Bookkisa Washed - Ethiopia

ORIGIN INFORMATION

For the third consecutive year, we are bringing back one of our favorite coffees, the Bookkisa. This coffee comes from the hamlet of Bookkisa in the Guji highlands region of southern Ethiopia. Largely covered by vast expanses of forest, Guji is one of the twenty zones constituting the administrative region of Oromia which, with these 30 million inhabitants, is the most populated of the 9 regions of the country. The ancestral forests of Guji, its volcanic soil rich in silt and clay, but also its temperate climate and high altitude, have in recent years made the reputation of certain woreda (district) such as Uraga, Kercha or Shakiso. However, the success of this terroir would not have been possible without the know-how and hard work of local producers. This batch is the result of the work of 33 farmers whose “garden” plantations rarely exceed 2.5 hectares. In this type of farm, the coffee plants are scattered around the main house, under a semi-forest canopy alongside other types of so-called subsistence crops (vegetables, maize, etc.). Once the coffee cherries are harvested, they are transported on foot to the washing station located in the kebele (village) of Dambi Uddo to be sold there. This step is usually done in the middle of the night to prevent the cherries from being overexposed to the sun. 

Once delivered to the Dambi Uddo washing station, owner Ture Waji and his team take over to transform the cherries into green coffee beans ready to be shipped. In 2008, Ture Waji, nicknamed the "King of Guji", took advantage of the liberalization of the coffee export market in Ethiopia to found the company Sookoo Coffee. It is through it that he operates his two washing stations (Dambi Uddo and Raro Nansebo) and his export license which allows him to transport his coffee to the capital Addis Ababa first, then to the port of Djibouti. afterwards. Ture has been involved in his community for over 10 years, having previously worked for Mormora Coffee and Guji Highlands Coffee. Since the creation of Sookoo Coffee in 2018, this involvement has resulted in the construction of a school and several roads, and in micro-credits granted to producers, allowing them to finance certain tasks preceding the harvest and thus lightening a little the weight weighing on the hearths. Between harvests, Waji provides agricultural training for community members, while its two washing stations adhere to a strict “Women First” policy aimed at promoting the empowerment of women by guaranteeing them access to a salary. steady. The Café Pista team feels extremely privileged to be able to work in the wake of the producers of Bookkisa, Ture Waji, and to be able to share the fruits of their passionate work with our own community. This relationship with Ture Waji was once again made possible through our import partner Osito Coffee.

The Bookkisa is picked by hand at full maturity, at an altitude of 2175m, between the months of November and February. It is then rigorously sorted in order to remove the cherries that are too ripe or not ripe enough, before spreading those that remain on high beds. On these beds, the cherries form a mat no more than 4 cm thick and are turned 6 times a day to optimize air circulation. They are thus dried in the sun for a period ranging from 21 to 28 days before being mechanically pulped. Bookkisa is made up of varieties 74110 (Gibirinna) and 74112 (Serto). These two varieties were selected by the JARC (Jimma Agricultural Research Center) in 1979 for their resistance to certain diseases, as well as for their high sensory potential. 

This very sweet and round coffee tastes of mango and pineapple, on a finish reminiscent of blueberry jam.