Sidamo Natural Process Guji Grade 6.0 Pour-Over Grind Ratio Water Temperature Guide - Premium Guji Coffee Bean Story & Characteristics

How did the name "Kaku" come about?

In 2017, DW Coffee Bean Company from Ethiopia sent their coffee beans to the TOH (The Taste of Harvest) competition hosted by the African Coffee Association. The natural process batch won the championship for Ethiopia in TOH. This batch of green beans was named "Kaku" as the champion.

Kaku is located in Hambella, which is part of Ethiopia's largest coffee producing region, Guji (GUJI), and administratively belongs to the Oromia State. The western side of Hambella faces Yirgacheffe's Kochore across mountains, while its southeast and north sides border Guji's sub-regions of Shakiso, Uraga, and Kercha respectively. It is Ethiopia's highest altitude coffee sub-region (Harrar is Ethiopia's highest altitude main producing region).

Currently, there are about 20 processing plants of various scales in the Hambella region. DW Company has four estate processing plants in the core Dimtu area of Hambella: "Buku Abel," "Buku Saysay," "Haro Soresa," and "Tirtiro Goye."

"Good Coffee is Hard to Come By": Deep Mountains Above 2000 Meters Altitude

Most coffee farms in Ethiopia remain in their natural state. Local coffee farmers go into the mountains to harvest, selecting only fully ripe coffee cherries, all hand-picked. They use African drying racks for sun-drying, limiting the thickness of the fruit layer and turning them regularly 24 hours a day to ensure even sun exposure and ventilation, more accurately controlling the fermentation degree. Most local processing plants also use traditional natural processing methods, fermenting and drying based on experience, resulting in inconsistent quality.

Red-brown organic soil, annual rainfall exceeding 1200mm, altitude, day-night temperature differences, hand-picked pure red cherries, and low-temperature fermentation in the estate's unique natural environment.

The plots for harvesting red cherries are more concentrated, and new processing plants are closer, ensuring red cherries can be collected and processed as quickly as possible. The entire processing process is only managed more precisely under the guidance of scientific measuring instruments, without any "traditional-breaking" improvement processes. Natural drying only begins when the red cherry sugar content reaches above 21, resulting in quite high sweetness.

At night, to prevent sudden rainfall, thick plastic sheets are used for wrapping. This allows the red cherries to ferment and dehydrate at relatively low temperatures. After 18 days of natural processing, when the moisture content of the green coffee beans drops to about 13%, the natural processing is stopped. They are packed into burlap bags and stored in warehouses under natural conditions of 12-22°C and 40-50% humidity for about 50 days of bean resting and further dehydration.

The Roaster's Perspective

When we get such excellent beans like Kaku, how should we roast them? How should the Kaku roasting curve be adjusted?

First, I look at the flavor description provided by the green bean supplier, then check the bean moisture content. The fresh green beans have a fermented wine aroma of coffee flowers, completely different from the grassy aroma of typical green beans. Moreover, Kaku green beans vary in size with many pointed ends (Ethiopia Heirloom - Ethiopian native varieties). The moisture content is good at around 11%, but they're not the very hard SHB type beans. Due to the beans' high density and hardness, I extend the dehydration time in the early stages, enter first crack with increasing temperature to preserve the loss of small molecular aromatic substances like floral notes.

Due to daily production needs, I chose a 550g batch size (full load) and would like to share my experience:

Charge Temperature: 190°C

Only adjusting the curve by changing the drop temperature and development time:

First Batch: Yellowing point: 150.3°C at 5:55, dropped at 196°C. First crack development: 1:40. First crack at 9:55

Second Batch: Yellowing point: 151°C at 5:51, dropped at 193°C. First crack development: 1:30. First crack at 9:50

Cupping Results

First Batch: The wet aroma has distinct, strong green tea and floral notes. When slurping, there are aromas of green tea, jasmine, lime, and cane sugar. The mouthfeel is light and clean, with soft, fresh acidity. However, the finish is insufficient, leaving only some sweetness in the mouth. But it's very easy to drink, like drinking tea rather than coffee.

Second Batch: The wet aroma has yellow lemon, floral, and black tea notes, with obvious citrus tones. When slurping, there are aromas of black tea, yellow lemon, caramel, and jasmine. The flavors begin to become richer and more solid at this roast level. The acidity on entry is more elegant, sweetness is perceived more quickly and is higher, with fermented wine aroma, cream, tropical fruits, and jackfruit for better balance.

