Guji Masina Heirloom

Ethiopia | Guji Masina | Heirloom CM Washed, Diamond 1424 | Signature Series

“Heirloom” is a catch-all term for the countless wild or cultivated varieties found in Ethiopia, many of which are genetically unique. These coffees are renowned for their complexity, often showcasing vibrant florals, citrus, and stone fruits. Since they’re genetically diverse and often uncatalogued, each heirloom coffee is a unique experience.

The CM Washed method combines traditional washed coffee processing with techniques borrowed from the wine industry—specifically, carbonic maceration. In this process, whole coffee cherries are placed into sealed stainless steel tanks filled with carbon dioxide, creating an oxygen-free environment that slows fermentation and allows for unique flavour development. After this controlled fermentation, the cherries are pulped and washed as in a standard washed process.

This hybrid method often results in a remarkably clean cup profile with heightened clarity and floral complexity, while still retaining vibrant acidity and structured fruit notes. Expect coffees processed with CM Washed to be both precise and expressive, with a distinctively refined character.

For our exotic coffee, we store all the green beans frozen at -22°C in commercial freezers. This locks in freshness, halting enzymatic reactions that degrade flavor. Upon arrival we separate into small 2-3kg vacuum-sealed lots and freeze so that our greens do not age and we can sell these exotic coffees for years to come or until sold out.

This is a more accurate reflection of the actual roast colour than external as it's measured after grinding. Internal Agtron reveals how far into the bean the roast has penetrated. Our filter roasts often score over 100, preserving acidity, florals, and the unique vibrant characteristics of each origin and process. Please bear in mind that grind coarseness can affect the internal colour readings, so it is impossible to compare from roaster to roaster using this colour reading.

This refers to the surface colour of the whole roasted bean, but it's not always a reliable indicator of roast level. Some of our most vibrant and lightly roasted coffees, like our Ecuadorian Sidra, may appear medium-dark (Agtron 50–60) due to their surface colour, yet are in fact light roasts with minimal development time. Surface colour can be affected by the original green colour, bean type, density, and moisture — so don't judge a bean by its exterior.

The Agtron spread is the difference between the colour of whole beans and ground coffee, showing how deeply the coffee is developed. A spread of 0–10 usually indicates very dark, oily roasts typical of Italian-style, which we don't offer at our Roastery. Spreads between 11–20 and 21–30 represent the roast levels you'll find in our espresso coffees, balancing sweetness, acidity, and body. Spreads above 30 make up most of our filter coffee range, featuring very light, bright roasts that highlight fruity, floral, and complex flavours. Within this, spreads from 31–40 offer clarity and vibrancy, while spreads of 40–50 showcase ultra-light roasts with delicate acidity and nuanced character.

Caramel, Juicy, Peach, Toffee, Floral, Bright, Stone Fruit, Silky, Confectionery, White sugar, Orange candy, Velvety

Ethiopia | Guji Masina | Heirloom CM Washed, Diamond 1424 | Signature Series - When is peak flavour?

Coffees grow in small farmers backyards, known as “garden coffee”

Cherries are placed inside sealed tanks and filled with CO2 pushing oxygen out

Controlled yeast activity, temperature and humidity of tank

Anaerobic fermentation time creates a Diamond profile that is delicate, structured, and refined

Our local partners do further quality control. As a minimum, a triple pass through a colour sorter and a triple-pass through hand-sorting tables

In the Masina Kebele in the Adola Woreda lies a washing station that sits at the heart of Project Origin. Built in 2017 as a joint project with our great local export partners, Primrose, the Guji Masina washing station was the site where our very first Ethiopian Carbonic Maceration processed coffees were produced. We learned a vast amount from the experience of trying and refining the CM process at this station. Nearby the washing station lies a river, that locals in the community wade through to reach the town and the school. Project Origin have teamed up with Primrose once again to fund the construction of a bridge over this beautiful river, hoping that this improvement in infrastructure will help the community in their daily travels and needs rather than taking the 1-2 hour walk around to the nearest crossing. The coffees from this woreda are already world-known, feeding into the romanticism of Ethiopian coffees, and when the 2018 World Barista Championship is won utilising a coffee from this station, it becomes impossible not to include this washing station in your collection.