Ethiopia Sidamo Natural Guji Premium Coffee Bean Varieties, Brand Recommendations and Estates

Ethiopian Sidamo Shakisso Natural

Shakisso sits in the Guji zone of the Oromia region and borders Sidama and Gedeo to the south. The area is dotted with mining pits originally dug for gold, leaving cavities scattered across the coffee-growing land and making it genuinely dangerous to walk through the plantations. Shakisso is a distinctive growing area within Guji and Sidamo alike, remote and far from most other coffee production. Gold is the region's other famous product. Factors such as miners, land disputes and ethnic tensions also brought instability in 2006, so the biggest challenge the area faces today is simply finding the manpower to maintain the plantations and harvest the coffee. Local smallholder farmers began growing organic coffee here in 2001, working closely with medium-sized producers experienced in cultivating forest coffee in the highlands.

Flavor Profile

Lemon, mango, blueberry, wine-like aroma

Brewing Method

For hand-poured Sidamo, use 15 g of coffee ground to a medium-fine consistency (Fuji ghost-tooth grinder, setting #3.5), a V60 dripper and 91-93°C water. First pour 30 g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105 g and pause. Wait until the water level drops halfway, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225 g, avoiding the tail end. The water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, with an extraction time of 2:00.

Coffee Details

• Country: Ethiopia
• Region: Shakisso growing area, Guji zone
• Altitude: 1800-2000 meters
• Processing: Natural
• Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
• Ingredients: In-house roasted
• Shelf Life: 90 days
• Net Weight: 227 g
• Packaging: Bulk
• Taste: Mellow and aromatic
• Bean State: Roasted coffee beans
• Sugar Content: Sugar-free
• Origin: Ethiopia
• Coffee Type: Other
• Roast Level: Light roast

Shakisso coffee is remarkably distinctive, and what is produced here consistently draws market attention. The legendary Ninety Plus bean "Nekisse" originally means "Nectar from Shakisso," with both its growing region and its name derived from Shakisso.

• Variety: Local native Heirloom
• Producer: Local smallholder farmers

Sidamo coffee flavors are incredibly diverse. Different soil compositions, regional microclimates and countless native varieties mean the coffee from each town area differs markedly in character. The Sidamo growing region lies in southern Ethiopia, where agriculture dominates the local economy and coffee-growing areas are set around the Great Rift Valley.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Ethiopia's natural-process coffees are where the country's wildest, fruitiest flavors live, and FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian naturals cover that range well. FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Huakui is the flagship. Grown in the Hambella area of Guji, Sidamo, across a 200-hectare farm that uses the traditional natural method, the cherries are dried on raised beds for 21 days and turned regularly so they dry evenly, with defective fruit hand-sorted out every few days. Roasted medium-light, it shows a subtle fermented-wine aroma, florals, citrus and mango, a full body, honeyed sweetness, cocoa depth and a long finish.

FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Red Cherry takes the natural method in a cleaner direction. Only fully ripe cherries are used, dried on raised beds for three to five weeks, and then milled. Because the fruit dries around the seed, the cup keeps the classic Yirgacheffe identity while adding tropical fruit: citrus acidity, berry juice, honey sweetness and a creamy, smooth texture, with peach, cocoa, honey and lemon at the core.

If the Shakisso profile appeals to you, FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Sidamo Hamasho is worth seeking out. The Hamasho processing station is a regular on Ethiopian green-bean award lists, working mainly with the JARC 74 disease-resistant series; the small-beaned 74158 lot in particular is floral and fruit-forward, with sweet aromas of perfumed lemon, strawberry and star fruit, and a palate of strawberry, star fruit and green grape giving way to gentle florals.