The Story and Origin of Natural Process Sidamo Shakisso G1 Guji Honey Fine Coffee Beans

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

Shakisso lies in the Guji zone of Ethiopia's Oromia region, bordering Sidama and Gedeo. The area is dotted with abandoned pits left over from gold mining, so the coffee-growing land is full of holes, and walking through the groves can be genuinely hazardous. Shakisso is a one-of-a-kind production area within Guji/Sidamo: even by Sidamo standards it is remote, far from most other coffee origins. Gold is the other famous local industry, and pressures around miners, land, and ethnicity left the region unstable in 2006. Today the biggest challenge is simply securing enough hands to maintain the growing areas and harvest the coffee. Local smallholders began planting organic coffee here in 2001 and work closely with medium-sized producers, who know best how to cultivate forest coffee at high altitude.

Pour-Over Sidamo Brewing Guide

To pour over this Sidamo, dose 15g of coffee at a medium-fine grind (equivalent to a 3.5 setting on a Fuji ghost-tooth grinder) into a V60 dripper, with water at 91-93°C. Start with a 30g pour to bloom for 27 seconds, then pour to 105g and pause. Once the water level in the bed has dropped to about half, pour slowly up to 225g and cut off the last trickle. The water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15 with a total extraction time of 2:00.

Coffee Details

Sidamo Natural G1

Country: Ethiopia (Sidamo)

Grade: G1

Origin: Guji

Roast Level: Medium-light roast

Processing: Natural

Variety: Local heirloom varieties

Region: Shakicha, Shakisso

Flavor Notes: Cranberry, sweet orange, plum, blueberry

Regional Character

Shakisso stands apart within Guji and is one of the zones of Sidamo furthest from the main coffee belt; gold mining is the region's other claim to fame, and labor, land, and ethnic tensions have made this area historically unsettled. Yet the coffee it produces is remarkable - the legendary Nekisse from Ninety Plus also comes from here.

Nekisse originally means the nectar of the Shakisso flowers. Search "Guji" on the Coffee Review website and you will find more than ten reviews scoring above 92 points, including several standout marks of 94 and 95.

Tasting Notes

Dry Aroma: Sweet cherry, raisins, preserved fruit, preserved plums, dried pineapple, strawberry

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

Slurping: The first sip lands like juicy honey peach with sweet pineapple acidity. The mid-palate fills the mouth with cranberry, blueberry, strawberry, pineapple, and dense dried-fruit aromas, while the aftertaste brings lychee and plum with a dried-fruit-like viscosity. The whole cup is a tropical fruit storm - elegant yet assertive - living up to its name by plunging you into an ocean of nectar.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and home to countless heirloom varieties, and FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian lineup is a great way to explore it. For a first taste, start with FrontStreet's washed Yirgacheffe: clear jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity with a light, elegant, tea-like body - like a clean, refreshing lemon tea. Yirgacheffe itself is a small town in southern Ethiopia where cool, misty conditions let thousands of coffee trees thrive.

If you love natural-process lots like this Shakisso, try FrontStreet's natural Red Cherry Project Yirgacheffe (peach, cocoa, honey, lemon), where only intact cherries are selected and sun-dried for about two weeks until moisture drops to 12% before repeated density and hand-sorting. FrontStreet's Hambella "Huakui" natural from Guji is another favorite: a 200-hectare farm that dries cherries on raised beds for 21 days, turning them constantly and hand-removing defective beans every 3-5 days, yielding a medium-light roast with faint fermented winey notes, florals, citrus, and mango, with thick body and a long finish.

For brewing either coffee, keep the roast medium-light and use a gentle pour-over approach - the same 15g dose, V60, 1:15 ratio, and multi-pour method recommended above will keep the florals clear and the fruit sweetness forward.