Summary

This naturally grown and naturally processed coffee comes from the Guji Zone in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. The Guji zone is located slightly south of Sidamo and Yirgacheffe, areas known around the globe to have some of the very best coffee. The coffee is dried on raised beds for 15-20 days and turned regularly to make sure the coffee is not damaged. This is a very high-quality coffee and it can be roasted to just about every roast level however, we find it to perform very well as a lighter roast.   

This Ethiopia offering is very impressive with a smell of light jasmine and sweet fruit. Upon first taste, you will encounter mild citrus and blueberry notes. This is followed by a hint of chocolate covered cherry, finishing with a mellow blueberry and strawberry taste. It has a clean after-taste and a full mouth experience.

Details

The Kayon Mountain Coffee Farm is 500 hectares with about 300 hectares planted in coffee and has been owned and operated by Ismael Hassen Aredo and his family since 2012. It is located 510 kilometers south of Addis Ababa, and the property crosses the border of two villages—Taro and Sewana—located in the Oromia region, in the Guji zone of the Shakiso district of Ethiopia.

Ismael oversees a staff of 25 permanent full-time and 300 seasonal employees, and the farm management offers free transportation services as well as financial support for building schools and administration buildings for the community. The farm competes with a nearby mining village for seasonal workers, so Ismael and his family tend to pay higher wages to their pickers in order to incentivize them returning year after year.

Kayon Mountain farm has a nursery on-site and utilizes shade (acacia and other indigenous trees) to protect the coffee as well as for creating compost to fertilize naturally. Ismael is meticulous about not only the structure and management of the farm itself but also the harvesting and processing. Both Natural and Washed lots are produced on the property.

Washed coffees are picked ripe and dupulped the same day. They are fermented for 24–36 hours, weather-dependent, and then dried on raised beds. Natural coffees are picked, rinsed and sorted, and moved to the drying beds. In both cases, the drying can take between 12–20 days, also depending on the weather.