Origin For May 2022
ETHIOPIA GUJI ODO SHAKISO G3
This is a medium bodied coffee grown in the Shakiso district of the Guji Region in Ethiopia with a cup score of 86.75.
It is interesting because up until the early 2000’s not much attention had been paid to Guji Region coffees. During that time, people started to notice that Guji coffees possessed unique characteristics that set it apart from Ethiopia’s most famous coffee; Yirgacheffe.
The Guji region is semi-forested. The taller trees protect the coffee from harsh sunlight and fallen leaves make the volcanic soil here much more fertile. High-altitude and dryer weather let the coffee cherries develop more slowly.
Many of you have heard me say that coffee cherries that develop slowly produce optimal quality coffee and this one is prime example. It is a super good coffee.
The coffee snobs among us may catch notes of Blueberry, Honey, or Peach. The picture below is of a small village in the Shakiso district of Ethiopia.
premium of the quarter
Panama Boquete SHB
This is the coffee that started it all for me way back in the late 1980s. At the time, I was 19 years old and had only ever had Folgers or Army coffee. I was stationed in Panama and had the chance to taste Panama Boquete coffee. It totally blew my mind. It was eons better than anything I had ever had before. It is so flavorful and a bit exotic. Professional coffee tasters (a great job if you can manage to get it) say you may catch a whiff of sweet honey and chamomile as you lift it to your mouth. It is well-balanced, a bit fruity, with a smooth, medium body.
Panama has proven itself to be one of the best coffee growing regions in the world. Panamanian coffees have become famous for the prices some of them fetch at auction. Currently our supplier is carrying two Panamanian coffees; this one and a Panama Geisha, which they are selling for $32.50 per pound. In 2019, a Panama coffee went for $1,000.00 per pound at auction. If you call yourself a coffee lover, you absolutely must try this Panama Boquete SHB. No coffee lover’s resume is complete without it.