Ethiopia Kercha Bilida Bukisa

From Guji's remote Kercha district, where forests still stand thick and coffee grows under the canopy's protection. Washed processing brings clarity to this highland lot—stone fruit sweetness meets balanced acidity in a cup that's distinctly Guji.

Origin Ethiopia Region Guji/Kercha Elevation 1,900-2,200m Process Washed Variety Heirloom The Source

Where Forests Still Protect

Guji stretches southeast through Oromia's lower reaches, heavily forested and startlingly remote. The Guji tribe has fought for generations to keep mining and logging out, preserving a sacred canopy that shelters coffee trees growing as close to wild as commercial farming allows. Kercha sits in this protected landscape, where 782 smallholder farmers deliver cherries to the Banko Michicha washing station established in 2011.

These high-altitude farms begin at 1,900 meters and climb from there. Cool temperatures slow cherry maturation, building sugars and layered complexity that processing later reveals. Guji earned separate recognition from Sidamo in 2018 because cups like this proved it deserved its own identity.

The Craft

Washed: Letting Terroir Speak

Within hours of harvest, cherries arrive at Banko Michicha's 108 raised drying beds. Depulped immediately, the beans ferment in water to break down sticky mucilage, then wash clean. What remains is coffee stripped to its essential character—no fruit sugars to mask origin, no variables to obscure the minerals from volcanic soil or the floral notes from high elevation.

Washed processing reveals what the forest, the soil, and the altitude contributed. This is Guji without the bold fruit fermentation that natural processing brings—balanced, clear, and quietly complex.

Peach Honey Citrus Milk Chocolate Body Medium Acidity Bright The Cup

Balanced Brightness

Peach opens the experience—ripe stone fruit sweetness that's more elegant than jammy. Honey sweetness follows, rounding out the bright citrus acidity that keeps the cup lively. Milk chocolate grounds the finish, adding depth without heaviness. The medium body carries these flavors with poise, creating a coffee that's approachable yet layered, fruit-forward yet restrained.

Find Your Fix

Pour-over methods like V60 or Beehouse let this coffee's stone fruit character and bright acidity shine. Use a 1:16 ratio with water at 202°F. This coffee also performs well as espresso for those who appreciate fruit-forward shots with chocolate undertones—pull at 1:2 ratio in 26-28 seconds.

Roasted in small batches at our Virginia Beach roastery, where the Atlantic air reminds us daily of the journeys these beans make to reach your cup.

Virginia Beach, VA