E74 Ethiopia Guji Hambella Wate Kurume Washed G1 | 2026 TOH 5th Place Lot
Guji Hambella Wate Kurume Washed
The same lot that placed 5th in the washed category at the 2026 AFCA Taste of Harvest. Grown between 2250 and 2400 metres, pure Kurume heirloom. Roasted light: lemon custard carries yuzu tea and bergamot, peach gummies and lychee follow, and it closes on a long gardenia finish.
Tasting Notes
Fifth Out of 43 Washed Entries
Taste of Harvest is the African Fine Coffees Association's flagship quality competition — Africa's closest equivalent to the Cup of Excellence. The 2026 edition was held in Addis Ababa in February, with 226 Ethiopian samples entered across natural, washed, honey and experimental categories. Forty-three of those were washed, and this Wate lot placed 5th among them. What we've brought in is that same lot.
Why Kurume Matters Here
Wate was founded in 2019 by the Chirissa family to process coffee from the high mountains of West Guji. This lot grew between 2250 and 2400 metres — an altitude at which, in practice, only Kurume thrives well enough to produce quality cherry.
Kurume differs from the common 74110 and 74112: those are disease-resistant selections bred by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center in the 1970s, while Kurume is an indigenous landrace. Its beans are noticeably small and hard and yields are low, but among Ethiopian heirlooms it stands out for aromatic intensity and sweetness, long associated with jasmine and a tea-like character.
At this altitude cherries ripen slowly and are picked around a month later than surrounding regions. That extended maturation is what gives this coffee its fine acidity and sustained sweetness.
Details
| Code | E74 |
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Region | Guji · Hambella |
| Station | Wate |
| Altitude | 2250 to 2400 m |
| Varietal | Kurume (indigenous landrace) |
| Process | Washed |
| Grade | G1 |
| Competition | Same lot as 2026 TOH Ethiopia Washed, 5th place |
| Roast | Light |
| Net Weight | 200g |
A Starting Point
Pour over: 1 to 15 ratio, water at 92 to 94°C, medium-fine grind. Kurume beans are small and dense, so going a touch coarser than you would for a typical Ethiopian often balances better. The florals and tea character come through most fully at the higher end of that temperature range.
Light roasts have a narrow extraction window — brew once to this recipe before adjusting. Browse our brewing gear if you need anything.
