Ethiopia Gesha Village Coffee - Introduction to Ethiopia Gesha Village Chaka Natural Processing

Ethiopia - Introducing Gesha Village Chaka

Gesha Village Chaka Natural

Estate: Gesha Village Estate

Region: Bench Maji

Altitude: 1,900-2,100 m

Varieties: Gori Gesha, Gesha 1931, Illubabor

Processing Method: Natural Processing

Gesha Village Coffee Estate

The story began in 2007, when Adam Overton — a documentary director and photographer — and his wife Rachel Samuel first came to the Gera coffee forest in the Bench Maji region while filming a documentary about Ethiopian coffee for the Ethiopian government. During those filming days they not only rediscovered this remarkable part of Ethiopia but also formed the idea of establishing their own coffee estate and brand.

In 2009 they had the chance to meet Willem Boot, the renowned owner of La Mula Estate and a BOP judge. Willem Boot's thinking gave the Overtons an opening: to return to Ethiopia and search persistently for the birthplace of Gesha.

Eventually they reached Bench Maji, a region in southwestern Ethiopia near South Sudan. Many areas there are called Gesha Village, making it the most likely place to find native Gesha varieties. When they visited in 2011, however, there was nothing there.

Following Willem Boot, Adam began his "adventures" in the forests surrounding the estate. In a jungle magically wrapped in dense forest, they discovered several wild tree species, with wild Gesha the most exciting find of all.

They later learned that this was in fact the Gori Gesha Forest, where the Gesha variety was first discovered. They collected seeds from the native Gesha trees, screened them, and planted them at Gesha Village. They decided to establish the estate here and named it Gesha Village Coffee Estate — a 475-hectare coffee farm located about 12 miles from the Gori Gesha Forest.

Gesha Village Coffee Estate is entirely unlike most Ethiopian farms. It is not a smallholding but a large 475-hectare estate with its own washing station and laboratory, in the southwest near the Sudanese border. What is especially unusual is that the whole farm grows only Gesha varieties, rather than the typical Ethiopian native varieties that cannot be definitively identified.

Gesha Village divides the farm into 8 blocks around 3 main Gesha varieties. All Gesha seeds are collected from nearby forests, not from Panama.

Construction of the farm began in October 2011, with the first harvest in 2015. With enthusiastic support from all sides — and the help of Panamanian estate owner Willem Boot — they held their first international auction on May 31, 2017, offering 21 micro-lots: 19 lots of 120 kilograms each plus several smaller batches. Bidders from Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia responded with unexpected enthusiasm. The winning bid reached $85 USD per pound, breaking every previous African coffee auction price.

Chaka

What is CHAKA?

Gesha Village's coffee grading system includes Auction, Gold Label, Red Label, Green Label, and CHAKA.

CHAKA is a Gesha blend produced by Gesha Village Estate, composed of Gori Gesha, Gesha 1931, and Illubabor (an Ethiopian native, disease-resistant variety).

Varieties

Gori Gesha (GG) — this variety replicates the genetic diversity found within the Gori Gesha coffee forest.

Gesha 1931 (G31) — this variety combines various forest varieties and is very similar to Panamanian Gesha. It was selected by observing plant morphology, bean appearance, screen size, and cup profile.

Illubabor Forest 1974 (IF) — this variety was discovered during a 1974 expedition to the Illubabor Forest and later developed into a disease-resistant variety by the Ethiopian research center.

Processing Method

This Gesha Village CHAKA uses natural processing. Floating impurities are removed first, then the beans are dried in thin layers on African raised beds covered with plastic sheets. During drying, further screening selects out insect-damaged beans and immature green coffee. Total drying time is 18-30 days.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Gesha Village's own labels map neatly onto FrontStreet Coffee's selection. FrontStreet's Gesha Village Gold Label is the Gesha 1931 variety and accounts for 10% of the estate's total production; it is the estate's top coffee outside the auction and is often chosen by competitors for international events. This Gold Label lot uses a meticulous natural process and cups with complex, layered flavor — striking in the dry aroma and full of character through the sip and the finish.

FrontStreet's Gesha Village Red Label is the Gori Gesha variety, making up 15% of production and scoring 88 points or above on the SCA 100-point scale. It is the estate's single-terroir series, so every lot number carries fully traceable information, including the farm block name, the variety, and the processing date.

If you are new to Gesha, FrontStreet usually suggests starting with the Panama Boquete Gesha — an entry-level Gesha that lets you taste the classic Panamanian orange-blossom honey character, an oolong tea-like feel, and fine fruit acidity with clear layers, all at an accessible price.