Ethiopia Washed Sidamo G2 Specialty Coffee Beans: Grinding Degree, Roast Level & Processing Method Overview

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Contact: 020-38364473
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Roast Level: Green to roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Roast Degree: Light roast

Coffee Details

Sidamo G2 Washed

Origin Information

Country: Ethiopia

Grade: G2

Region: Sidamo

Roast Level: Light roast

Processing Method: Washed

Processing Details

Farmers harvest vibrant red coffee cherries daily, with every two days' harvest forming one unit of fruit that is sent or sold to a washing station for processing. Cherries that never reach a washing station typically undergo about 12 hours of natural fermentation before being sun-dried and hulled. Even so, farmers with the means always try to send their cherries to a washing station, since the "washed processing" label earns a better price. At the station, cherries undergo about 12 hours of soaking and fermentation to soften the pulp, then pass through water channels with stirring to separate the pulp from the beans, with the pulp discharged through gates.

Today, Ethiopia's washing stations continue to grow and develop. Small farmers sell harvested cherries to processing plants, which hull and process them before reselling through the auction system. From there the coffee moves through the Red Sea ports of Assab in Eritrea and Djibouti near the Gulf of Aden. Although coffee is the country's main agricultural export, its annual consumption is also astonishing — approximately 1,500,000 bags of 60kg, accounting for 50% of total production. Wild coffee grows in the tropical rainforests of the southwestern highlands and is mostly hand-picked. Because of this, however, many locals damage naturally formed rainforest areas — through logging or burning — to reach hard-to-access rugged mountain terrain, seriously affecting the ecological balance. Whether washed or natural, all exported coffee is sent to Addis Ababa, the capital, and to Dire Dawa in Harar province for auction and export. The Dire Dawa auction center typically exports natural Harar from that region. At the auction house, daily information about coffee from different farms is available to help traders make purchases. Several Ethiopian government officials also pass through the center each day for inspection and grading. Each time, 3kg of green beans is randomly sampled from the same shipment lot for inspection.

Variety: Local native varieties

Flavor: Honey, citrus, lemon

Ethiopian Coffee Overview

Today, large quantities of wild Arabica coffee trees still grow in many parts of Ethiopia, with cultivation averaging altitudes between 4,200-6,800 feet. There is now a gradual trend toward small-scale cultivation, generally planting banana trees alongside for shade. Because of a lack of agricultural technology, herbicides and pesticides are used less. Coffee is Ethiopia's main agricultural crop and its largest agricultural export and most important industry, accounting for 60% of Ethiopia's total export value and sustaining the livelihoods of many small farms. Other major crops include sugarcane, bananas and cotton. Coffee is also Ethiopia's largest and most important commodity export after petroleum, and Africa's largest Arabica export. In 1997 its total value was approximately $300 million. In terms of total production, 94% comes from small farms and 6% from government institutions. Because many farms are scattered and also grow other crops, accurate statistics have been difficult to compile. The country's official statistics nevertheless show a total coffee cultivation area of at least 400,000 hectares or more. The Ethiopian government encourages local farmers to improve quality and productivity, helping coffee farmers expand commercial scale and increase production capacity and exports.

Sidamo Region Characteristics

The Sidamo growing region, at altitudes of 1,400-2,200 meters, is a famous specialty coffee area in southern Ethiopia, bordering Kenya. Washed Sidamo appears light green, with beans that are not large, oval in shape and full-bodied, with consistently good average quality, an aromatic and mellow fragrance, and an endless aftertaste that carries a wild beauty. Sidamo's coffee flavors are extremely diverse — different soil types, microclimates and countless native coffee varieties create obvious differences and characteristics in the coffee produced by each town. In 2010-2012 it consistently earned high scores of 92-94 from the authoritative American coffee evaluation site CR, which speaks to the extraordinary nature of green beans from this region. The area features towering mountains, highlands, plateaus, valleys and plains, with diverse topography. The local geology consists of nutrient-rich, well-drained volcanic soil, with soil depth of nearly two meters and surface soil that appears dark brown or brown. The area's greatest advantage is that soil fertility is maintained through the cycling of organic matter, using fallen leaves from surrounding trees or plant residue and roots as fertilizer.

Unlike typical African coffees, Sidamo has clear fruit acidity, a smooth mouthfeel and delicate floral and herbaceous aromas. Washed Sidamo is elegant yet playful. The gentle, pleasant entry creates a strong taste impact with the bright lemon acidity that follows, featuring a unique and mellow mouthfeel, a distinctive and pleasing aftertaste, and a slowly rising finish with a singular sweetness. The green coffee beans have a slight grayish tint, with some areas large and others small, combining gentle and bright acidity, appropriate balance of body, and sweet and spicy notes, making it one of the garden coffees from Ethiopia's southern highlands.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this clean, tea-like Ethiopian profile is what you enjoy, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe is the ideal everyday companion. Made from Ethiopia's classic washed style, it is known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity and a clean tea-like finish, and its very approachable price has made it the first specialty coffee for many drinkers.

For a different expression of Ethiopia, FrontStreet Coffee's Gediding cooperative coffee uses traditional washed processing to highlight jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity, developing green tea and honey notes after a medium-light roast. And if you want to taste the country's wild side, FrontStreet Coffee's Kaffa Forest coffee grows naturally between 1,400 and 2,100 meters in southwestern Ethiopia, bringing clear white florals, bright lemon acidity, sweet orange and bergamot, and a faint melon-and-nut sweetness on a green-tea-like body.