Pour-Over Brewing Parameter Recommendations for Ethiopian Sidamo Natural Process Guji Specialty Coffee Beans

Pour-over Sidamo: 15g of coffee grounds, medium-fine grind (Fuji ghost-tooth grinder setting 3.5), V60 dripper, water temperature 91-93°C. First pour 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 total. Discard the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Ethiopian Sidamo Shakisso Natural

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Shakisso, Guji Zone

Altitude: 1800-2000 meters

Processing Method: Natural

Roast Level: Light roast

Variety: Local Heirloom varieties

Producer: Local smallholders

Shakisso coffee possesses remarkable uniqueness, and the coffee produced here consistently captures the market's attention. The legendary Ninety Plus bean, Nekisse, originally means "Nectar from Shakisso" — both its production region and its name are derived from Shakisso.

Sidamo coffee flavors are incredibly diverse due to different soil compositions, regional microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties, resulting in distinct differences between the coffee produced in each town and area. The Sidamo region is located in southern Ethiopia, where agriculture dominates the economy, and the coffee growing areas are situated around the Great Rift Valley.

Shakisso, located in Guji in the southern Oromia region, borders Sidamo and Gedeo. This area contains numerous mining pits originally used for gold extraction, leaving many holes in the coffee growing zones — which makes walking through the cultivation areas rather dangerous. Shakisso stands as a unique producing area within Guji/Sidamo, and even within Sidamo itself it is a remote region far from most coffee origins. Another famous local product is gold. Factors such as miners, land, and ethnic tensions also led to instability in the region in 2006. The biggest challenge facing the area today is the need for manpower to maintain the cultivation zones and harvest the coffee. Local smallholders began growing organic coffee in 2001 and work closely with medium-sized producers who know how to cultivate forest coffee in highland areas.

Flavor Profile: Lemon, mango, blueberry, wine-like aroma

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this Shakisso natural has you craving more fruit-forward Ethiopian coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's Flower Queen (Hua Kui) from the Hambella region of Guji is a must-try: whole ripe cherries dried on raised beds for 21 days with constant turning and repeated hand-sorting, medium-light roasted to show faint fermented winey aroma, florals, citrus, and mango with thick honeyed sweetness, cocoa, and a lasting finish. For a delicate floral counterpoint, the FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe offers the classic white jasmine and bright citrus-lemon acidity, while the Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry adds berry juiciness, honeyed sweetness, and creamy smoothness from fully red, sun-dried cherries. And for wild-grown character, the FrontStreet Kaffa Forest coffee — from trees at 1400-2100 meters under original forest canopy — brings white florals, lemon brightness, sweet orange and bergamot, and a green-tea-like body. Brew them on a V60 with a 15g dose at 1:15 and 91-93°C water, exactly the parameters recommended above.