Introduction:Dive deep into the star coffee of Ethiopia’s Guji region—Shakiso Wako—and explore its background featuring the heirloom varieties 74110 and 74112, as well as the unique flavor characteristics of this lot from the Sewana washing station. This article will take you on a comprehensive journey from the region’s background, the origin of the varieties, to actual tasting notes, giving you a full understanding of this specialty coffee with a clear structure, pronounced sweetness, and citrusy profile. It’s highly valuable for both pour over brewing and advanced cupping.
Ethiopian coffee has always been renowned for its rich and diverse flavors and unique variety resources, among which the Guji region has become a focal point of international attention in recent years. Located in the Oromia region, Guji boasts high altitudes, diverse microclimates, and a native coffee gene pool, giving rise to numerous coffees with distinctive flavor profiles. This article focuses on a premium organic coffee from the Wako washing station in the Shakiso area of Guji—Shakiso Wako—and takes an in-depth look at the two major heirloom varieties it uses, 74110 and 74112, as well as the actual flavor performance of this lot.
The Shakiso Wako coffee comes from a small village called Kebele within the Shakiso area, cultivated by multiple smallholder farmers and processed at the Sewana washing station. This washing station is jointly owned by several farmers, with one of the main shareholders named Wako—hence this particular coffee is named after him. To ensure traceability, each batch is assigned a unique block number, and this batch comes from Block 2. The production process adheres to strict standards, avoiding any use of chemical agents such as herbicides or pesticides, making it genuinely organically grown.
The two main varieties used in this coffee are 74110 and 74112, both of which are heirloom strains developed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) in Ethiopia during the 1970s. Their original purpose was to combat the Coffee Berry Disease that was ravaging crops at the time. These two varieties are prefixed with “74,” indicating they were officially cataloged and selected in 1974, and were subsequently promoted to farmers in 1979.
Variety 74110 was initially selected from a “mother tree” discovered in the Bishari village near Metu in the Illubabor Zone of the Oromia region. After years of observation, researchers found that this coffee not only exhibited good disease resistance but also maintained stable yield performance, and thus it was officially released for farmer cultivation in 1979. The 74110 variety features a compact and short plant stature, with small leaves, coffee cherries, and green beans, making it easier to manage in high-altitude environments while also enabling the accumulation of richer flavor compounds.
The other variety, 74112, also originates from the Bishari Forest in the Metu area. Its selection criteria were similar to those of 74110, primarily focusing on disease resistance and per-unit yield. This variety also has a compact tree form and small fruit characteristics, making it suitable for cultivation in the mountainous terrain of Guji and within the environment of family-run smallholder farms. These two varieties remain top choices for many smallholder farmers in the Guji region due to their stable performance and tolerance to diseases.
This particular lot of Shakiso Wako is processed using the traditional Natural (dry) method, where the whole coffee cherries are placed directly on raised drying beds to sun-dry. This allows the sugars and flavors from the fruit pulp to fully penetrate the seeds. This processing method demands very high standards for weather and drying control, but it often results in more intense fruit aromas, sweetness, and a layered flavor profile.
In terms of flavor, this Shakiso Wako showcases the classic profile of the Guji region: the cup opens with a gentle citrus acidity that is soft and balanced, followed by a prominent grapefruit aroma paired with elegant jasmine floral notes. The mid-palate offers a pronounced sweetness, with an overall structured and layered body, and a lingering finish that hints at honey-like sweetness. It is an excellent choice for coffee lovers who enjoy bright acidity and floral-fruit notes.
This coffee is not only great for everyday drinking but also an outstanding option for refined brewing methods such as pour over or siphon. For pour over, it is recommended to use a medium-light roast, with water temperature controlled between 90-92°C and a medium-coarse grind to highlight its clear acidity and aroma. If you are just beginning to explore the diversity of Ethiopian coffee or want to understand the local characteristics and variety charm of the Guji region, Shakiso Wako is a highly representative choice to start with.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
