Rumudamo Anaerobic Washed

Something new and very special from the famous Guji region and a return from Sookoo Coffee founded by Ture Waji aka 'The King of Guji' and imported exclusively by our friends at Osito coffee. This selection was placed in Grain Pro bags in a reduced oxygen environment (anoxic) for 86 hrs giving this classic Guji a little sparkly twist. Sookoo Coffee is located in Odo Shakiso within the Oromia Region and Guji Zone. Each lot is named for the kebele from which the cherry comes e.g. Birbissa, Bookkisa, and this Shoondhisa. This relatively young but already well known coffee area is recognised for its unique and distinctive cup profiles. In this beautiful landscape of forest jungle at an elevation of 2100-2350m, you can hear the workers singing cultural Guji songs while moving coffee around. Most of the cherry being delivered are one of two varieties; Gibirinna 74110 and Serto 74112. Both of these are from the Metu Bishari selections made in the forest of the same name in the Illubabor Zone by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) in 1974. They were selected for their resistance to Coffee Berry Disease. Now they are some of the most propagated varieties in Ethiopia. After the anaerobic peroid in Grain Pro, the cherries are all dried at the Suke station on raised beds at an elevation of 2170m for around 15-20 days in very thin layers. They are moved and rotated frequently to ensure even and precise drying. The net results of all the effort are some of the most vibrant and pristinely clean natural Ethiopian coffees we have seen. Unlike many naturals, they present with high florality and acidity with very little booziness. They are often described as "Ethiopia first, natural processing second."

Yes folks, it's time for the return of this washed beauty from our trip to the home of coffee back in January last year with Atrie from Coffee Legends to the Daye Bensa operation. Rumudamo is the jewel in the Daye Bensa crown and coffees from this washing station in the Arbegona area within Sidamo have placed highly in CoE competitions in previous years (2nd and 3rd spots in 2020)! Arbegona is one of the 30 district in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Sidama Zone, Arbegona is bordered on the south by Bona Zuria, on the southwest by Bursa, on the northwest by Gorche, on the north by the Oromia Region, and on the east by Bensa. The major town in Arbegona is Arbegona. Just like it's naturally processed sibling that we have available too, this coffee comes from small plots in the highland area of Arbegona in a specific village called Rumudamo, which benefits from the very high altitudes up to 2300 MASL. Coffee is the main cash crop in this area, though many other crops grow here such as sugar cane, false banana, spices and vegetables. Cherries are sorted based on density and quality by floating them in large water tanks. After flotation, the ripe cherries are pulped and transferred to fermentation tanks for 72 hrs before being taken to the raised beds with mesh nets for 9-10 days drying.

Our latest Guatemalan goodness is a welcome return from Francisco Morales and his farm La Esperanza, the first farm we visited on our trip back in 2024 with importer Primavera. La Esperanza is perched at 1700m high up in the famous Huehuetenango (abbrev. huehue) region and the views from the drying patios of the surrounding mountains were quite something. Francisco and his wife have been the proud owners of La Esperanza farm in Cipresales for over 40 years over which time they have achieved a great deal. As like many other producers, the initial years of starting their farm activities were very challenging ones. But thanks to the hard work, dedication and commitment of the family, the farm has grown into a business that provides income for the household and generates a source of employment for many others in the surrounding area. The name of the farm, which in English translates into “The Hope”, explains well how important coffee production is for them. Francisco is the type of person that never feels done learning new things. His eagerness to hear experiences from others, and try out new things at the farm, wet mill or drying area. His curiosity and interest for improving coffee quality resulted in winning several prizes the Huehuetenango Highland competitions. Francisco’s son Desvin is in charge of the processing of his lots. Lots are depulped the same day as harvest and dry fermented around 24 hours (but this can vary based on the ambient temperature each day). The coffee is then dried on the cement patio. Roast profile: We've roasted this coffee in our 'omni' profile. A little more development of body and sweetness than a pure filter profile which means this coffee suits brewing with any method ie. filter or espresso.

Our latest easy drinker is the return of this Amarelo Mantiqueira from the Serra de Mantiqueira region of Brazil and is a blend of Yellow Bourbon coffees from various smallholders in the area that sell their coffees to the Cocarive cooperative. We visited Cocarive back in September 2025 and to say it was impressive is an understatement. The Serra de Mantiqueira stretch across São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro states. Located in the Minas Gerais state, the Mantiqueria de Minas area was the first to get a geographical indication in the Brazilian coffee industry (supported and developed by BSCA). This fresh approach, akin to ‘terroir’ in the wine industry, is redefining how people view specialty coffee from Brazil with 25 counties in the region and 7,800 producers, of which 89% are smallholders. The area comprises 69,500 hectares and altitude ranges from 900 to 1,500 masl, with a predominance of yellow varieties over the more typical red. All coffees are minimum 84 SCA points as part of the denomination and many enter the late harvest Cup of Excellence in Brazil. The lower altitudes are often grazed by cattle and the steeper slopes compared to other parts of the state mean that the near ubiquitous mechanisation of the coffee industry in Brazil is much less commonly seen, and hand picking more prevalent. Though both red and yellow cherries are grown across the region, altitude often splits the choices, with yellow generally being grown at higher elevations and therefore forming a larger percentage of quality coffees form the region. Once the coffee is picked, it is processed through to dry milling on the farm, and then brought to the Cocarive warehouse just outside São Lourenço. It is then rigorously cupped under the guidance of ex Brazilian cupping Champion Wellington Pereira (aka Baba).