Introduction to Starbucks Reserve Ethiopia Koyon Farm Estate - Is Koyon Farm Estate Coffee Delicious?

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Introduction to Ethiopia Kayon Mountain Estate

Recently, Starbucks launched several new Reserve beans, and Ethiopia Kayon Mountain Estate is one of them. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce you to where exactly Ethiopia Kayon Mountain Estate is located and whether the coffee it produces tastes good.

Ethiopia Shakiso Kayon Mountain Estate Farm Natural Process

The Kayon Mountain Farm is located in Shakiso, Guji Zone, where the local people are known as the "Guji Oromo," and coffee cultivation has always been an integral part of the highland culture in this area. This coffee is quite different from the commonly found Yirgacheffe or Sidamo; geographically, culturally, and in flavor, this coffee from the south has unique characteristics while still maintaining the common traits of African coffee: citrus notes and floral aromas, with an overall vibrant flavor profile. Kayon Mountain Farm is a family-owned operation, allowing them to sell coffee "directly," whereas most small-scale coffee farmers obtain coffee trees from the Ethiopian government and must sell and trade coffee beans through the strictly regulated Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) (with the exception of cooperative members, though we won't discuss that here). Kayon Mountain Farm has dedicated wet and dry processing facilities, where green bean processing, quality control, and export preparation are all completed on-site after harvest. The coffee grown at the farm, like most Ethiopian farms, consists of local varieties specific to the region - coffee tree species originating from the wild forests of western Ethiopia, gradually spreading to eastern Harar, and finally distributed to southern micro-regions like Guji. This special batch of coffee uses natural processing, where coffee cherries are dried directly in the sun for about a month after harvesting.

Cupping Results

It has a rich wild berry aroma, particularly prominent in the dry fragrance of light to medium roasted coffee, along with vanilla sweetness and a hint of floral notes. If the coffee is roasted to Full City, the flavor of Dutch bitter-sweet cocoa powder becomes very prominent with an intense aroma reminiscent of blueberry muffins: sweet muffin dough, maple syrup, and abundant blueberries. When hot water is poured over the coffee grounds, the floral aroma becomes increasingly evident, with wet fragrance featuring heated caramel (caramel cream) notes, paired with the aroma of sugar-coated berries and candied citrus, creating a strong contrast. Coffee roasted from City to Full City is excellent for pour-over, emitting fruit aromas of ripe raspberry, blackberry, and seedless grapes, with a subtle maple sweetness. As the coffee cools, the flavors become even richer and more varied, reminiscent of hibiscus tea, tamarind candy, sugarcane juice, and red cherries. Slightly darker Full City roasting brings out the coffee's cocoa or roasted notes, along with a hint of ruby grapefruit aroma. The coffee itself has excellent body, and the darker the roast, the more chocolate notes you can taste, without diminishing the fruit flavors in the coffee, making this coffee very suitable as a blend (suitable for both espresso or drip brewing).

Coffee Details

Score: 92

Recommended Roast Level: Suitable for City to Full City roast

Green Bean Processing: Natural process

Coffee Variety: Ethiopian heirloom

Grade & Appearance: Grade 1, .4 d/300gr, 15-17 Screen

The Story of Kayon Mountain Farm

In 2012, several local families, driven by their pursuit of quality of life and passion for coffee, established Kayon Mountain Farm, led by Ato Esmael and his family. The farm is committed to producing higher quality coffee through sustainable practices.

Ato Esmael

Kayon Mountain Farm is located in the Oromia region of Ethiopia's southern Guji Zone.

In the past, Guji was included in the Sidamo region, but although Guji coffee beans look somewhat similar to Sidamo beans, they have their own unique style. After years of debate, the Ethiopian government has granted Guji a unique geographical distinction.

Washed Process Coffee

In 2015, Kayon Mountain Farm built its own washing station and huller, allowing them to export coffee. Such single-farm coffee is rare in Ethiopia.

Kayon Mountain Farm covers about 240 hectares and uses natural shade, with shaded areas accounting for more than half. Animal manure is the main source of fertilizer.

Coffee cherries

Each year from October to January is the harvest season at Kayon Mountain Farm, during which time Ato employs over 300 farmers to help with harvesting and processing.

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Coffee Bean Information

Region: Africa · Ethiopia · Guji Zone · Oromia

Variety: Heirloom Ethiopian indigenous varieties

Soil: Sandy clay loam

Processing Method: Washed process

Altitude: 1900-2100m

Acidity: High       Body: Medium

Description: Jasmine-like aroma, with notes of sweet lemon, lavender, and cherry cola

Harvest Season: October to January

Pairs with: Lemon, nougat, almond cookies, etc.

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Card Design

The card design is inspired by Kayon Mountain Estate's vision: to produce high-quality coffee and share it with the world. The floating gold foil embodies the passion of coffee farmers. The dark parts represent the shade trees used to improve coffee tree quality. The entire pattern on the coffee card is an abstract expression of Kayon Mountain Estate—a place where passion fills every corner of life.

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Brewing Share

① Cupping

11g coffee, ground at Ditting setting 7, water temperature 92°C, water amount 200g, steep for 4min.

Description: When dry, it has obvious jasmine aroma, along with lemon and caramel notes. When wet, the caramel sweetness becomes more evident. The entire cup has relatively obvious lemon acidity, quite clean, cherry cola, with a good sweet aftertaste.

② Six-cup Chemex

21g coffee, ground at Ditting setting 8.5, water 340g, water temperature 94°C, pouring method in five stages (55, 75, 70, 70, 70), timing starts when the first pour begins, the second pour starts at 34s total time, pours 3-5 start when the previous pour finishes. Among the five pours, except for the fourth pour which is center pour, the rest are fine stream circular pours.

Description: Rich jasmine aroma, lemon and cherry cola, smooth mouthfeel, lingering sweetness.

③ Classic Pour-over

20g coffee, ground at Ditting setting 5.5, water 280g (50g, 230g), water temperature 94°C.

Description: Obvious floral aroma, bright and clean acidity, good sweetness.

④ V60+Lilydrip

20g coffee, ground at Ditting setting 7.5, placed in Lilydrip (because placing Lilydrip makes the coffee layer thinner, so it's not recommended to use too little coffee, and the water flow thickness needs to be adjusted), water 300g, water temperature 94°C, five pours (50, 70, 60, 60, 60), fine stream pouring, pouring method same as Chemex.

Description: Rich floral aroma, bright and clean acidity, obvious and lingering sweetness.

⑤ Siphon

25g coffee, ground at Ditting setting 5.5, 380g water, brewing time 1min30s, vertical slow and even stirring twice at 45s and 90s, 5 circles each time.

Description: Rich and obvious floral aroma, clean and bright acidity, rich layers.

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