New Release | Washed Ethiopias - Dame & Guracho
As sweet summer comes to a close, we relish in knowing that Ethiopian coffee releases are beginning to roll out. Ah yes, the tantalizing taste of florals, botanicals, and lemon…there really is no origin quite like Ethiopia. And this year, we are bringing the people several options! Not only will we have the return of our washed Dame Dabaye, but we are also bringing on a washed Guracho. Both of these coffees are from the Guji region, but for those who know Guji, you know that the region alone has many different terroirs producing coffees with wide varieties of flavors. Guji is an administrative zone of the Oromia region of Ethiopia, which gained political definition in 2002, prior to that it was a part of the Borena zone.
While the Guracho profiles tend to lean more towards peach, honey, lemon and florals, the Dame Dabaye coffees present distinct grapefruit, passionfruit, hop, and lime zest. The Guracho washing station is located only 5 hours west in Kercha, and yet the difference in soil, shade, and general terroir offer a very different cup experience. The processes used at both of these stations are almost identical since they are both managed and run by Sibu Coffee Trading, the largest producer and exporter of Ethiopian coffee.
The people at Sibu have been working extensively with Guji farmers in various capacities for over two decades. In fact, the founders of Sibu Coffee were instrumental in establishing some of the first washing stations in the area - technically the Borena Zone at the time. With the goal of improving market access for their farmers, Sibu began operations in 2014 to ship primarily Guji coffees to importers and roasters all around the world. Because of their seniority in the Ethiopian coffee industry, we trust Sibu year after year to offer incredible Guji coffees. This year, you have the special opportunity to taste two!
Every year we have staff and customers alike asking about the timeline for the return of our washed Ethiopias. They taste like an extended summer: sweet, crisp, and refreshing, and they usually land right in time for the seasons to begin changing. Keep the sense of summer alive with one (or both!) of these washed Ethiopian coffee offerings.