Ethiopia – Guji Hambella

BLUEBERRY, GUAVA, HERBAL & CHOCOLATE
REGION – GUJI ZONE
PRODUCER – METAD AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT PLC
VARIETY – TYPICA
PROCESS – NATURAL
Coffees hailing from Guji have consistently ranked among the very best Ethiopia has to offer. It takes its
name from the Guji people of Oromo, a tribe who has farmed coffee on the land for generations. Coffee
from Guji was once lumped in with coffees from all over the Yirgacheffe region and before Yirgacheffe
was its own region, those coffees were blended with coffee from a wide geographical area that
encompassed much of central-south Ethiopia under the grade ‘Sidamo’. In 2002 the Guji region was
established and it’s coffees are now widely recognised as distinct from both Yirgacheffe and Sidamo
coffee thanks to the unique local varieties and microclimates. This coffee is even more unique in that it
comes from a single estate in the Guji Zone; Hambela. Hambela is owned by the METAD Agricultural
Development PLC, a family run business; the land on which it sits was awarded to Muluemebet Emiru, the
first African female pilot, after World War II. Her descendents now run the estate and farm. After being
selectively hand-picked, this coffee was naturally processed (sun-dried) on African bamboo beds with
frequent turning and sorting of defect cherries while drying. Right from the first time we cupped it, the
acidity captivated us. It’s fruity but not overwhelming and complex but easily enjoyed first thing in the
morning.