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 coffee. This coffee bean is arguably one of the most famous from Ethiopia, now in its 8th year of release, reaching Guji 8.0. However, many people are curious about which region of Ethiopia this coffee bean comes from.

In fact, Guji comes from the renowned Guji region, located in the southern part of the country and administratively belonging to Oromia, the largest state in the country. This region has numerous mountains, valleys, and plains, with an average altitude of over 1800 meters. The temperature difference between day and night is significant, and most areas consist of undeveloped dense forests. The geology is volcanic soil, and the complex and varied terrain provides diverse microclimates, making it an ideal coffee-growing region.

However, initially, this region was quite remote with not particularly convenient transportation. It was primarily used for grazing and agriculture, but later gained attention due to the discovery of abundant mineral resources. It wasn't until recent years that the coffee quality of this region was gradually discovered, and the coffee industry began to rise rapidly, making it a late bloomer.

In terms of coffee region division, the history of this region is quite similar to Yirgacheffe. Both were originally part of the Sidamo region. In 2010, according to the division by the country's unique Commodity Exchange (EXC), Guji was independently classified as a new coffee region due to its high-quality and distinctive flavor profile.

Under the Guji region, there are several well-known sub-regions, such as Hambella, Shakiso, Uraga, etc. Among these, Hambella is the birthplace of "Guji" coffee beans.

Hambella's western part is separated from Yirgacheffe by a mountain called Kochere, while its southeast and north parts border other sub-regions of Guji. The growing altitude reaches as high as 2100-2300 meters. The biggest advantage of this region lies in its dense forests, which can provide abundant natural fertilizers to the area.

In 2017, the African Fine Coffee Association held a harvest season flavor competition called TOH (Taste of Harvest). DW Company (DW COFFEE EXPORT) provided a natural process coffee bean from their Hambella Buku Abel processing plant to participate in this competition. This coffee bean won the championship in the natural process category that year with its rich berry aroma and creamy texture.

Initially, according to the traceability information at the time, this coffee bean was from the Hambella sub-region of Guji, produced by the Buku Abel processing plant as a natural process bean, and its name was simply "Hambella." Later, this bean was selected and imported by a Chinese green bean merchant. The merchant believed the flavor of this coffee bean was exceptional, so they named it "Guji," meaning "the best among all flowers," and introduced it to the domestic market under this name.

Additionally, in the same year, at the World Brewers Cup China region, contestant Li Jianfei from Beijing chose this Guji coffee bean to participate in the competition. He defeated numerous Geisha coffee beans and achieved the remarkable result of second place, which also added considerable fame to Guji coffee beans in the domestic market.

After the fame of "Guji" coffee beans, DW Company began to establish coffee processing plants in Dimtu town, the core coffee-producing area of Hambella, to meet market demand. They started purchasing coffee beans from nearby villages to produce "Guji" coffee beans.

However, coffee is still an agricultural product. Even in the same region, quality varies each year due to factors such as climate, rainfall, and fertilization. Additionally, subtle differences in temperature, humidity, and sun-drying conditions during the coffee bean processing process also affect the final flavor. Therefore, today's "Guji" coffee will have certain differences from the original "Guji" coffee beans that participated in the competition.

Therefore, to distinguish from the original version, each subsequent year's batch of Guji coffee is named "Guji X.0." For example, the batch released in 2018 was "Guji 2.0," and so on, leading to this year's batch being "Guji 8.0."

Since Ethiopian coffee beans are characterized by their fruity acidity, and Guji is primarily natural processed, which gives the coffee beans complex fruit aromas along with fermented notes, FrontStreet Coffee uses light roasting to highlight the characteristics of Guji coffee beans. After brewing, it presents tropical fruit flavors like mango and citrus, with a round, juice-like mouthfeel and a black tea finish in the aftertaste, creating a rich layering of flavors.

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