Pour-Over Brewing Parameters for Natural Process Sidamo Shakisso G1 Guji Honey Premium Coffee Beans

Hand-poured Sidamo. 15g of coffee, medium-fine grind (Fuji ghost-tooth burr grinder setting 3.5), V60 dripper, water temperature 91-93°C. First pour with 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level drops halfway, then slowly pour until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Manufacturer: Coffee Workshop
Shelf life: 90 days
Net weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Origin: Ethiopia

Sidamo Natural G1

Country: Ethiopia

Grade: G1

Region: Guji

Roast Level: Medium-light roast

Processing Method: Natural

Variety: Local heirloom varieties

Area: Shakicha

Flavor Notes: Cranberry, sweet orange, plum, blueberry

Regional Characteristics

Shakisso stands out within the Guji region of the Sidamo Valley, situated far from most coffee-producing areas in Sidamo province. The region's other famous industry is gold mining, and labor, land, and ethnic factors make this area volatile. Yet the coffee from this region is exceptional, as evidenced by Ninety Plus' legendary bean Nekisse, which also originates here.

Nektar—meaning the flower nectar of Shakisso—is the inspiration for that name; searching "Guji" on the Coffee Review website yields over ten reviews scoring above 92 points, with several high scores of 94 and 95.

Shakisso, in the southern part of the Guji zone in Oromia, borders Sidamo and Gedeo. The area contains many mine pits originally used for gold mining, leaving numerous holes throughout this coffee-growing region and making it dangerous to walk through the plantations. Shakisso is a distinctive growing area within Guji/Sidamo, remote even by Sidamo standards. Another famous local product is gold. Miners, land, and ethnic factors also caused unrest in the region in 2006. The area now faces its biggest challenge: the need for manpower to maintain the plantations and harvest the coffee. Local smallholder farmers began growing organic coffee in 2001, working closely with medium-sized coffee producers who know how to cultivate forest coffee in highland areas.

Cupping Notes

[Dry Aroma] Sweet cherry, raisins, preserved fruits, preserved plums, dried pineapple, strawberry.

[Wet Aroma] Cherry, cranberry, sweet orange, plum, blueberry, honey peach, lychee.

[Sip] The entry is like sweet, juicy peach with a sweet pineapple acidity. Mid-palate reveals intense cranberry, blueberry, strawberry, pineapple, and dried-fruit notes filling the mouth. The finish carries lychee and plum flavors with a dried-fruit-like viscosity. The whole bean is like a tropical fruit storm—elegant yet dominant, falling into an ocean of nectar as its name suggests.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the tropical, nectar-like intensity of a natural Guji is what draws you in, FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian range has several kindred spirits. FrontStreet Sun-Dried Huakui comes from the Hambella area of Guji, Sidamo, a 200-hectare farm worked in the traditional natural style, where ripe cherries are dried on raised beds for 21 days with constant turning and hand-sorting every three to five days before hulling, then roasted medium-light for a light fermented wine aroma, florals, citrus, and mango, with honey sweetness, cocoa, and a touch of spice over a thick body and long finish. For a natural built on the JARC 74 series of disease-resistant varieties, FrontStreet Sidamo Natural Hamasho 74158—especially the small-beaned 74158—offers a perfume-lemon, strawberry, and starfruit fragrance, with pronounced strawberry, starfruit, and green-grape sweetness up front and a subtle floral note rising behind. If you want the washed counterpoint from the same country, FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe brings clear jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity that drink like a clean, refreshing lemon tea, while FrontStreet Kafa Forest, grown wild at 1400-2100 meters under shade and roasted medium-light, shows white florals, bright lemon acidity, sweet orange and bergamot, and a green-tea-like finish.