Flavor Characteristics, Origin, and Brewing Parameters for Single-Origin Coffee Beans from Ethiopia's Guji Shakiso Region

Ethiopia Guji Shakisso Single Origin Coffee: Flavor Profile, Region and Brewing Parameters

Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe region in Africa is adjacent to the famous Kaffa forest, where the entire area is made up of wild coffee forest. The varieties are numerous and complex, with at least 1,000 types. Scholars and experts today widely recognize this as the birthplace of the Arabica variety and a treasure trove of global coffee genetics. Coffee varieties from the Yirgacheffe region are generally referred to as Heirloom, which does not point to a single specific variety. Heirloom means native varieties from the birthplace of coffee — a treasure bestowed by heaven. The green beans vary significantly in size, appearance, and shape in a way unseen in other producing regions, and that is itself a distinguishing feature of coffee from Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe region.

Shakisso lies southeast of the renowned Yirgacheffe region. Administratively it belongs to Oromia Region, Guji Zone, Shakisso woreda, and it represents regionally-sourced coffee. Just as Yirgacheffe became widely known after gaining fame and was subsequently made an independent producing region, Guji was established as an independent region by the ECX in 2010 because of its superior location and cup profile. Shakisso is the most attention-grabbing micro-region within Guji, sitting geographically southeast of Yirgacheffe with an average altitude above 1,800 meters. Fertile black soil (Vertisol) and a large day-night temperature difference supply every terroir condition needed for high-quality specialty coffee. Local production comes almost entirely from individual small-scale farmers. During harvest they pick fully ripe red cherries from nearby areas and deliver them to processing plants, where the cherries go onto well-ventilated African raised beds to control temperature and fermentation. After the pulp is removed, moisture content is reduced to between 11.5% and 12%. Once processing and resting are complete, the coffee is exported through the ECX bidding system.

We have written before about Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe, which became a target for international specialty drinkers thanks to its distinctive floral aroma and lemon-citrus notes, and which in turn drove up demand inside Ethiopia. As everyone rushed to buy it, Yirgacheffe prices inevitably climbed — and ordinary drinkers can only afford so much. In response, people began hunting for lesser-known regions that were just as flavorful and high-quality, and that is how Guji was discovered. Today, then, let us look at the Guji region.

Ethiopian Sidamo Shakisso Washed

Country: Ethiopia
Grade: G1
Region: Guji Zone, Shakisso Region
Roast Level: Light roast
Processing Method: Washed

Washed coffee is less likely to carry wild characteristics and tends to be pure and refreshing, suited to City through Full City roast levels. Some exceptionally high-quality washed Ethiopian beans can reveal distinct notes of uplifting lemon, citrus peel, jasmine, and honey, with more prominent acidity and a thinner body.

Hand-pour Sidamo: 15 g of coffee, medium-fine grind (Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5), V60 dripper, water at 91-93°C. First pour 30 g of water and bloom for 27 seconds, then pour to 105 g and stop. Wait until the water level drops halfway before continuing. Slowly pour to a total of 225 g, discarding the tail. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

"Ethiopian Sidamo" is a single-origin type, Arabica coffee grown in Ethiopia's Sidamo province. Like most African coffees, Sidamo is characterized by small gray-green beans, but its distinguishing features are rich, spicy, wine-like or chocolate-like flavors and floral aromas. The most distinctive flavors found across Sidamo coffees are lemon and citrus, with bright, crisp acidity. Sidamo takes in both Yirgacheffe and Guji coffees, both of which are exceptionally high quality.

Variety: Local native Heirloom
Producer: Local small farmers
Flavor: White grape juice, citrus, Earl Grey tea sensation

Sidamo

Sidamo's coffee flavors are extremely diverse, because different soil compositions, regional microclimates, and countless native varieties create marked differences between the coffees of each town. The Sidamo region lies in southern Ethiopia, where agriculture dominates the local economy and coffee-growing areas sit around the East African Rift Valley.

Region Introduction

Shakisso is located in the Guji region of Sidamo, in the southern part of the Oromia region, bordering Sidama and Gedeo. The area has many pits left over from gold extraction, so the coffee-growing land is full of holes, which makes walking between the plots treacherous. Shakisso is a unique pocket within Guji/Sidamo — even within Sidamo it is remote, far from most coffee-producing locations, with gold mining as another famous local product. Factors such as miners, land, and ethnicity also caused instability in the region in 2006. The biggest challenge facing the area now is the manpower needed to maintain the growing areas and harvest the coffee.

