Shoondhisa | Ethiopia

TL;DR: this is one of those coffees that has coffee pros saying: “holy shit, this is what coffee from Ethiopia used to taste like!” Well, it made us do that at least. This is just pure joy and deliciousness in your cup. Enjoy it.

 

This coffee brought us great joy when we cupped it. It was one sip in, and we decided to buy some, and you better believe you’ll be seeing this year after year from now. We’ve roasted this coffee with a focus on maintaining the supremely clean character this has for a naturally processed coffee. We’ve kept it light, swift, and if we’ve done it right, you’ll get to experience the full spectrum of crisp florals and jammy fruit sweetness this great coffee has to offer.

From our import partner Osito:
Sookoo Coffee is perhaps the most foundational relationship of Osito's in Ethiopia, which, generally, is one of our greatest countries of focus. We have been working with Sookoo's founder, Ture Waji, since our earliest days of sourcing in Ethiopia. Ture and his brother, Assefa, founded the company (legally, Dambi Uddo Agro Industry) in late 2018/early 2019. In that same harvest, Osito delivered to Dambi Uddo their very first registered purchase contract. Sookoo Coffee is located in Odo Shakiso within the Oromia Region and Guji Zone of Ethiopia and produces both naturally processed and washed coffees with cherry sourced from the surrounding kebeles. Lots are typically named for the kebele from which the cherry comes (e.g. Shoondhisa or Bookkisa).

 

Most of the cherry being delivered are one of two varieties; Gibirinna 74110 and Serto 74112. Both of these are from the Metu Bishari selections made in the forest of the same name in the Illubabor Zone by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) in 1974. They were selected for their resistance to Coffee Berry Disease (CBD {no, not THAT CBD...}). Now, they are some of the most propagated varieties in Ethiopia.

 

The cherries are all dried at a centralized location on raised beds at an elevation of 2173 masl for around 15-20 days in very thin layers. They are moved and rotated frequently to ensure even and precise drying. The net results of all the effort are some of the most vibrant and pristinely clean coffees we buy. Unlike many naturals, they present with high florality and acid with very little booziness. They are often described as "Ethiopia first, natural processing second."

We start with the same recipe for all of our espresso coffees:
 

• 20g dose
• 45g yield
• 30 seconds

 

From here we will tweak things to get the flavours to highlight things we like. Use this as your starting point and go wild!

 

Note: some domestic espresso machines can’t use a 20g dose. Please always follow your manufacturers instructions to avoid damaging your equipment.