Guji is a highly regarded specialty coffee region in southern Ethiopia. Since being independently classified within the ECX trading system in 2010, it has quickly risen to fame thanks to its highly distinctive flavors. This article takes you deep into Guji's geographical environment, volcanic soil, and high-altitude climate, and analyzes the characteristics of its three sub-regions—Hambela, Shakiso, and Uraga—one by one. From the birthplace of "Huakui" to the stories of gold mining history and its rise through the TOH competition, and then to an analysis of the Trabocca flavor map, it presents the complex aromas and regional charm of Guji coffee in full. Front Street Coffee will also recommend noteworthy Guji beans for you. [more…]

This coffee bean from Uraga in Ethiopia's Guji region took first place with 89.8 points in the washed group at the 2020 Taste of Harvest (TOH) competition in East Africa. Front Street Coffee has specially put together for coffee lovers an overview of this champion bean's growing region background, processing method, roasting approach, and brewing plan. Uraga town sits at an altitude of 2,300 meters and has fertile black soil along with a rich genetic potential for fruit flavors. After meticulous washing at the Sela Gajaba processing station, it displays the traditional Ethiopian floral aroma, citrus, and tea-like notes, while cleanliness is greatly improved. To preserve its clear mouthfeel, Front Street Coffee's roaster focused on amplifying the white floral and fruit notes, and developed targeted pour-over parameters to highlight the core flavors of jasmine, pomelo, honey, and green tea. [more…]

Many friends of Front Street Coffee beans like Front Street TOH coffee beans, but many are not clear about what TOH means. Starting from the TOH competition, this article provides a detailed introduction to the 2020 TOH washed category champion—this bean from Uraga in the Guji region of Ethiopia—covering its regional background, the washed process at the Sela Gajaba processing station, the curve design by Front Street roasters, and a brewing recipe that highlights jasmine, pomelo, and green tea flavors. Whether you want to understand what TOH actually is or master the key brewing points for this champion bean, you can find the answers below. [more…]

The Guji region of Ethiopia has attracted considerable attention in the specialty coffee world in recent years, and Uraga, as one of its standout sub-regions, has produced no shortage of stunning washed lots. In this installment, Front Street Coffee takes you deep into this Hero Washed G1: from the terroir conditions of Guji Uraga and Ethiopia's coffee bean grading system, to the jasmine, bergamot, and apricot flavors expressed under a light roast, and finally a complete set of pour-over extraction parameters and staged pouring technique. Whether you want to understand the classic style of Ethiopian washed beans or are looking for a reliable reference plan for your daily brewing, this article will give you clear answers. [more…]

Guji is the second specialty coffee region in Ethiopia to become independent from Sidamo after Yirgacheffe, and it quickly rose to fame in just over a decade thanks to its highly recognizable regional flavors. Guji has complex terrain and deep volcanic soil, and its high altitudes and significant day-night temperature differences together create a rich array of aromatic compounds. Its sub-regions such as Hambela, Shakiso, and Uraga each have their own characteristics: Hambela is the birthplace of "Huakui," Shakiso is known for its lemon-honey profile, and Uraga stands out for its tea-like body and floral-fruity aroma. Front Street Coffee's Huakui comes precisely from naturally processed beans in the core Hambela production area. This article will provide a complete analysis of the flavor code of Guji coffee, from regional divisions and terroir conditions to processing methods and brewing parameters. [more…]

The Ethiopian TOH (Taste of Harvest) competition is known as Africa's coffee "Cup of Excellence," and each year its winning beans represent the highest standard of their producing regions. The 2019 natural category champion, Aricha, and the 2020 washed category champion, Uraga, were both introduced to the domestic market by Front Street Coffee. They come from the well-known regions of Yirgacheffe and Guji respectively, and their processing methods—one natural, one washed—give them completely different flavor profiles. This article will provide a comprehensive comparison of these two champion beans, covering producing region background, processing technique, variety characteristics, roasting curve, cupping, and brewing, to help coffee lovers understand their respective style positioning and suitable audiences. [more…]

