Ethiopian Washed Sidamo G2 Specialty Coffee Beans: Grading, Pricing, Green Beans and Roast Level

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The Sidamo Coffee Region

The Sidamo growing region, situated at elevations of 1,400-2,200 meters, is a renowned specialty coffee area in southern Ethiopia, bordering Kenya. Washed-processed Sidamo beans display a light green color, are medium-sized with an oval shape, and feature well-filled fruit with consistently good quality. They possess a rich, mellow aroma that leaves an endless aftertaste, embodying a wild beauty. Sidamo's coffee flavors are exceptionally diverse, with different soil types, microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties creating distinct differences and characteristics in the coffee produced by various towns. From 2010 to 2012, it consistently achieved high scores of 92-94 from the authoritative American coffee evaluation website CR, demonstrating the exceptional quality of green beans from this region.

The region features towering mountains, highlands, plateaus, valleys, and plains, creating diverse topography. The local geology consists of nutrient-rich, well-drained volcanic soil with depths reaching nearly two meters, with surface soil appearing dark brown or brown. The region's greatest advantage lies in maintaining soil fertility through organic matter cycling, using fallen leaves from surrounding trees or residual plant roots as natural fertilizer.

Distinctive Characteristics

Unlike typical African coffees, Sidamo features clear fruit acidity, a smooth mouthfeel, and delicate floral and herbal aromas. Washed Sidamo is elegant yet playful. The initial entry is mild and pleasant, creating a strong flavor contrast with the bright lemon acidity that follows. The mouthfeel is uniquely rich and mellow, with a distinctive and pleasing aftertaste that slowly rises with refined sweetness in the finish. The green coffee beans have a slight grayish tint, varying in size from coarse to fine. The acidity balances both gentle and bright qualities, while the body is appropriately moderate, offering sweet, spicy aromas, making it one of the garden coffees from Ethiopia's southern highlands.

Pour-Over Brewing Method

For pour-over Sidamo: Use 15g of coffee ground to medium-fine consistency (using a Fujiyama mill with ghost tooth burrs set to 3.5), a V60 dripper, and water temperature of 91-93°C. First pour 30g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Then pour to 105g and pause, waiting until the water level drops to about halfway before continuing to pour slowly until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail end. The water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, with an extraction time of 2:00.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Coffee Workshop
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: Light roast
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Grade: G2
Processing Method: Washed

Processing Details

Farmers harvest vibrant red coffee cherries daily, collecting the harvest every two days as units to send or sell to washing stations for processing. Coffee cherries not processed at washing stations typically undergo about 12 hours of natural fermentation, followed by sun-drying and hulling. Whenever possible, farmers try their best to send cherries to washing stations to command better prices under the "washed process" designation. At washing stations, coffee cherries undergo about 12 hours of soaking and fermentation to soften the pulp, then pass through water channels with agitation to separate the pulp from the coffee beans. The pulp is discharged through gates.

Today, Ethiopia's washing stations are increasingly numerous and growing in popularity. Small farmers sell their harvested coffee cherries to processing plants, which hull them and resell them through auction systems. From there, they are transported to the Red Sea port of Assab in Eritrea and the port of Djibouti near the Gulf of Aden. Although coffee is the country's main agricultural export, its annual domestic consumption is also impressive, approximately 1,500,000 bags (60kg each), accounting for 50% of total production. Wild coffee grows in the tropical rainforests of the southwestern highlands and is mostly hand-picked. However, many local people maliciously damage natural rainforest areas—either cutting or burning them—to access difficult-to-reach rugged mountain areas, severely affecting ecological balance.

Both washed and natural-processed green coffee beans intended for export are sent to Addis Ababa, the capital, and Dire Dawa in Harar province for auction and export. The Dire Dawa auction center typically exports natural-processed Harar coffee from the region. At the auction site, daily information from different farms is available to facilitate trader purchases. Ethiopian government officials also enter and exit this center daily to inspect and grade the coffee. Each time, they randomly sample 3 kilograms from the same shipment of green beans for inspection.

Variety and Flavor Profile

Variety: Local native varieties
Flavor Notes: Honey, citrus, lemon

Today, large numbers of wild Arabica coffee tree species still grow in many parts of Ethiopia, typically cultivated at elevations between 4,200-6,800 feet. There is now a gradual trend toward small-scale cultivation, generally with banana trees planted simultaneously for shade. However, due to limited agricultural technology, there is less use of herbicides and pesticides. Coffee is Ethiopia's main economic crop and the country's largest agricultural export and important industry, accounting for 60% of Ethiopia's total export value and sustaining the livelihoods of many small farms. Other significant exports include sugar, bananas, and cotton. Coffee is also Ethiopia's largest and most important commodity export after oil, and Africa's largest Arabica export. In 1997, the 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, but the country's official statistics indicate that the total coffee cultivation area is at least 400,000 hectares or more.

The Ethiopian government encourages local farmers to improve quality and productivity to help coffee farmers expand commercial scale, increase production capacity, and exports. During the harvest season,

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