Jigesa Natural
Intense floral characteristics with lavender and purple fruit. Complex with a silky mouthfeel.
Located in the Shakisso woreda (administrative district) of Ethiopia’s Guji Zone, Jigesa is a bustling washing station owned and operated by Testi Specialty Coffee. As Testi’s first processing site, it marks the beginning of founder Faysel Abdosh’s dream of establishing a business that promoted the exceptional quality of the country’s coffee regions.
Having grown up in the renowned Harar coffee production area, Faysel began buying and selling the crop from farmers when he was still in high school. “Coffee is my life, that’s why,” Faysel told us when we asked him why he established Testi. “I love the coffee business. I love the countryside. I was born there, and so I love being around coffee farms.” When establishing Jigesa in 2015, Faysel and the company introduced meticulous practices at every step of production, from cherry delivery to drying and storing, which are still rigorously followed. During the harvest, Faysel spends most of his time where he is happiest, visiting the company’s washing stations on Ethiopia’s countryside.
During harvest, freshly picked coffee cherry is delivered daily by some 750 independent outgrowers from the nearby kebele of Dambi Uddo and collection points in Wese and Suke. Because Jigesa sits at 1,850 metres above sea level, it’s in a prime position to receive coffee cherries from farmers who grow coffee under perfect conditions.
Their farms typically sit at elevations of up to 2,050m above sea level, which combined with the region’s cool temperatures, is ideal for the slow ripening of coffee cherries, leading to denser beans and a sweeter, more complex cup profile. The majority of the families that contribute to this lot farm organically on tiny plots of land, which average just two to five hectares in size. Coffee is their main cash crop and grows alongside food crops of fake banana, corn and grain, under the shade of native Birbira, Wanza, and Acacia trees.
Each outgrower that delivers to Jigesa receives payment on delivery of their cherry, including a premium above the annual market rate set by the Ethiopian government. Farmers who are registered with the washing station also receive a second premium payment three months later or after the lot has been sold, based on what they have delivered. This usually happens around June or July (coinciding with the Ethiopian winter), which is when they would be preparing for the next harvest.
ABOUT THE GUJI ZONE
Ethiopia is incredibly diverse and multi-cultured, as it is made up of 80 different nations where some 90 distinct languages and dialects are spoken. The Guji Zone is located in the southern portion of the political region of Oromia, which is the traditional land of the Oromo people. Along with cattle-raising, the Oromo have a long, proud history of agriculture, including coffee production, and a deep commitment to caring for their environment. Guji is bordered on the south and west by Borena, on the north by Gedeo and Sidama, and on the east by Bale and the Somali Region. Coffees that are classified as ‘Gujis’, originate from the districts of Adoola Redi, Uraga, Kercha, Bule Hora, and Shakisso, which is where this lot is from.
Prior to 2002, coffees from Guji were sold under the broader classification of Sidama, a larger producing region covering much of central-south Ethiopia. Since they began to be classified and sold separately, Guji coffees have become recognised worldwide for their unique and distinctive cup profile. Historically, Guji has also been known for its cattle and gold mining (Ethiopia’s largest gold mine is in Shakisso, for example), but as its coffee became more sought after, more and more farmers have taken its production.
Guji continues to be largely rural, with most of its inhabitants choosing to live on the fields rather than in towns. As such, most communities make a living from farming, with few or no agrochemicals used on the fields. Coffee remains the major cash crop for most families in the Guji region, who grow coffee alongside food crops for consumption.
While most know the folk tale of Kaldi the goat herder, who was the first to ‘discover’ coffee, the Oromo people have their own origin myth for the crop. They believe that the first coffee plant sprung from the tears of deity Waaqa, who was mourning the death of an esteemed servant he had unjustly punished. Coffee in Oromia is thus seen as a sacred gift, and its production and consumption have great cultural and historical significance.
VARIETY
This coffee includes a large percentage of local landrace varieties Kurume and Wolisho, along with other JARC varieties.
