Is Guji a Coffee Bean Variety? What's the Relationship Between Hambela and Guji? Introduction to Natural Process Guji Coffee Beans

When it comes to Ethiopian coffee, many people think of Guji. It is arguably one of the country's most famous beans, and the latest release reached Guji 8.0, now in its 8th year on the market. Many people are curious, though, about which region of Ethiopia this coffee actually comes from.

Guji does indeed come from the well-known Guji region, in the southern part of the country, which administratively belongs to Oromia, the largest state in Ethiopia. The area has numerous mountains, valleys and plains, with an average altitude above 1800 meters. The temperature difference between day and night is significant, and most of the land is undeveloped dense forest. The geology is volcanic soil, and the complex, varied terrain creates diverse microclimates, making it an ideal coffee-growing region.

At first, though, this region was remote with inconvenient transport. It was used mainly for grazing and agriculture, and only later drew attention when abundant mineral resources were discovered. It was not until recent years that the coffee quality of the area was gradually recognized, and the coffee industry began to rise quickly, making it a late bloomer.

In terms of coffee-region divisions, the history here is quite similar to Yirgacheffe. Both were originally part of the Sidamo region. In 2010, under the division by the country's unique Commodity Exchange (ECX), Guji was classified as an independent new coffee region because of its high quality and distinctive flavor.

Within the Guji region there are several well-known sub-regions, such as Hambela, Shakiso and Uraga. Among them, Hambela is the birthplace of the "Guji" beans.

Hambela's western side is separated from Yirgacheffe by a mountain called Kochere, while its southeast and northern sides border other Guji sub-regions. Growing altitudes here reach as high as 2100 to 2300 meters. The region's biggest advantage is its dense forest, which supplies abundant natural fertilizer to the area.

In 2017, the African Fine Coffee Association held a harvest-season flavor competition called TOH, short for Taste of Harvest. DW Company, that is DW COFFEE EXPORT, entered a naturally processed bean from its Hambela Buku Abel processing plant. That bean won the championship in the natural-process category that year, on the strength of its rich berry aroma and creamy texture.

According to the traceability information at the time, the bean came from the Hambela sub-region of Guji, produced by the Buku Abel processing plant as a natural-process bean, and its name was simply "Hambela." Later it was selected and imported by a Chinese green-bean merchant. Believing the flavor was exceptional, the merchant named it "Guji," meaning "the best among all flowers," and introduced it to the domestic market under that name.

In the same year, at the World Brewers Cup China region, contestant Li Jianfei from Beijing chose this Guji bean to compete. He defeated a field full of Geisha beans and finished a remarkable second, which added considerable fame to Guji in the domestic market.

After the "Guji" beans became famous, DW Company began building coffee processing plants in Dimtu town, the core coffee-producing area of Hambela, to meet market demand. It started buying beans from nearby villages to produce "Guji" coffee.

Coffee is still an agricultural product, though. Even in the same region, quality varies from year to year with climate, rainfall and fertilization. Subtle differences in temperature, humidity and sun-drying conditions during processing also affect the final flavor. So today's "Guji" will differ somewhat from the original "Guji" beans that competed.

To distinguish it from the original, each subsequent year's batch of Guji is named "Guji X.0." The batch released in 2018 was "Guji 2.0," and so on, which is how this year's release became "Guji 8.0."

Because Ethiopian beans are known for their fruity acidity, and Guji is mostly naturally processed, which gives the beans complex fruit aromas along with fermented notes, FrontStreet Coffee uses a light roast to highlight Guji's character. After brewing it shows tropical fruit flavors like mango and citrus, with a round, juice-like body and a black tea finish, creating a rich layering of flavors.

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FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Guji's naturally processed fruit character makes it a natural step up from the classic Ethiopian profiles, and if you enjoy that direction, FrontStreet's washed Yirgacheffe daily bean is the clearest reference point for the region's signature white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity with a tea-like body. It is also the most affordable way to get to know the Ethiopian terroir that Guji grew out of.

For a bean that pushes the same fruitier, sweeter side further, the FrontStreet sun-dried Red Cherry is made from fully ripe, sound cherries only and dried in the whole fruit on raised beds for three to five weeks, with the fruit turned every two to three hours during the first few days to prevent uneven fermentation. It keeps the classic Yirgacheffe character while adding a tropical lift, showing citrus-like acidity, a juicy berry body, honeyed sweetness and a creamy smoothness. If you want more clarity and floral elegance, the FrontStreet washed Gutingding Cooperative, graded Ethiopia's top G1, brings clean citrus and lemon acidity with jasmine fragrance.