Local smallholders began growing organic coffee here in 2001, working closely with medium-sized producers who know how to grow forest coffee in highland areas. It is one of the micro-regions within Sidamo with the strongest regional character. Coffee from the area has considerable uniqueness, and its beans have repeatedly drawn market attention. Ninety Plus's legendary bean Nekisse originally means "nectar from Shakisso" — both its region and its name come from Shakisso.

Flavor Description: lemon and citrus, bright crisp acidity, lemon, citrus, white grape juice, blackcurrant, and an Earl Grey tea sensation on the finish

Indonesian and African coffee beans use this defect-bean-ratio grading method. Indonesian beans are divided into six levels, G1 to G6. The highest grades for washed beans are G1 and G2, and the highest grades for natural beans are G1 and G3.

What does that represent? As follows:

Washed: Grade-1; Grade-2 (G1 > G2)
Natural: Grade-1 and Grade-3 to Grade-5 (G1 > G3 > G4 > G5)

A few points to note:

a) Both washed and natural have a Grade-1, the condition being "zero" defects and a Premium Cup. Whether washed or natural, Grade-1 is a rating for the best of the best, or Cup of Excellence, coffees.

b) The lowest grade for natural Yirgacheffe and Sidamo is Grade-4.

c) Beans of the same grade, such as Limu Grade-2, can be good or bad depending on the exporter's sorting level and investment.

d) Given the existing "zero defect" requirement, Grade-1 beans, washed or natural, are extremely rare because of the high processing cost and the very few suppliers willing to do it.

The Guji region lies southeast of the renowned Yirgacheffe region and is the highest-altitude area in all of Ethiopia, with an average altitude above 1,800 meters. The large day-night temperature difference lets the beans develop more completely with more pronounced sweetness; fewer pests let farmers adopt fully organic methods; and the fertile black soil supplies every terroir condition needed for high-quality specialty coffee. During harvest, smallholders pick fully ripe red cherries nearby and deliver them to processing plants, where they go onto well-ventilated African raised beds to control temperature and fermentation. After the pulp is removed, moisture content is reduced to between 11.5% and 12%. This is a true meeting of timing, geography, and human effort. Under the old ECX trading system Guji was merely a sub-region under Sidamo's A flavor profile, an unknown small player, but its flavor was so unique and eye-catching that the ECX had to separate Guji into a standalone flavor profile.

To address the drawbacks of traditional natural processing, the washed method emerged. The harvested cherries pass through a depulper to separate most of the pulp from the beans, then the parchment beans are guided into a clean water tank and soaked to ferment so that the remaining pulp layer is fully removed. Roughly five years ago, washed processing was often the first choice for handling high-quality beans. Through water processing, underripe and defective beans are separated out by buoyancy, and fermentation is easier to control. So unlike natural beans, which may carry off-flavors, washed coffee presents distinct fruit acidity, slightly greater complexity, and a cleaner cup with no negative notes such as astringency or sharpness. Because it is so clean, however, its richness of flavor is slightly weaker.

Beyond its inherent geographical advantages, quality farmers, and the ECX classification change, Guji's rise to become a new highlight in the eyes of specialty enthusiasts owes an indispensable debt to the Shakisso micro-region. Shakisso's coffee belongs to the Guji region, and its flavor is naturally quite unique; it scored an impressive 95 points in Coffee Review in April 2014, further raising the market potential of a Guji region that was already drawing attention. It is no exaggeration to call Guji the rising star of Ethiopian coffee.

Ethiopia

Population: 93,877,000

Ethiopia's region names have the highest recognition in the coffee world, and it is currently the country with the most region names used as coffee names — true today, and predictably true in the future. The genetic potential of its original species and wild Arabica varieties will also remain a major advantage for Ethiopian coffee.

SIDAMO

Sidamo, along with two other regions, Harar and Yirgacheffe, registered trademarks through the Ethiopian government in 2004, raising recognition of the region and of its distinctly characteristic beans. Sidamo uses both washed and natural processing and is welcomed by consumers who prefer fruity, intense aromas. After Italy withdrew from Ethiopia in 1942, locals referred to themselves as Sidama, so both Sidamo and Sidama are common names for beans from this region. The area also grows some of Ethiopia's highest-quality beans.

