Introduction to Sun-Dried Sidamo Shakisso G1 Guji Nectar Specialty Coffee Beans: Variety, Origin, and Market Price

Variety: Local indigenous heirloom varieties

Region: Shakiso

Tasting notes: Cranberry, sweet orange, plum, blueberry

Shakiso: A One-of-a-Kind Coffee Region

Shakiso is a genuinely unusual corner of the Guji zone in Sidamo, lying far from most of the province's other coffee-producing areas. It is also a gold-mining region, and labor, land, and ethnic tensions have periodically brought instability. The coffee from this area, however, is nothing short of remarkable. The legendary Nekisse bean made famous by Ninety Plus also traces back to this region.

Nectar: The Essence of Shakiso

Nectar-the name is a nod to the flower nectar of Shakiso. Search "Guji" on the Coffee Review website and you will find more than ten reviews scoring 92 points or higher, including several at a stellar 94 and 95 points.

The Shakiso Region

Shakiso sits in Guji, in the southern Oromia region, bordering Sidama and Gedeo. The landscape is dotted with mining pits dug originally for gold, and the holes they left behind make walking through the coffee-growing areas genuinely hazardous. Even within Sidamo-let alone Guji-Shakiso remains a remote origin. Besides coffee, its best-known product is gold. Miners, land disputes, and ethnic conflict combined to destabilize the region in 2006, and the biggest challenge it faces today is simply finding enough hands to maintain the plantations and bring in the harvest. Local smallholder farmers began growing organic coffee in 2001 and work closely with medium-sized producers who understand how to cultivate forest coffee at high elevations.

Tasting Notes

Dry aroma: Sweet cherry, raisin, preserved fruit, preserved plum, dried pineapple, strawberry

Wet aroma: Cherry, cranberry, sweet orange, plum, blueberry, honey peach, lychee

In the cup: The entry is like juicy honey peach with sweet pineapple acidity. The mid-palate bursts with cranberry, blueberry, strawberry, pineapple, and dried fruit, while the finish lingers on lychee and plum with a dried-fruit viscosity. The whole cup is a tropical fruit storm-elegant yet powerful, and true to its name: like plunging into an ocean of nectar.

Coffee Details

Sidamo Natural G1

Country: Ethiopia

Grade: G1

Origin: Guji, Sidamo

Roast level: Medium-light

Process: Natural

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Natural processing is the signature of fine Ethiopian dry-processed lots, and FrontStreet Coffee's Sidamo/Guji natural beans show exactly why. In the natural method, damaged or moldy cherries are removed first, then the rest are dried whole in the sun for about two weeks, until the flesh has infused the bean with its sugars and the moisture content drops to 12%. Only then are the dried skin, mucilage, and parchment scraped away, and the green beans pass density and color checks plus a final hand sort before they ship.

For a close cousin of this lot, look for the FrontStreet Huakui (Flower Queen) from Hambella in Guji, Sidamo-a 200-hectare farm using traditional natural processing. Cherries dry for 21 days on raised beds with constant turning to prevent mold or earthy taints, and farmers hand-sort defective beans every three to five days. Roasted medium-light, it opens with a light winy fermentation, florals, citrus, and mango, carries honeyed sweetness and a cocoa note with a hint of spice, and finishes thick-bodied and long.

Both beans suit drinkers who love fruit-driven, aromatic cups. Brew them as a pour-over with a medium-fine grind size and fresh-roasted beans, and keep the extraction gentle so the delicate fruit and florals stay front and center.