Ethiopia- Denbi Uddo, Shakiso, Guji (Natural)

This is an Organic Grade 1 natural coffee from the Kayon Mountain farm located in the Guji zone of Ethiopia's Shakiso district. The Kayon Mountain Farm, owned by Esmael Hassen, harvests about 300 hectares of its 500 hectare farm and uses its own wet and dry mills for processing.

Produced from traditional Ethiopian varieties of Arabica grown for centuries in the region, the Denbi Uddo is certified Grade 1, meaning coffee of the highest quality. Pronounced flavors of juicy strawberries, ripe blackberry and hints of jasmine heighten its richness and appeal. This coffee is classically sweet and balanced with a syrupy body owing, in part, to its development as a natural coffee.

The natural-process method involves sun-drying coffee inside their fruit on patios or raised beds. The raised drying beds are carefully constructed to ensure proper air circulation and temperature control for an optimal drying process. To prevent the cherries from spoiling, they are raked and turned throughout the day and then covered at night or during rain storms. This process, which can normally require 3-6 weeks, originated in coffee growing regions without reliable access to water and typically works best in areas with low humidity and infrequent rain, such as Ethiopia.

After the cherries have been dried to the optimum level of 11.5 to 12 percent, they are sent to mills to separate the seeds from the rest of the dried fruit, otherwise known as "hulling." Because the seeds of natural-processed coffee are encased in the cherry for longer periods of time, the resulting flavors are generally more fruity and fuller-bodied. The natural sugars in and around the seed are infused into it and result in a higher sugar content than washed coffees. Washed coffees, on the other hand, result in flavors more inherent to the bean itself.

Like virtually all southern Ethiopian coffees, the Denbi Uddo is produced by villagers on small garden plots interplanted with food and other subsistence crops. These farms are organized around Testi Trading PLC, a coffee mill located in the town of Denbi Uddo near the town of Shakiso within the Guji Zone of the Oromia Region, Ethiopia. After the beans have been fully processed and milled, they are transported for export.