Introduction:This washed coffee bean from the Uraga zone of Ethiopia’s Guji region once won the washed category champion of the Taste of Harvest (TOH) East Africa competition with a score of 89.8. Grown at an altitude of 2,300 meters at the Sela Gajaba washing station, it boasts pronounced floral, citrus, and tea-like notes, making it highly popular among coffee enthusiasts. This article will delve into its growing environment, refined washed processing method, ideal roasting curve, as well as practical pour over parameters and techniques to help you fully unlock the potential of this top-tier championship bean.
TOH is the abbreviation for “East Africa Taste of Harvest Competition.” In Chinese, it is translated as the East African Harvest Taste Competition, organized by the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA). This competition gathers high-quality green beans from 12 major coffee-producing countries in Africa and is an international-level competition focused on cup quality, similar in stature to South America’s COE (Cup of Excellence) competition in Brazil. In 2020, a washed coffee bean from Ethiopia’s Guji region, Uraga zone, scored 89.8 and won the washed category championship.
This award-winning coffee bean comes from Ethiopia’s renowned Guji region, more precisely, the Uraga sub-region within it. Guji was originally part of the larger Sidamo region but was administratively separated due to its distinctive flavor profile—especially its bright acidity and floral-fruit characteristics similar to Yirgacheffe. In addition to this championship bean, other popular market series such as “Hua Kui” also originate from the Hambella sub-region of Guji.
Uraga is located in a high-altitude area, with an average elevation of up to 2,300 meters. The cool climate and significant day-night temperature variation help coffee cherries ripen slowly, accumulating richer flavor compounds. The soil in the region is nutrient-rich black clay (Vertisol), which offers excellent drainage and strong fertility—ideal conditions for cultivating high-quality coffee. Such a natural environment gives Uraga coffee its unique fresh fruit aroma and soft tea-like undertones.
The post-harvest processing of this TOH championship bean is handled by the Sela Gajaba washed processing station, located about 12 kilometers from the town of Uraga. This station is one of the local facilities with exceptionally high technical and hygiene standards. Most processing steps are carried out indoors, effectively reducing the risk of external impurities and contamination, which helps enhance the overall cleanliness and consistency of the coffee.
In the processing procedure, the coffee cherries first undergo two rigorous manual selections, where only fully ripe, bright red cherries without obvious defects are chosen. The outer skin and pulp are then removed, and the mucilage-covered seeds (i.e., pulped naturals) are placed in water tanks for fermentation. The fermentation time is controlled between 18 to 36 hours, fine-tuned according to the daily temperature and humidity. After fermentation, the beans are moved to flowing clean water tanks for thorough washing to remove residual mucilage. Finally, the parchment-covered beans are dried to a stable moisture content of around 12% before the parchment is removed.
This processing method not only preserves the traditional Ethiopian coffee traits of floral notes, citrus acidity, and tea-like qualities, but also ensures, through precise control, that the overall flavor is clearer, more layered, and almost free of off-flavors—making it highly suitable for coffee drinkers who prefer clean and bright profiles.
Regarding roasting, the roaster for this championship bean used a Yangjia 800N roaster (approximately 300g capacity), with the goal of preserving the purity of its inherent flavors, especially the prominent white floral, citrus, and fruity notes. During the roasting process, by precisely controlling the duration of the drying phase and the timing of first crack, they successfully crafted a coffee with balanced flavors, bright acidity, and a long-lasting aftertaste.
The specific roasting curve is as follows: the charge temperature is set at 180°C, initial flame power at 130, and the air damper at 3. At approximately 1 minute and 36 seconds, the turning point is reached. When the drum temperature drops to 140°C, the air damper is increased to 4 while maintaining the same flame power. When the temperature reaches 151°C and the beans turn yellow with grassy notes dissipating, the main drying phase begins, and the flame power is reduced to 110. Around 8 minutes and 37 seconds, when the beans show noticeable wrinkles and dark spots, indicating the approach of first crack, close attention is paid to the upcoming cracking sounds. First crack starts at 9 minutes and 39 seconds, upon which the air damper is opened to 5, and the coffee is allowed to develop for about 1 minute after first crack. It is finally dropped from the drum when the internal temperature reaches 193.2°C.
As for pour over extraction, it is recommended to use 15 grams of coffee grounds with a slightly coarse grind size—tested to have a 20-mesh sieve retention rate of about 70%, which is roughly medium-coarse for standard pour over use. The brew ratio is 1:16, which helps fully showcase the layers of floral and fruity acidity without over-extracting and causing astringency. For water temperature, 91°C is advised, which is suitable for highlighting the fresh citrus tones of high-altitude Ethiopian washed beans.
In actual practice, a three-stage pouring method is recommended: first, preheat the equipment and filter cone, then place the coffee grounds in the cone and gently tap them flat. The first stage involves pouring 30 grams of hot water for the bloom, keeping it within 30 seconds to avoid unnecessary astringency. The second stage is pouring 120 grams of water from the center outward in a concentric circle pattern, taking about 1 minute total, while maintaining even and steady pouring. The final stage also uses the concentric circle technique to pour 90 grams of water. Once all the water has dripped through the filter cone, remove it, with a total brew time of about 2 minutes and 5 seconds.
In terms of flavor profile, the dry aroma features subtle jasmine and citrus notes. Upon tasting, the first impression is a bright citrus juice-like brightness, followed by a mid-palate of honey and pomelo tea sweetness, and a finish that echoes the crisp aftertaste of oolong tea. The overall experience is balanced and layered, making it ideal for coffee lovers who enjoy a combination of fruity and tea-like characteristics.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
