Ethiopia Guji Buku Sayisa Kurume Washed, Winning the 2025 TOH - TOH No.1 Africa Championship.
The Taste of Harvest (TOH) competition, organized by the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA), aims to identify the finest coffee beans from various African countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The competition follows the cupping and scoring standards set by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and certified Q Graders. A total of 250 coffee samples are collected from participating countries and regions. These are gradually narrowed down through regional selections, with the highest-quality green coffees advancing to the national-level competition. Both domestic and international judges evaluate the coffees, and the highest-scoring coffee is awarded the National Champion title for the year.
TOH, short for the East Africa Taste of Harvest Competition, is a prestigious cupping competition for green coffee organized by AFCA, which was established in 2000. The association’s mission is to support the development of coffee trade and improve coffee quality in African coffee-producing countries. The competition involves 12 African coffee-producing nations and is similar in format to the international Cup of Excellence (COE) competition for green coffee.
Ethiopia Guji Buku Sayis Kurume Washed - TOH No.1
※ This is a rare 2025 TOH Washed Champion Lot! Available in limited quantities — while supplies last.
Coffee Flavor
The flavors of coffee are derived from the breakdown of various nutrients in the green coffee beans during roasting. Heat causes these compounds to degrade into a variety of aromatic molecular structures, resulting in a wide spectrum of flavors. High-quality coffee beans naturally possess a rich aroma that evolves at different temperatures—high, medium, and low—offering a delightful and nuanced experience worth savoring.
Ethiopia Guji Buku Sayis Kurume Washed - TOH No.1
Floral aroma, vanilla, honey sweetness, black cumin, berries, passion fruit, bright acidity, full-bodied mouthfeel, creamy and smooth texture, with a long-lasting and layered finish.
Buku Sayisa was awarded the overall championship at the East Africa Taste of Harvest (TOH) competition in 2019, and in 2025, it once again claimed top honors — this time as the African Champion in the Washed Coffee Category. This product is from that very champion lot, now shared with you.
Located in West Guji, Ethiopia, Buku Sayisa is a coffee processing station renowned for its exceptional quality and traceability. While organic farming is common among smallholder farmers in the region, Buku Sayisa stands out as one of the few to achieve formal organic certification — a rare accomplishment in the area due to the time, effort, and high costs involved. This certification reflects their unwavering commitment to both sustainability and quality.
Traceability lies at the heart of their values. Through a comprehensive documentation system, every lot of coffee is meticulously recorded from intake through processing and drying, ensuring a transparent and reliable connection between producers and consumers. Every cup tells a story that can be trusted and passed down.
This land not only nurtures outstanding coffee but also carries a rich cultural legacy. To this day, Guji farmers maintain traditional mixed-crop farming practices, growing coffee alongside maize, barley, wheat, and legumes in fertile soil. These traditions help preserve the authentic flavors of the region’s heirloom coffee varieties. Buku Sayisa is the remarkable result of this harmony between nature and culture.
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Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee with a history spanning over a thousand years, first discovered coffee in the Kaffa region. Over time, coffee cultivation expanded to the country’s southwestern coffee-growing areas and the Harar region. In the past decade, the Guji region has emerged as one of Ethiopia’s newly developed and highly regarded coffee-producing areas. Today, Guji is primarily divided into three major sub-regions: Uraga, Hambela, and Shakiso.
Smallholder farmers surrounding the processing stations primarily cultivate newer coffee varietals. Thanks to elevations consistently above 2,000 meters, the region’s natural terroir imparts coffees with wonderfully distinctive and captivating flavor profiles. Located in southwestern Ethiopia, the Guji region features a highland landscape with well-defined dry and rainy seasons and abundant water resources. Meandering streams and underground mountain springs near the processing stations provide an ample supply of clean, fresh water, enabling producers to craft exceptional washed coffees. This rich natural environment also allows high-quality heirloom varieties to showcase their purest and most vibrant characteristics. The rise of the Guji coffee region has undoubtedly become one of the most important trends in Ethiopia’s coffee industry in recent years.
