Harvest Season
| Varietal(s) | Ethiopian Heirloom, 74110, 74112 |
|---|---|
| Processing | Natural |
The natural process at Kayon Mountain is methodical in a way that separates good naturals from the ones that taste like a barn. Cherries are hand-sorted for ripeness before they ever touch a drying bed — damaged or underripe cherry gets pulled immediately. What remains is spread in a single layer on raised mesh beds. Workers rotate the cherries constantly. For three to six weeks, depending on the weather, the fruit desiccates around the bean, concentrating sugars and generating the flavor compounds that make natural Ethiopians what they are. The target moisture is 11.5%.
This is Ismael Hassen’s Kayon Mountain estate, in Odo Shakiso, in the Guji Zone. The farm is NOP Organic. It sits between 1,800 and 2,200 meters, and the heirloom varieties grown there are the reason Guji naturals taste like Guji rather than like a generic fruit bomb.
Natural-process Guji is different from washed Guji. Washing strips the fruit away and leaves the bean to speak for itself. The natural process leaves the cherry intact, so the sugars in the fruit dry into the bean and the cup carries dried fruit, carob, and something herbal and savory underneath.
Ethiopian naturals from Guji are typically the most fruit-forward coffees in the country — dried berries rather than fresh, with a syrupy weight that washed lots do not have.
When we roast this, we taste dried strawberry, raspberry, cranberry, lemon, thyme, dark chocolate, and dried fruit. The strawberry is the first thing everyone notices: dried, concentrated, the kind that sticks to your teeth. Raspberry follows, tart and jammy, with a cranberry acidity brightening the cup. Lemon threads through the middle, and thyme arrives at the end, herbal and savory.
We Roast It This Way
We roast it this way: to a Medium Light roast. This is a specialty-grade green coffee. We recommend targeting 400–420°F charge temperature and aiming for City+ to Full City for a balanced cup that honours the origin character. First crack typically appears around 385–395°F (varies by roaster type and drum speed). Development time: 1:00–1:45 after first crack.
Light-medium to preserve the fruit — natural Ethiopians are volatile; push too far into first crack and the berry notes flatten into generic sweetness
