Shoondhisa, Ethiopia

It has been a long old while since we last had an Ethiopian amongst our list of offerings, but I think we can safely say it was worth the wait. Boasting a peach iced tea sweetness, a juicy, zingy, and complex pomegranate florality, and just a hint of coconut creaminess on the finish, the Shoondhisa embodies all the classic qualities of an Ethiopian natural and a bit more. Unlike the often-boozy naturals of Latin America, the Shoondhisa exhibits the origin’s quintessential clean and floral palate without forgoing that trademark natural juicy sweetness - making it perfect for pourover and batch brewing. 

A collaboration between a number of smallholders in the renowed Guji zone, the Shoondhisa takes its name from the sub-kebele (ward) in which it was grown. The coffee cherries are painstakingly and organically propagated and harvested in small family holdings. Sparsely planted and grown alongside other crops for family consumption and within fully or semi-forested localities, this method of coffee farming encourages a flourishing biodiversity. Once harvested the cherries are taken to the hilltop drying station of Dambi Uddo to be dried and processed before being prepared for export. The whole process is managed by grower/ processor/exporter extraordinaire, Ture Waji, and his team at Sookoo Coffee Export.  

This particular offering from Ture is a combination of two varietals, Gibirinna 74110 and Serto 74112. The pair were the result of years of tireless research by the Jimma Agricultrual Research Center (JARC) in the Metu Bishari Forest and were specially selected for their resistance to coffee berry disease.