After roasting and adjustments, using Taiwan's Yang Jia 800N machine, and after cupping, I finally settled on profile #2, which I'm quite satisfied with:

Charge at 190°C, complete dehydration and yellowing in nearly 6 minutes (yellow point around 150-153°C)

First crack begins around 9:50-9:55 (Kaku's first crack is later than typical beans and the cracking sound is weak)

The development time after first crack should be controlled not to exceed 1 minute 30 seconds, but not less than 1 minute (recommended to open the damper and reduce heat to control speed)

When smelling with the sample spoon, you can detect strawberry jam aroma around 193°C, then drop the beans

Total time is best controlled within 11 minutes

Kaku Brewing Methods

As for Kaku's brewing methods, pour-over and siphon brewing are optimal. When grinding, you can smell the rich natural process fruit aroma with obvious sweetness.

Kaku's flavor is gentle, elegant, sweet, and lovely. Yirgacheffe emits extremely complex aromas, displaying exceptionally outstanding mouthfeel that is difficult to describe.

Cake WAVE Dripper: 15g coffee, water temperature 89°C, grind size 3.5

Water-to-coffee ratio close to 1:15

30g water for bloom, bloom time 35s

Segments: 30-105-90, time: 2:03 (timing starts from bloom)

Kaku mouthfeel: Smooth, with layers, enhanced fermented berry sweetness

The wet aroma of the brewed coffee surprises with ripe berry fermented fruit wine notes. The entry is extremely smooth, transitioning to delicate body thickness, with the emergence of ripe fruit's sweet and sour notes. The prominent sweetness, cleanliness, and excellent finish performance are truly stunning.

For professional barista exchanges, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

Kaku's Awards

Cupping flavors: Passion fruit, rose floral notes, strawberry jam, berry sweet and sour, peach flesh, black tea finish

2016/2017:

Ethiopia National Taste of Harvest Competition - Champion

2016/2017 Harvest Season Ethiopia Coffee Competition - Champion

2017:

Regional Africa Taste of Harvest Competition - Runner-up

2017 Africa Coffee Competition - Runner-up

Hand-pour Kaku: 15g coffee, medium-fine grind (Fuji ghost teeth grinder 3.5), V60 dripper, 91-93°C water temperature. First infusion 30g water, 27-second bloom. Inject to 105g water, wait until the bed level drops to half, then continue slow pouring until 225g water. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00

The Kaku processing plant is located in Buku Abel village at 2200 meters altitude. During the harvest and processing season (December-January), its unique growing environment and natural climate create Kaku's distinctive flavors. We require the sugar content of harvested red cherries to reach above 30 before beginning natural processing. In the first two days of natural processing, we ensure the red cherries' moisture to allow their fructose to fully begin fermentation reactions. Meanwhile, the high-altitude geographical location allows the processing plant's nighttime temperature to drop to around 12°C, preventing over-fermentation odors due to high temperatures. When temperatures are higher at noon, we promptly provide shade to prevent red cherries from getting sunburned.

At night, to prevent sudden rainfall, thick plastic sheets are used for wrapping. This allows the red cherries to ferment and dehydrate at relatively low temperatures. After 18 days of natural processing, when the moisture content of the green coffee beans drops to about 13%, the natural processing is stopped. They are packed into burlap bags and stored in warehouses under natural conditions of 12-22°C and 40-50% humidity for about 50 days of bean resting and further dehydration. When the green bean moisture content reaches around 10%, they are transported to processing plants for hulling, sorting, and sales.

Coffee Details

Coffee producing country: Africa, Ethiopia

Coffee estate: Guji, Hambella Wamena region, Dimtu city, Buku Abel estate

Coffee variety: Heirloom, Ethiopian native varieties

Production altitude: 2250-2350M

Quality grade: G1

Processing method: Natural (African drying beds)

Factory: Coffee Workshop, Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front Street, FrontStreet Coffee, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Factory contact: 020-38364473, Shelf life: 90 days, Net content: 227g, Packaging: Bulk coffee beans, Roast level: Roasted coffee beans, Sugar content: Sugar-free, Origin: Ethiopia, Roast degree: Light roast

Ethiopian Sidamo Shakisso Natural

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Guji region

Altitude: 2250-2350

Processing method: Natural

Variety: Local heirloom varieties

Producer: Local small farmers

Flavor: Passion fruit, rose floral notes, strawberry jam

Sidamo's coffee flavors are very diverse because different soil compositions, regional microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties create obvious differences and characteristics in coffee produced by each town area. The Sidamo producing region is located in southern Ethiopia. The industry here is mainly agricultural, with coffee growing areas around the Great Rift Valley. Sidamo's coffee flavors are very diverse because different soil compositions, regional microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties create obvious differences and characteristics in coffee produced by each town area. The Sidamo producing region is located in southern Ethiopia. The industry here is mainly agricultural, with coffee growing areas around the Great Rift Valley.

Purchase link: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.3-c.w4002-15673140470.31.4d75f2b6ziLFio&id=549017651496

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473