Altitude: 1400-2200m
Harvest: October-January
Variety: Heirloom

LIMU

Even without the fame of Sidamo and Yirgacheffe, Limu still produces amazing coffee. Most of the area is smallholder land, though there are also some large government-owned estates.

Altitude: 1400-2200m
Harvest: November-January
Variety: Heirloom

HARRAR

This region is made up of small towns surrounding Harar and is the oldest producing area. Coffee here is extremely special and grows in environments that need no additional irrigation. Harar has long enjoyed an excellent reputation, and natural processing can transform its original turbid, woody, earthy flavors into bright blueberry notes. The beans are so special and endlessly memorable that anyone who has worked in this industry has had their horizons broadened by the diversity of their flavors.

Altitude: 1500-2100m
Harvest: November-February
Variety: Heirloom

Ethiopia Natural Guji Shakisso G1

Ethiopia Natural Guji Shakisso G1

Country: Ethiopia
Region: Guji Zone, Shakisso woreda
Producer: Local regional small farmers
Processing Method: Natural processing
Variety: Ethiopian native Heirloom
Altitude: 1,800 - 2,000 meters
Soil: Dark and red clay
Packaging: Bulk 5KG vacuum packaging, whole jute bags 30KG packaging
Flavor Brief: Passion fruit and blueberry jam, ripe tropical fruits, cherry chocolate cake, full body, rich sweetness.

Ethiopia's administrative divisions fall into four levels, arranged from large to small as Region, Zone, woreda, and kebele. Most coffee green bean names follow this rule. The Guji-Shakisso we are launching today is located southeast of the renowned Yirgacheffe region. Administratively it belongs to Oromia Region, Guji Zone, Shakisso woreda, representing regionally-sourced green beans.

Just as Yirgacheffe became widely known after gaining fame and was subsequently made an independent producing region, Guji was established as an independent region by the ECX in 2010 because of its superior location and cup profile. Shakisso is the most attention-grabbing micro-region within Guji, sitting southeast of Yirgacheffe with an average altitude above 1,800 meters. Fertile black soil (Vertisol) and a large day-night temperature difference supply every terroir condition needed for high-quality specialty coffee. Local production comes almost entirely from individual smallholders. During harvest they pick fully ripe red cherries nearby and deliver them to processing plants, where the cherries go onto well-ventilated African raised beds to control temperature and fermentation. After the pulp is removed, moisture content is reduced to between 11.5% and 12%. Once processing and resting are complete, the coffee is exported through the ECX bidding system, with local exporters or international buyers competing under that system for the green beans they want.

In recent years the most attention-grabbing region in Ethiopia has undoubtedly been Yirgacheffe. Guji-Shakisso is less well known, but as Yirgacheffe prices soared overall in 2015, international specialty buyers turned to neighboring regions such as Sidamo, Limu, and Jimma. Many potential regions and producers have since been discovered, among them the recently launched Limu Gera and Jimma Agaro Yukro, all high-quality specialty lots.

Guji-Shakisso's coffee is in fact quite unique, and the coffee it produces has repeatedly drawn market attention. Ninety Plus's legendary bean Nekisse, launched at the end of 2009, originally meant "nectar from Shakisso" — both its source region and its name come from Shakisso. Another variety, Derar Ela, launched by Level Up and also from the Shakisso region, drew repeated praise from Taiwanese industry professionals and scored an excellent 95 points in Coffee Review's April 2014 evaluation.

Sidamo is located in southern Ethiopia. The region's varied landscape gives each town's coffee its own unique flavor profile. Shakisso lies in the Guji region within Sidamo, southeast of Yirgacheffe, with an average altitude above 1,800 meters. It has fertile black soil and a large day-night temperature difference, supplying every terroir condition for high-quality specialty coffee. Guji-Shakisso's coffee is quite unique, and what it produces has repeatedly drawn market attention, scoring a high 94 points in Coffee Review's 2016 evaluation.

Region: Sidamo/Guji/Shakisso
- Altitude: 1850-2000 meters
- Variety: Local native varieties
- Processing Method: Traditional washed
- Grade: ECX G1
- Flavor Description: Melon, cocoa, lemon, citrus, a balanced Earl Grey tea sensation, light floral notes.

