Ethiopia Washed Yirgacheffe G1 Shakisso Premium Coffee Beans Origin Development History and Culture Introduction

Estate Introduction

Shakisso is located in the Guji zone of Sidamo, in the southern part of the Oromia region, bordering Sidama and Gedeo. The area has numerous mining pits originally dug for gold extraction, which is why this coffee-growing area is pockmarked with holes, creating hazards for anyone walking through the plantations. Shakisso is a unique production area within Guji/Sidamo; even within Sidamo it is a remote region far from most coffee-producing areas, and the area's other famous product is gold. Factors such as miners, land, and ethnic conflict also made the region unstable in 2006. As a result, the biggest challenge facing the area today is the manpower needed to maintain the plantations and harvest the coffee.

Local small farmers here began growing organic coffee in 2001 and worked closely with medium-sized coffee producers, since they are familiar with how to grow forest coffee in highland areas. It is one of the micro-regions with very distinct regional characteristics within the Sidamo production area. Coffee from this region has considerable uniqueness, and the coffee produced has repeatedly drawn market attention. The legendary bean (nekisse) from Ninety Plus originally means "Nectar from Shakisso"; both its production area and its name come from Shakisso.

Flavor Description

Lemon and citrus, bright and crisp acidity, lemon, citrus, white grape juice, blackcurrant, with Earl Grey tea notes in the finish.

Product Information

Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Roast Level: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Coffee Type: Other
Roast Degree: Light roast

Ethiopian Sidamo Shakisso Washed

Country: Ethiopia
Grade: G1
Region: Shakisso production area, Guji Zone
Roast Level: Light roast
Processing Method: Washed
Variety: Local native Heirloom
Producer: Local small farmers
Flavor: White grape juice, citrus, Earl Grey tea notes

Sidamo Region

Sidamo's coffee flavors are very diverse, because different soil compositions, regional microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties have created obvious differences and characteristics in the coffee produced by each town and region. The Sidamo production area lies in southern Ethiopia, where agriculture dominates the industry and the coffee cultivation areas sit around the Great Rift Valley.

"Ethiopian Sidamo" is a type of single-origin coffee, Arabica coffee grown in the Sidamo province of Ethiopia. Like coffee from most African countries, Ethiopian Sidamo is characterized by small grayish beans, but its distinctive features are rich, spicy, wine-like or chocolate flavors and floral notes. The most characteristic flavors found in all Sidamo coffees are lemon and citrus, with a bright, crisp acidity. Sidamo coffees include Yirgacheffe and Guji coffee, both of excellent quality.

Washed-processed coffee is less likely to show wild characteristics, possessing pure and refreshing qualities, and is suitable for City to Full City roast levels. Some premium Ethiopian washed beans sometimes exhibit obvious notes of uplifted lemon, citrus essential oils, jasmine florals, and honey flavors, with more noticeable acidity and a thinner body.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Shakisso's hallmark is that crisp, tea-like citrus acidity, and FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe selection carries the same clean, high-elevation character. The FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe is the everyday entry point, with white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like body, roasted light and priced for daily drinking.

To go closer to the small-lot, traceable style of Shakisso, the FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Gudingding Cooperative comes from the Gudingding Cooperative in the Woka district, washed and sorted to G1, showing citrus, lemon, and jasmine florals. Both shine with a light roast and the 1:15 V60 pour-over described here.