What is Horse Champion Coffee Bean? Flavor Profile Introduction of Ethiopian Sidamo Horse Champion Coffee

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Introduction to Ethiopian Sidamo - Guji Buku Abel

Coffee Origin Information

Coffee Country: Africa, Ethiopia

Coffee Estate: Guji, Hambella Wamena region, Dimtu, Buku Abel Estate

Production Altitude: 2,250-2,350 meters

Coffee Variety: Heirloom

Green Bean Grade: G1

Processing Method: Natural (African drying beds)

Cupping Notes: Rose aroma, strawberry jam, peach flesh, black tea finish

Origin Story

At longitude 38°25'3" East, latitude 6°2'17" North, at an altitude of 2,280 meters on the African continent, lies the small mountain village of Buku Abel, ringed by mountains. Behind the village, the high slopes are covered with heirloom coffee trees. Shaped by countless generations of natural selection, these trees come in all shapes and sizes, yet all are lush and verdant. During each December's harvest season, the mountainsides turn red with coffee cherries. This is the estate behind the famous "Horse Champion" coffee, and the neatly arranged African drying beds at the village entrance serve as its processing facility.

Regional Characteristics

Hambella sits within Guji, Ethiopia's largest producing region, and administratively belongs to the Oromia Regional State. To the west, Hambella faces Yirgacheffe's Kochore region across the mountains, with a highland barrier 3,200 meters high and about 30 kilometers wide separating the two. To the southeast, east, and north it borders Guji's Shakiso, Uraga, and Kercha sub-regions respectively, making it the highest-altitude coffee sub-region.

Today there are about 20 processing plants of various scales in the Hambella region. In Hambella's core area of Dimtu, DW Foods operates four estate processing plants: Buku Abel, Buku Saysay, Haro Soresa, and Tirtiro Goye.

Processing Method

During the December-to-January harvest, the first two days of natural processing are critical: the moisture content of the red cherries must be maintained to ensure thorough fermentation of their fructose. Meanwhile, the high altitude lets nighttime temperatures at the processing plant drop to around 12°C, preventing the over-fermentation odors that higher temperatures would invite. At midday, when temperatures climb, the beds are shaded in time to keep the red cherries from sunburn; at night, thick plastic sheeting covers the cherries against sudden rainfall.

The cherries thus ferment and dehydrate at relatively low temperatures. After 18 days of natural processing, when the green beans' moisture falls to about 13%, the drying stops and the beans are packed into jute bags. Stored in warehouses at 12-22°C and 45-55% humidity for about 50 days, they continue to develop and lose moisture in the bean. Once the moisture content reaches about 11%, the beans are transported to the mill for hulling, screening, and sale.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation: Love Naturals? Try the Yirgacheffe Red Cherry

If the careful natural processing at Buku Abel fascinates you, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Red Cherry shows the same craft in a classic profile. It uses a full-red-cherry natural process: only fully ripe, defect-free cherries are picked, screened at the mill, and laid directly on raised beds to dry. During the first days the cherries are turned every 2-3 hours to prevent uneven heating and over-fermentation; after three to five weeks of sun, the dried fruit layer is stripped away by machine and the beans are moved to warehouse storage. Because the cherries dry with their fruit intact, the cup combines classic Yirgacheffe character with tropical fruit aromatics: citrus-like acidity, berry juiciness, honeyed sweetness, and a smooth, creamy body — a beautiful study in what the natural process can do.