The Dogo Sodu processing site sits just outside the town of Gerba in Ethiopia’s Guji Zone, run by Gemechu Shonora and his brothers Shebura, Morkata, and Adugna. Their father spent years as a coffee collector in the area, building deep ties to the farming community around Gerba Layo. That relationship shows in the care taken at the mill — every lot of cherry is floated in water to separate underripe fruit before processing even begins.

Once sorted, the cherries go straight to raised drying beds: three days under full sun, then fifteen more under shade cover for a slow, even dry. Workers hand-pick visible defects throughout, building the Grade 1 quality that earned this lot a 92.5 cupping score. The altitude here—2,250 to 2,350 meters— adds a brightness and complexity you don’t always find in dry process coffees.

Natural Process: In dry processing, the whole coffee cherry is dried intact around the seed. During the extended drying period, fermentation occurs inside the fruit, transferring intense fruity character into the bean. The result is a cup that reads unmistakably “natural” with bold fruit and sweetness, but with the floral high notes and clean acidity of a coffee from Guji.

Cupping notes: Red raspberry and dried peach lead, with blueberry and papaya layered underneath. A fresh note of tenadam herb adds fragrance alongside jasmine-like florals that carry through the finish.

Resting: Best 20+ days after roast.

Best brewed as: Good for all brew methods.

8 oz. / 227 g WHOLE BEAN

Country: Ethiopia
Region: Guji Zone, Oda Muda, Gerba
Producer: Gemechu Shonora (Dogo Sodu site)
Varietal: Heirloom
Process: Natural (Dry Process)
Roast Level: Light
Elevation: 2,250–2,350 masl
Tasting Notes: Raspberry, Blueberry, Peach, Jasmine, Brown Sugar
Body: Medium-Full

(Coffee is roasted on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. Orders placed by 5:00 PM EST on the preceding Tuesday are included in that week’s roast and ship Friday. Orders placed after the cutoff will be roasted in the next cycle..

Carmen Montoya has been farming coffee for 23 years, inheriting her love for it from her parents. What began with a small plot of an unknown variety turned into something remarkable when her coffee, which she named "Chiroso" after its distinctive slender bean shape, won the Cup of Excellence in 2014.

Today, Carmen is a pioneer of Chiroso cultivation in Urrao, Antioquia, and a recognized community leader. She mentors fellow farmers, helping them refine their processes to build global recognition for Urrao's Chiroso. Her farms, Los Pinos and Bella Vista, sit at 1,900 to 2,000 meters above sea level, where cool mountain air and slow cherry development concentrate sugars and acidity.

Every day, Doña Carmen oversees each stage of processing herself, from cherry selection through drying, to protect the traceability and consistency of her coffee. That hands-on care is what you taste in the cup.

The same seeds Carmen held in her hands are the ones now in my shop, waiting to be roasted. That is not lost on me. I try to roast this coffee with the respect it deserves and out of respect for its producer and her family.

Washed Process: Carmen hand-selects and floats ripe cherries, then ferments them whole in baskets for 12 hours before depulping. The depulped beans undergo an additional 72-hour fermentation in open tanks, are washed, and sun-dried on raised beds for 8 days. Washed processing with this extended fermentation produces a clean, transparent cup with heightened aromatics and bright, articulate acidity.

Cupping notes: Mandarin lifts first, bright and zesty, followed by a soft floral perfume and a clean caramel sweetness that rounds out a silky body. Good acidity, long finish, unmistakably Chiroso.

Resting: Best 14+ days after roast.

Best brewed as: Best for Filter Coffee

WHOLE BEAN

Country: Colombia
Region: Urrao, Antioquia
Producer: Carmen Montoya
Varietal: Chiroso
Process: Washed
Roast Level: Light
Elevation: 1,900–2,000 masl
Tasting Notes: Mandarin, Floral, Caramel
Good For: All brew methods except espresso
Body: Silky

(Coffee is roasted on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. Orders placed by 5:00 PM EST on the preceding Tuesday are included in that week's roast and ship Friday. Orders placed after the cutoff will be roasted in the next cycle.)

El Faro Coffee Hub is based in Colombia's Huila region and was founded by Andres Rodriguez. The operation spans three generations and handles the full chain from production through processing to export, which lets them maintain quality control end to end.

El Faro is built around community. They support the farmers in their network through training, renewable energy projects, and a program called Empowered Women that focuses on female growers. Their signature is Pink Bourbon, cultivated at high altitudes by farmers with generations of expertise on these hillsides.

Pink Bourbon was originally thought to be a hybrid of red and yellow bourbon. More recent research suggests it may be a landrace varietal from Ethiopia related to Geisha, which helps explain its cup profile. It's also disease-resistant, which matters for small farms.

Washed Process: In a washed process, the coffee cherry is depulped and the beans are fermented in tanks to remove the sticky mucilage before being rinsed clean and dried. The result is a cup that shows the bean's inherent character with clarity, letting the variety, terroir, and altitude come through without interference from fruit sugars.

Cupping notes: Nectarine, pear, and melon in the up front aroma. A light, tea-like mouthfeel. Bright acidity, light body, and a long citrus-forward aftertaste with lemon and lime pulling through the cup.

Resting: Best 45+ days after roast.

10 oz. / 284 g WHOLE BEAN

Country: Colombia
Region: Neiva, Huila
Producer: El Faro Coffee Hub (Andres Rodriguez)
Varietal: Pink Bourbon
Process: Washed
Roast Level: Light
Elevation: 1,400–1,500 masl
Tasting Notes: Nectarine, Pear, Melon, Tea-like, Lemon, Lime
Body: Light

(Coffee is roasted on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. Orders placed by 5:00 PM EST on the preceding Tuesday are included in that week's roast and ship Friday. Orders placed after the cutoff will be roasted in the next cycle.)