Guji is Ethiopia's proving ground for natural process coffees, the zone where raised-bed drying goes well beyond craft. Buku Abel sits in the middle of it all, a privately owned, family-run station that mills coffee from several smallholders in the surrounding villages alongside their own farm.
Heirloom trees at 2,100 to 2,300 meters have a long, slow ripening window before the harvested coffee gets to the milling station, and what happens next is where this coffee really earns its reputation.
Natural Process: Whole cherries go straight onto raised beds and dry in the sun for weeks, turned by hand to dry evenly. The fruit stays on the seed the entire time, so the sugars and pulp ferment directly into the bean. It's a harder process to get right than washing, and a station has to be disciplined about airflow and turning to avoid defect. Buku Abel does it exceptionally well.
Cupping notes: Mango and ripe papaya up front, with jellied berries and artisanal chocolate underneath. Chai spice, cinnamon, and star anise carry through the middle, and it finishes exceptionally sweet, panela and raw sugar with a bittersweet cocoa edge as it cools.
8 oz. / 227 g WHOLE BEAN
Country: Ethiopia
Region: Buku Abel, Guji Zone
Producer: Buku Abel Station
Varietal: Heirloom
Process: Natural
Roast Level: Light
Elevation: 2,100–2,300 masl
Tasting Notes: Mango, Papaya, Berry, Cinnamon, Chocolate
(Coffee is roasted weekly on Tuesdays, and sometimes Thursdays. Orders placed by 5:00 PM EST Monday are included in that week's roast and ship Friday. Orders placed after the cutoff will be roasted in the next cycle.)
Guji is Ethiopia's proving ground for natural process coffees, the zone where raised-bed drying goes well beyond craft. Buku Abel sits in the middle of it all, a privately owned, family-run station that mills coffee from several smallholders in the surrounding villages alongside their own farm.
Heirloom trees at 2,100 to 2,300 meters have a long, slow ripening window before the harvested coffee gets to the milling station, and what happens next is where this coffee really earns its reputation.
Natural Process: Whole cherries go straight onto raised beds and dry in the sun for weeks, turned by hand to dry evenly. The fruit stays on the seed the entire time, so the sugars and pulp ferment directly into the bean. It's a harder process to get right than washing, and a station has to be disciplined about airflow and turning to avoid defect. Buku Abel does it exceptionally well.
Cupping notes: Mango and ripe papaya up front, with jellied berries and artisanal chocolate underneath. Chai spice, cinnamon, and star anise carry through the middle, and it finishes exceptionally sweet, panela and raw sugar with a bittersweet cocoa edge as it cools.
8 oz. / 227 g WHOLE BEAN
Country: Ethiopia
Region: Buku Abel, Guji Zone
Producer: Buku Abel Station
Varietal: Heirloom
Process: Natural
Roast Level: Light
Elevation: 2,100–2,300 masl
Tasting Notes: Mango, Papaya, Berry, Cinnamon, Chocolate
(Coffee is roasted weekly on Tuesdays, and sometimes Thursdays. Orders placed by 5:00 PM EST Monday are included in that week's roast and ship Friday. Orders placed after the cutoff will be roasted in the next cycle.)
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