Ethiopia Guji Shakiso Kayon
Classic Profile | Medium roast
Tasting Notes: Dried fruit, Brown Sugar, Chestnut
IT ALL STARTS AT THE COFFEE FARM
Kayon Mountain Farm, established in 2012 in Ethiopia’s Guji Zone, is a family-owned coffee farm. Located in Taro Kebele, where coffee is the primary cash crop, the farm supports local producers through its Taro washing station.
Beyond coffee production, Kayon Mountain prioritizes social responsibility by having built a local high school, distributing seedlings, aiding farmers financially, and supporting an orphanage. The 150-hectare farm, with fertile volcanic soil, employs 30 permanent and up to 450 seasonal workers. Coffee trees, intercropped with shade-providing false banana trees, yield harvests from October to January.
Taro washing station processes coffees meticulously: for the natural process, cherries are hand-sorted, floated to remove unripe cherries, and sun-dried on raised beds for 15–18 days, with careful turning and covering to ensure even drying. Though challenging, skilled natural processing enhances the coffee’s terroir, yielding sweet, fruity profiles.
Kayon Mountain combines premium coffee production with community development, improving livelihoods while delivering exceptional coffees.
TRACEABILITY
COUNTRY
Ethiopia
REGION
Oromia & Guji
IMPORTER
Red Fox
VARIETAL
Ethiopia Landraces
PRODUCER
Several Smallholder Farmers
MILL / WASHING STATION
Taro Washing Station
PROCESSING
Natural
ALTITUDE
1800 - 2100 meters
PRICE TRANSPARENCY
$5.45
Price paid by Driftaway
$3.84
Coffee C-Market price per pound
$0.05
Driftaway's World Coffee Research contribution per pound
85.5
SCA Cupping Score
1 year
Length of producer relationship
100% (in 2023)
Transparent coffees purchased
HOW DID WE ROAST THIS COFFEE?
This coffee is being roasted by Ian T. from Aug 11 to Sept 5 in Brooklyn. We use the Loring Kestrel roaster for this profile. We have strict guidelines for each of the coffee profiles, and this roast has to pass the development time ratio test as measured in real-time by the roasting software, Cropster. Once it does, it is approved for production.
QUALITY CONTROL
We perform Quality Control via a process of coffee tasting called cupping on all of our production roasts once a week at our roastery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Each cupping is conducted by Ian T., Anu M., and Suyog M. using standard equipment, and is logged by our Q-certified cupper Ian T. All coffees are evaluated on a scoring scale of 0 to 3.
- 3.0 = exceptional roast - exceeds expectations
- 2.5 = on par with profile - matches expectations
- 2.0 = good roast, but 1 or 2 elements could be improved - needs improvement
- 1.5 or lower = failed - do not ship
PRODUCTION AND SHIPPING
Less than 24 hours after roasting, we bag your coffee in our production facility in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Our production team is led by Torie, and supported by a rotating cast of local artists, musicians and independent professionals.
AT YOUR HOME
Brew this coffee with your favorite home brewer and enjoy the taste of incredible coffee! Here are a few tips on how to make the best coffee on each brewer.
View other posts about how to make better coffee at home on our blog Coffeecademy.
