Tima, Ethiopia

TASTING NOTES

candied orange, floral, vanilla, stone fruit

TASTING NOTES

candied orange, floral, vanilla, stone fruit

COFFEE BACKGROUND

Sookoo Coffee operates several stations high in the mountains outside Shakiso, in the Guji zone of southern Ethiopia. Strip mining of gold and minerals have left the area deforested and depleted. In the local language, “Sookoo” means “gold” — and founder Ture Waji believes coffee can be “the new gold,” revitalizing the land rather than exploiting it. Ture has become a leader of the new generation of coffee growing in eastern Guji.

Sookoo processed this coffee at their Weessi washing station. They pulped the ripe cherries, fermented them in water for 12 hours, then washed away any remaining mucilage. Then they spread the seeds in thin layers on raised drying beds. To ensure even drying, station workers carefully turned the coffee multiple times each day. Sookoo maintains an obsessive focus on quality in their processing; as a result, the coffees they produce are remarkably clean and bright, bursting with delightfully floral, fruit-forward, and complex character.

The Tima, sourced from the Guji region of Ethiopia and roasted by Blueprint Coffee, represents a classic expression of the area’s high-quality output. Produced by Sookoo Coffee, this lot undergoes a washed process, a method typically employed to highlight the inherent clarity and acidity of the bean. While washed coffees often emphasize clean, bright profiles, the specific character of this selection features notes of candied orange, floral aromatics, vanilla, and stone fruit.

When evaluating such nuanced profiles, it is helpful to reference a flavor wheel to better identify the interplay between these delicate fruit and floral characteristics. Because Guji coffees are frequently celebrated for their complex, layered profiles, this offering provides a clear look at how meticulous processing can refine the vibrant, aromatic qualities synonymous with the region’s production.