TOH stands for the Taste of Harvest competition, a green coffee cupping event initiated by the African Fine Coffees Association, and is ranked alongside Brazil's Cup of Excellence. In 2020, this washed bean from the Uraga sub-region of Ethiopia's Guji producing area won the washed group championship with a score of 89.8. It was carefully washed at the Sela Gajaba processing station at an altitude of up to 2,300 meters, displaying rich layers of jasmine, lemon, berry, pomelo, honey, and green tea. The roaster at Front Street Coffee used a Yangjia 800N roasting machine, adjusting the dehydration phase and first crack time to preserve its clean mouthfeel and white floral and fruity notes. For brewing, a coarser grind, 91°C water temperature, and a three-stage pour are used to highlight the floral and citrus juice character. This article will provide a complete analysis of this champion bean's origin background, processing method, roasting curve, and brewing parameters. [more…]

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) has long been following and introducing winning lots from Ethiopia's TOH (Taste of Harvest) competition. The 2020 washed category champion bean came from Uraga in the Guji region, earning the national title with a score of 89.8. This bean is grown at an altitude of up to 2,300 meters, graded G1, and processed using the washed method, with flavor notes layered with jasmine, citrus, honey, pomelo, and oolong tea. This article will systematically sort through the TOH competition mechanism, the terroir characteristics of the Guji and Uraga regions, the washed processing flow at the Sela Gajaba processing station, and Ethiopia's green bean grading system, and will also include Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) roasting curve, cupping report, and V60 brewing parameters, helping coffee enthusiasts fully understand the origins and tasting highlights of this champion bean. [more…]

In 2019, the washed category crown at the Ethiopia TOH green bean competition went to a bean named "Hero" from the Uraga processing plant in the Guji region. It has a fascinating flavor profile weaving together jasmine, bergamot, lemon, apricot, and honey. Coffee Review gave it 88 points, it grows at an altitude of up to 2,150 meters, and it is washed processed and medium roasted. This article will guide you through the origin background of this champion bean, the uniqueness of Ethiopia's native Heirloom variety, and the significance of the TOH competition, and it also includes the pour-over parameters recommended by Front Street Coffee—90°C water temperature, a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, and extraction completed within two minutes—so you can recreate this bright floral aroma of the African highlands at home. [more…]

Guji is one of the most recognizable producing regions in Ethiopia's specialty coffee landscape. It was separated from Sidama in 2010 and administratively belongs to the Oromia Region. Here, high mountains and deep valleys, fertile volcanic soil, and sharp temperature differences between day and night give rise to coffees with both floral and fruity notes. Guji encompasses several well-known sub-regions, including Hambela, Shakiso, and Uraga, among which Hambela is the birthplace of the "Huakui" coffee beans. This article systematically reviews Guji's geography and terroir, the flavor characteristics of its various sub-regions, and the origin background, processing methods, and brewing suggestions for Front Street Coffee Sidama Natural Huakui, helping coffee enthusiasts gain a comprehensive understanding of this region's unique charm. [more…]

Ethiopia, as the birthplace of coffee, has given rise to many highly distinctive specialty coffee regions. Yirgacheffe is famous for its citrus florals and bright acidity, while the natural-process Uraga from the Guji region displays a completely different flavor profile. This article starts from the flavor characteristics of Front Street Coffee's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and extends to the brewing practice of natural-process Guji Uraga, documenting in detail the extraction parameters and cup profile under the V60 dripper, guiding you through the fermented berry sweetness and rich layers that the natural process bestows upon coffee. [more…]

Ethiopia, as the birthplace of coffee, often confuses beginners with its regional divisions. There are only three officially registered producing regions—Yirgacheffe, Sidamo, and Harar—but the micro-regions actually in circulation are far more numerous. Front Street Coffee will guide you through the relationships among these regions, with a focus on popular sub-regions such as Guji Hambela, Shakiso, and Uraga. The article will also provide a detailed breakdown of the origin information, processing method, and flavor characteristics of Front Street's Huakui G1 coffee beans, along with practical brewing suggestions to help you better savor this natural-process bean with its strawberry and cream aromas. [more…]

As the birthplace of Arabica coffee, Ethiopia possesses an enormous resource of native varieties, earning it the reputation of a natural gene bank, and it has also given rise to many world-renowned specialty coffee regions. This article will review the terroir characteristics and representative bean flavors of three major regions—Yirgacheffe, Sidamo Hambela, and Guji Uraga—and, drawing on Front Street Coffee's brewing experience, provide specific grind sizes, coffee-to-water ratios, water temperatures, and staged pouring plans for Yirgacheffe, Huakui, and the Uraga champion bean, helping coffee enthusiasts more consistently reproduce the signature flavors of floral notes, citrus, and honey pomelo tea in their daily pour-over brewing. [more…]