- Ethiopia's administrative divisions fall into four levels, arranged from large to small as Region, Zone, woreda, and kebele. Most coffee green bean names follow this rule. This Guji/Shakisso is located southeast of the renowned Yirgacheffe region. Administratively it belongs to Oromia Region, Guji Zone, Shakisso woreda, representing a regional coffee-producing area. Just as Yirgacheffe became an independent region after gaining fame, Guji was established as an independent region by the ECX in 2010 because of its superior location and measured cup profile. Shakisso is the micro-region within Guji that the international coffee market watches most, with an average altitude above 1,800 meters. Fertile black soil (Vertisol) and a large day-night temperature difference supply every terroir condition for high-quality specialty coffee. Local production comes almost entirely from individual smallholders. During harvest they pick fully ripe red cherries from their own farms and deliver them to local processing plants. After processing is complete, the coffee is exported through the ECX bidding system.

In recent years, besides the long-favored Yirgacheffe, many potential regions have been discovered one after another. International specialty buyers have turned to regions beyond Yirgacheffe, such as Sidamo, Limu, and Jimma. Because the coffee produced by Guji/Shakisso does have significant uniqueness, it naturally draws market attention. It is particularly worth mentioning that the renowned coffee brand Ninety Plus's legendary bean Nekisse, launched at the end of 2009, originally meant "nectar from Shakisso" — both the green bean source and the naming come from Shakisso.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For an introduction to the Ethiopian profile, start with FrontStreet's washed Yirgacheffe daily coffee, the classic entry point. It is known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like quality, and with its friendly price it has become the first specialty coffee for many drinkers. Yirgacheffe is a small town in southern Ethiopia, within the Sidamo province, at about 1,700-2,100 meters, with the coffee trees planted above 1,800 meters, making it one of the highest coffee regions in the world. It has been wetland since ancient times, and the name Yirgacheffe came to stand, in the old language, for the region's highly recognizable white florals and lemon-citrus acidity — a byword for Ethiopian specialty coffee. In 2010, Yirgacheffe's fame grew so great that the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange separated it from the Sidamo region, which is how the Yirgacheffe coffee everyone knows today came to be.

FrontStreet's Gudingding cooperative coffee is a step further in. Many people do not realize that Yirgacheffe town can be divided into many small regions, even individual villages, among them cooperatives with seasoned experience and mature production whose Yirgacheffe reaches another level. The most representative is FrontStreet's washed Gudingding cooperative coffee from Gudingding village. The cooperative sits in the Worka region at Yirgacheffe's southeastern edge; it was originally part of the Worka cooperative under the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers' Cooperative Union (YCFCU), and as demand grew for traceability, it was unearthed by coffee hunters around the world as a single-origin producer. Gudingding follows the most traditional washed processing, and is sometimes called Yirgacheffe's last pure land. Washed Gudingding has none of the traditional bitterness; it brings fresh, bright citrus and lemon acidity and jasmine fragrance, and it wins many drinkers over at the first sip.

FrontStreet's Red Cherry coffee comes from the same Yirgacheffe region but is processed as a whole-cherry natural: only fully ripe, sound cherries are harvested, screened once at the processing station, then spread on racks to dry. For the first few days the cherries are turned every two to three hours to prevent uneven heating and over-fermentation. After three to five weeks of sun-drying, workers scrape away the outer fruit with a machine, depending on the weather and temperature, and move the beans to storage. Because the fruit dries around the bean, it keeps the classic Yirgacheffe character while gaining the tropical fruit of natural processing, showing citrus-like acidity, berry-juice body, honey-like sweetness, and a creamy smoothness. For brewing, FrontStreet suggests a V60 dripper, water at 90-91°C, 15 g of coffee, a 1:15 ratio, and a grind of EK43s setting 10, or fine-sugar size (80% passing a #20 sieve). The method is three-stage: pour 30 g for a 30-second bloom, then pour 95 g (the scale reads about 125 g), finishing the pour in about 1 minute; when the water level drops to 2/3 of the bed, pour the remaining 100 g (the scale reads about 225 g), finishing in about 1 minute 35 seconds. Dripping completes at 2:00-2:10; remove the dripper and extraction is done.