Konjo
Konjo

Konjo

€15,50

Konjo means "beautiful" in Amharic, and we couldn't think of a better word for this coffee. Every once in a while a lot comes across the cupping table that stops the conversation. This is one of those. A community lot from more than 700 smallholder farmers around Raro Boda in Ethiopia's Guji Zone, washed in the traditional style and grown at a dizzying 2,300 meters above sea level. The brightness here is extraordinarily complex: each sip reveals a new layer, from ripe strawberry to delicate florals to a sweetness we can only describe as almond cookies. We roast it on the lighter side, but it carries so much natural sweetness that it shines as an espresso just as brightly as it does in the filter.

Body

Sweetness

Acidity

Origin: Raro Boda, Uraga, Guji Zone, Ethiopia
Farm: Raro Boda area smallholder farms
Process: Washed
Varietal: Ethiopian landrace and local selections
Notes: Strawberry, Floral, Almond Cookies
Need it ground?
Weight
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Red coffee berries on a branch with green leaves
Origin

This coffee comes from smallholder producers around Raro Boda, a kebele in the Uraga woreda of Ethiopia's Guji Zone. More than 700 farmers cultivate coffee here on small plots, mainly Ethiopian landrace and locally selected varieties, growing at elevations around 2,300 meters. Cherries are hand-picked at peak ripeness and delivered to the local washing station, where they are combined and processed into this community lot using the traditional washed method.

We source this coffee through our partners at The Coffee Quest, working with SNAP Specialty Coffee, an Ethiopian exporter and producer founded by Negusse Debela in Addis Ababa in 2008. Together with his son Amanuel and processing technician Frew, SNAP has built a growing network of sourcing and processing operations across Ethiopia. The company runs its own washing stations in Gedeo and works with trusted partner stations across Guji and West Arsi. This lot from Raro Boda was produced by one of those partner stations.

We haven't yet had the chance to visit this particular station ourselves, but a washed Guji is a beautiful addition to our Ethiopian assortment, and this one earned its place the moment we tasted it.

Interior of a cozy cafe with wooden decor and tables. Coffee & Coconuts cafe Amsterdam Zuidas
Connection

Our head roaster has been focused on the beautiful coffee of the Guji micro-region of Ethiopia since working there with USAID and the Coffee Quality Institute in the mid 2010s. Guji is nestled in the famous coffee-producing Sidamo region of southern Ethiopia. The area is notable for deep, rich soils that are almost purple in color, bursting with moisture and organic material. This soil feeds an incredibly vibrant, deep green natural forest environment, and the coffee farms in the region also reflect these lush growing conditions.

We feel Guji is a "coffee lover's coffee", in the best possible sense. Daniel, our head roaster, calls it "The Princess": delicate, beautiful, light on its feet, and very special. It's rare to find coffees that are so aromatically powerful and distinct while also being so smooth and light on the palate. In the roastery, Guji regularly stands out on the cupping table, and it performs beautifully as a filter coffee or as an espresso. 

Connection

Our head roaster has a long history with Guji, and our sun-dried natural from the region has been a staff and customer favorite for years. Konjo is the other side of that story: where the natural is all ripe fruit and warmth, this washed lot is precision and clarity, one of the cleanest and most complex coffees we've had on the table in a
long time.

Daniel put it simply after the first cupping: this is one of the best coffees he's tasted in years. The complexity sits in the brightness. It never settles into a single note, moving between strawberry, florals, and lime with a sweetness that recalls almond cookies.

We roast it light to preserve all of that, but don't let the roast level fool you: this coffee has the sweetness and body to pull a gorgeous single origin espresso, which is exactly how we recommend trying it. And if espresso isn't your thing, it makes an equally captivating filter cup.

Interior of a cozy cafe with wooden decor and tables. Coffee & Coconuts cafe Amsterdam Zuidas