Guji is a specialty coffee region in Ethiopia that has attracted much attention in recent years, having become independent from Sidama thanks to its distinctive floral and fruity flavors. This article systematically reviews the geographical environment of the Guji region, the terroir characteristics of sub-regions such as Hambela, Shakiso, and Uraga, and focuses on the Front Street Huakui coffee beans that made Guji famous—from the natural processing method at the Buku Abel processing station to the complete parameters for V60 pour-over, helping coffee lovers gain a comprehensive understanding of this region's unique charm and brewing key points. [more…]

Front Street Coffee has recently added two competition-grade Ethiopian coffee beans to its lineup: a natural Typica that placed 22nd in the COE Cup of Excellence competition, and a native variety that won the washed group championship in the TOH tournament. This article provides a systematic comparison of these two Front Street Ethiopian coffee beans across multiple dimensions, including competition background, growing region, coffee variety, green bean processing, roasting curve, cupping performance, and brewing recommendations. Readers can use this to understand the differences between the COE and TOH competitions, the terroir characteristics of the Sidamo Arsi and Uraga producing regions, the varietal traits of Typica versus Ethiopian native heirloom varieties, and the influence of natural and washed processing methods on flavor direction, providing a reference for daily purchasing and brewing. [more…]

Ethiopia, as the birthplace of coffee, has nurtured tens of thousands of coffee varieties, and its Guji region became an independent zone in 2010 thanks to its unique flavors. The Buku Abel processing station in the Hambela sub-region is precisely the birthplace of the renowned Huakui coffee. From winning the TOH competition in 2017 to the launch of Huakui 7.0 today, this natural-process bean has undergone years of evolution. This article will guide you through the terroir characteristics of Guji and Hambela, the story of Huakui's rise to fame, and the specific information and brewing suggestions for Huakui 7.0 recommended by Front Street Coffee, suitable for every lover of African coffee. [more…]

Front Street Coffee recently launched a highly anticipated coffee bean—the 2020 TOH Washed Group Champion, produced in Ethiopia's Uraga region. This bean impresses with its fresh flavors of citrus and green tea. Geographically, the Uraga region is close to Yirgacheffe and was often sold under the name Yirgacheffe in the past, until the ECX issued Announcement No. 1051 in 2017, after which it was able to be traded independently and gradually emerged. This article will introduce the region's background, the meaning of the TOH competition, the processing details of the champion lot, and the cupping flavors, as well as provide a horizontal comparison with the Yirgacheffe Gedeb Cooperative, giving you a comprehensive understanding of the unique charm of this champion coffee. [more…]

In recent years, the Guji region of Ethiopia has risen to prominence in the specialty coffee world, and its intense floral and fruity aromas have drawn the attention of coffee lovers around the globe. As a young private estate in this region, the Annasora Estate leverages its unique geographical setting and enzyme-washed processing method to craft a coffee flavor reminiscent of white peach oolong tea. This article takes an in-depth look at the Annasora Estate's growing background and processing techniques, as well as how Front Street Coffee brings out this coffee's refined taste through roasting and brewing, offering you a comprehensive understanding of this much-talked-about Guji coffee. [more…]

Ethiopia, as a genetic treasure trove of coffee, has nurtured countless stunning specialty coffee regions. From the administrative transition of Sidamo to Sidama, from the wetland settlement of Yirgacheffe to the rise of Guji as tomorrow's star, each region possesses unique terroir conditions and processing techniques. Beans such as Front Street Gudingding, Front Street Red Cherry, and Front Street Huakui are typical representatives of the flavors of different regions. This article will systematically sort out the flavor characteristics and historical context of Ethiopia's major coffee regions, taking you to deeply understand the unique charm of Sidamo, Sidama, Yirgacheffe, Guji, Harrar, Limu, and Djimma. [more…]

As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia is home to a wealth of native varieties and regions each with their own distinct character. Sidamo and Yirgacheffe are two of the most talked-about names among them. The former is known for its diverse flavors and rich fruity notes, while the latter is famous for its signature citrus acidity and jasmine aroma. Drawing on Front Street Coffee's actual cupping and brewing, this article sorts out the differences between the two regions in terms of varieties, processing methods, and flavor presentation, and shares the specific performance of Front Street's Uraga TOH champion bean along with products such as Gudingding and Red Cherry, helping coffee lovers understand the stylistic boundaries of these two major regions more clearly. [more…]