned and hand-sorted to remove defects

This meticulous washed process, combined with careful hand-sorting throughout, ensures the consistent quality and clean sweetness that defines this Guji lot.

THE CUP

A very sweet fragrance with floral notes reminiscent of lemongrass and almond blossom, alongside herbal notes of white tea. On the palate it's very sweet, with a soft acidity and honeyed body. Cocoa powder, green melon and physalis round out this classic washed Ethiopian coffee.

Flavour Notes

• 🍈 Green Melon

• 🍬 White Sugar

• 🌸 Almond Blossom