For many years, most Ethiopian coffees have been described as being a mix of cultivated and wild varieties, referred to as “heirloom varieties.” This is a term that is all-encompassing and used by many actors in the coffee industry to generally categorise Ethiopian coffee varieties that are from native forest origins. Whilst this describes many of the varieties found in Ethiopia, it does not fully acknowledge the varieties that are already locally recognised and cultivated, or those that have been specifically developed and widely distributed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre (JARC).
Gedeo is home to many landrace varieties that were originally selected from the forest and have been propagated successfully for decades. There are a six popular landrace varieties propagated through Gedeo, Guji and Sidama; these are Bedessa, Dega, Kurume, Mique, Sawe and Wolisho. There is little documentation on the history of these varieties, and it is hard to know if they represent a single plant or a larger “family” of varieties; however, it is widely accepted that they play a major role in the quality and floral flavour profile of the coffee from this region. While morphologically, these plants show differences (Kurume is known for producing smaller cherries than Wolisho, for example), most have been named after local, indigenous non-coffee trees. It is also likely some historical landrace names have potentially been applied to JARC selections that resemble them.
JARC varieties were developed using “mother trees” from Ethiopia’s coffee forests, and are now grown for disease and pest resistance, as well as exceptional cup profile. These were released by number, with the first two representing the year they were selected and catalogued (those whose names begin with ’74,’ for example, were released in 1974). The most widely propagated varieties were developed following a Coffee Berry Disease outbreak that struck Ethiopia in 1971. The selection process resulted in collections from 19 locations in southwestern Ethiopia, eventually finding 13 mother trees from the regions of Gera, Wush Wush, Washi and Metu-Bishari that showed great resistance and promise. The most widely propagated JARC varieties — like 74158, 74110 and 74112 — all descend from the forests of Metu-Bishari.
When farmers expand or renew their plots of land, they either prepare their own seedlings (from trees they are already growing) or receive them from JARC and their distribution partners, or from traders and exporters like Testi Specialty Coffee. By working directly with growers, Testi can ensure they only grow varieties that perform well on the local region’s soils, and that will eventually earn them better payment on delivery due to the quality of the fruit. Due to Ethiopia’s traditional growing practices, however, it is hard to guarantee whether a coffee lot is made up entirely of a single variety.
PROCESSING
This coffee was processed using the natural method; a complex process requiring a high level of attention to detail in order to be done well. Ethiopian coffee has been processed this way by generations of farmers who have mastered the art through centuries of tradition and experience. Testi Coffee ensures that a great deal of care is taken in the processing and drying of their naturals, and they aim for all of their exportable coffee to be specialty quality grade. This coffee is classified as Grade 1, indicating that a lot of effort has been put into the selection, grading and drying to ensure the very highest quality coffee is produced.
Each day, carefully hand-picked coffee cherries were delivered to the wet mill to be meticulously hand-sorted prior to processing to remove unripe, overripe, or damaged fruit, in order to enhance the quality and sweetness of the cup. The coffee was then graded by weight and spread evenly on raised beds to dry in the sun. Initially, it was laid very thinly and turned regularly to ensure consistent drying and prevent over-fermentation. This was done very carefully to avoid damage to the fruit.
After a few days, when the coffee had reached 25% humidity — this is called the “raisin stage” — the layers of coffee were gradually increased. Careful attention and control during this drying phase ensured the coffee was stable and that a clean and balanced cup profile was achieved. The coffee was turned constantly whilst drying to ensure that it dried evenly and consistently. At midday, the coffee was covered to protect it from full sun. It was also covered overnight to prevent damage from morning dew. Once the coffee reached the optimum moisture level (usually after 15–18 days), it was hulled and rested in bags in parchment until it is ready for export.
HOW THIS COFFEE WAS SOURCED
Since 2018, regulation changes within the Ethiopian coffee industry have allowed smallholder producers and coffee washing stations to export coffee directly to the international market, rather than through the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX), through a model called Vertical Integration. While the ECX has provided stability and opportunity for many Ethiopian coffee farmers, Vertical Integration allows for greater transparency and traceability as it enables a more streamlined coffee supply chain. Beyond this, producers who market and trade their coffee directly can access higher prices and more direct payments for their coffees. We buy all of our coffee through this model, working directly with our supply and export partners, Testi Specialty Coffee.