Guji, located southeast of Ethiopia’s famous Yirgacheffe region, has become one of the country’s most celebrated emerging coffee origins in recent years. Characterized by towering mountain ranges and an average elevation of over 2,000 meters, the region’s dramatic differences between day and night temperatures create ideal conditions for producing high-quality coffees. One of Guji’s greatest natural advantages is its remarkably fertile soil, sustained through the organic cycle of decomposing forest leaves and plant matter that serve as natural fertilizer. The rich, nutrient-dense black soil extends nearly two meters deep, providing an exceptional growing environment for coffee trees. In recent years, the rise of the Guji region has confirmed its position as one of the most significant and dynamic developments in Ethiopia’s specialty coffee landscape.
Arabica Coffee Variety – Kurume
Kurume belongs to Ethiopia’s native heirloom coffee system. Its origins trace back to the Yirgacheffe region. Between 1989 and 1994, the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) formally documented Kurume as a local landrace variety under the Local Landrace Development Program (LLDP).
The name “Kurume” comes from a small, compact native fruit tree found locally, reflecting the coffee variety’s characteristics: small, dense beans and a dense tree canopy. Particularly in high-altitude areas like Hambela, farmers gave this distinctive and flavorful coffee the nickname “Kurume” to distinguish it.
One of the original goals for cultivating Kurume was to combat Coffee Berry Disease (CBD). JARC selected it as one of the first varieties combining disease resistance with flavor potential. Today, Kurume is highly favored in the specialty coffee market, showcasing floral and tropical fruit notes when processed either washed or natural under optimal growing conditions.
Arabica Coffee Variety – 74110
In the 20th century, Ethiopia undertook a series of official programs to identify, test, and classify its native coffee varieties. In response to the threat of Coffee Berry Disease (CBD), the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) collected 639 coffee tree selections and, after extensive research, released 13 improved varieties. Among them were 74110, 74112, and 74158. At the 2021 Cup of Excellence (COE) competition, these varieties delivered outstanding performances: 74110 secured 8 out of the top 30 spots, 74112 claimed 10, and 74158 took 6, confirming their exceptional quality and potential in the specialty coffee world.
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Arabica coffee originates from Ethiopia, Africa, where hundreds — even thousands — of wild coffee varieties still thrive today. Many of these naturally grow in ancient forests, evolving over generations through natural crossbreeding, mutations, and local adaptation, forming an immense genetic pool of indigenous coffee varieties. This diverse, locally evolved mix is known as Arabica’s genetic bank, and the native coffee varieties produced within Ethiopia are collectively referred to as Heirloom varieties.
(Coffee Processes)
The term "processing methods" refers to the process of transforming ripe red coffee cherries into dried green beans. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, influenced by the natural environment and the specific needs of the coffee-producing region. As a result, different regions adopt the processing method most suited to their conditions. This batch uses the following three processing methods, described below:
【Washed / Wet Processed】
Washed Process
Also known as the wet process, this method involves removing the skin and pulp of the coffee cherries before drying. The seeds are then fermented in water tanks to eliminate the remaining mucilage on their surface, followed by thorough washing and drying under sunlight or with mechanical dryers.
The washed process produces a cleaner and crisper flavor profile compared to the natural process. Coffees processed this way typically have lighter body, brighter acidity, and distinct fruit flavors. This method is often associated with specialty coffee due to its clarity and vibrant flavor expression.
JUSTIN INTERNATIONAL FOOD ENTERPRISE CO., LTD.
Tel: +886-3-358-6611
1st Floor, No. 30, Lane 120, Daxing Road, Taoyuan District, Taoyuan City
▶This product is covered by a NT$10 million product liability insurance.
▶Food Industry Registration Number: F-165601955-00000-0
▶ Our company’s cupper is certified as a CQI International Coffee Quality Appraiser.
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