Kebir\Guji Shakiso

Tasting Notes: Pineapple liqueur, passion fruit, durian, boozy

Fragrance/Aroma: Pineapple liqueur, passion fruit, creamy
Acidity: Rounded, citric
Body: Syrupy, juicy
Aftertaste: Slightly dry, boozy finish

The fragrance opens with an immediate impression of pineapple liqueur, bright and tropical but softened by a creamy undertone. Passion fruit sits alongside it, contributing a sharper, more aromatic edge, while the overall character carries an unmistakable boozy quality from the outset.

On the palate, pineapple liqueur takes centre stage almost immediately. Rounded citric acidity gives the fruit a lively lift without becoming piercing, while the syrupy, juicy body amplifies the impression of concentrated tropical fruit. The pineapple remains remarkably persistent, carrying through much of the cup with a candied, liqueur-like sweetness.

Mid-palate brings a brief interlude of passion fruit. Its tangier, more perfumed character cuts through the richness of the pineapple, providing a moment of contrast before the cup moves into a deeper and more unusual finish.

As the fruit begins to recede, notes reminiscent of XO durian emerge, bringing a creamy bitterness and a distinctive fermented richness. Rather than presenting as overtly savoury, it integrates with the existing boozy character, giving the finish a dense, almost liqueur-like quality. The aftertaste is slightly dry, with the alcoholic impression lingering alongside traces of tropical fruit and creamy bitterness.

The result is an unapologetically expressive cup, with pineapple liqueur providing the dominant thread from beginning to end, passion fruit offering a fleeting burst of acidity and aroma, and XO durian adding an unconventional creamy depth to the boozy finish.

Perched high in the village of Duwancho in Sidama's Bensa district, the Duwancho washing station is one of Testi Specialty Coffee's flagship processing sites, sourcing cherries from approximately 350 smallholder farmers growing coffee on the region's steep, fertile highlands. The station has earned international recognition for its uncompromising approach to quality, with coffees from Duwancho placing second in the 2021 Cup of Excellence Ethiopia and fourteenth in 2022, while a natural-processed lot also secured third place in the 2022/23 Ethiopian Taste of Harvest competition. These achievements reflect both the exceptional terroir of Bensa and Testi's continued investment in precision processing.

This particular lot, however, represents an even rarer selection. Rather than blending deliveries from across the station's supplier network, it is composed exclusively of cherries from just ten core producers living closest to the washing station. Their farms are organically cultivated beneath native shade trees, where the cool climate and high elevations allow cherries to mature slowly, concentrating sweetness and aromatic complexity. Produced in extremely limited quantities, the lot showcases a remarkably focused expression of the JARC 74148 cultivar and the distinctive character of Duwancho's landscape.

The same level of selectivity continues through processing. Cherries are washed using fresh water drawn from the nearby Lugita River before undergoing rigorous hand-sorting and flotation to remove underripe or defective fruit. Within six to eight hours of harvest, the cherries are depulped and graded by density before entering polyurethane fermentation tanks for 48 hours. Throughout fermentation, the water is replaced twice and temperatures are carefully maintained between 20.5 and 21.5°C, ensuring a slow, controlled breakdown of the mucilage while minimising the risk of over-fermentation.

Drying is equally meticulous. The parchment coffee is spread on raised African beds beneath shade netting for approximately 21 days, where it is turned continuously by hand and carefully inspected to remove any remaining defects. By slowing moisture loss and protecting the coffee from excessive heat, the process preserves the vibrant florality, refined acidity, and layered sweetness that have become hallmarks of Duwancho's finest coffees. The result is a tiny, carefully curated lot that reflects not only the remarkable potential of Bensa's highlands, but also Testi’s extraordinary attention to detail applied from harvest through to the final drying stage.

Sourced from: Comansa
We paid: S$39.53/kg
Roasted cost: S$56.67/kg

Moisture content: 11.2%
Weight loss: 13.7%
Agtron: W78.9 / G111.0 / △32.1