Derived from Amharic language, Biftu Gudina means “ray of development.” The cooperative was established in 2012, and is located in the Agaro – Goma woreda (district) within the Jimma zone. There are about 130 smallholders who are members of Biftu Gudina. Located near Jimma, it is benefiting from the high altitude, and the surrounding area is green and lush!
The coffee at Biftu Gudina is processed using the washed method. At the washing station, cherries are sorted by hand for unripes and overripes prior to going into production. A Penagos eco-pulper is used to pulp the coffee cherries. Afterwards the beans are soaked in clean water in concrete tanks for 8 hours. The beans are then sun dried for 10 days on raised african drying beds and carefully hand sorted again.
Biftu Gudina has a strong leadership and chairman who together with Technoserve established the cooperative. They have also a rather innovative way of shareholding, as one farmer can access and purchase more shares. Their waste water treatment is done through a vetiver grass plot, naturally filtrating the water before it goes into the pits and finally the ground.*
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Ethiopia Biftu Gudina, from Craft Coffee in Brooklyn, New York, courtesy of, well… Craft Coffee! Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS:
region: Agaro, Goma, Jimma, Oromia, Ethiopia
farm: N/A
producer: smallholder farmers
association: Biftu Gudina Cooperative
elevation: 1975 meters above sea level
cultivars: Ethiopia Heirloom
process: fully washed, raised bed dried
certifications: standard
CUPPINGNOTES:
The aroma of the Ethiopia Biftu Gudina is pretty complex; light, airy, and fragrant. An interesting mixture of roses, lilac, and fresh cut grass meets soft red fruits and honey.
Taking my first few sips of the cup, the taste follows the nose and it is every bit as complex. A lot of those floral aromatics are very present in the flavor profile, and they are complemented by sugary flavors of chocolate, honey, and toffee.
As the cup cools, a lot of bright, fruity flavors come to the forefront of each sip: tart strawberry, sweet cherry, and effervescent peach. With all of the coffee’s sweet and clean fruit and floral notes—the highlights of any great washed Ethiopia—throughout the cup up to this point, I have to say that I’m very surprised by the emergence of savory and herbaceous flavors emerging here in the finish: white pepper, anise, clove, earth, and baking spices.
Full body; supple mouthfeel; citric acidity; clean finish.
FINALTHOUGHTS:
I had no idea what to expect when I opened the most recent Craft Coffee box and found that one of the three coffees was roasted by the Craft Coffee. What’s more, I had no idea Craft Coffee was now roasting their own coffees! I cupped the coffee with a bit of trepidation healthy skepticism but, as it turned out, Craft Coffee‘s Ethiopia Biftu Gudina was a pretty good cup. Perhaps not great, but pretty good.
This was a pretty complex coffee to begin with, though, and I think it was pretty brave of Craft to attempt tackling this one as their first offering. For a coffee that had such bright fruit elements and sugary sweetness, it also had some savory and earthy nuances to it.
Not a bad coffee, and a great first effort from Craft.
*content courtesy of by Melbourne Coffee Merchants
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Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.