Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Ethiopia Biftu Gudina, from Eastlick Coffee in Brooklyn, New York, courtesy of Craft Coffee. Feel free to pull up a chair.
 
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.*

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 this Ethiopia Biftu Gudina is wonderful; fragrant, perfumed, and winy. Loads of berries and citrus come exploding out of the cup while a bouquet of floral aromatics flourish throughout.

Right out of the gate, this coffee’s flavor is as explosive as its aroma. It is a pretty full-bodied coffee, made to feel even more fully-bodied by its dense, supple, molasses-like mouthfeel. Again, I’m finding a massive berry bomb in the cup; a medley of mixed berries (strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry), coupled with the coffee’s supple texture, makes for a flavor note reminiscent of berry jam and, again, there’s that bouquet of floral aromatics (rose petal, honeysuckle, orange blossom). But there’s a lot more going on in this cup; juicy fruits like red grape, plum, raisin, black currant, honeycrisp apple, and a tangy tangerine acidity flood over the palate, in addition to the sweetness of molasses and brown sugar. There’s even a red wine tannin element to this coffee, which gives it a mildly dry finish.

Full body; supple mouthfeel; citric acidity; dry finish.

FINALTHOUGHTS:

From the very first sip to the last drop, Eastlick Coffee Ethiopia Biftu Gudina is absolutely stunning. A bright, fruity coffee with a voluptuously supple full body that envelops the tongue and entices the taste buds.

This is another one of those Ethiopian coffees that could have been served in a wine glass; one that showcases how complex, elegant, and fine coffees can be. I can’t recommend this one highly enough.

*content courtesy of by Melbourne Coffee Merchants

What were your thoughts of this one? Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome! Contact me, or enter a comment below.

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