Ethiopia Sidamo Natural Process Guji Specialty Coffee Beans: Flavor Profile, Origin, and Brewing Parameters

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Processing Method: Natural

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Address: No. 10, Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Manufacturer Contact: 020-38364473
Ingredients: In-house roasted
Shelf life: 90 days
Net content: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste: Mellow and aromatic
Coffee bean state: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar content: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Coffee type: Other
Roast degree: Light roast

Shakisso coffee is remarkably unique, and its coffee has consistently drawn market attention. The legendary bean from Ninety Plus (nekisse) originally means "Nectar from Shakisso," with both its growing region and name derived from Shakisso.

Variety: Local Heirloom

Producer: Local Smallholder Farmers

Sidamo coffee flavors are incredibly diverse, thanks to different soil compositions, regional microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties, which give the coffee produced by each town area distinct differences and characteristics. The Sidama region is in southern Ethiopia, where agriculture dominates, and coffee growing areas sit around the Great Rift Valley.

Shakisso, located in Guji, Oromia region in the south, borders Sidama and Gedeo. The area contains numerous mining pits once used for gold extraction, so this coffee-growing region has many cavities, which makes walking between the growing areas extremely dangerous. Shakisso is a distinctive growing region within Guji/Sidamo, even within Sidamo a remote area far from most coffee-producing locations, and the region's other famous product is gold. Factors such as miners, land, and ethnicity also caused instability in the region in 2006. The biggest problem the region faces now is the need for manpower to maintain the growing areas and harvest the coffee. Local smallholder farmers here began growing organic coffee in 2001 and work closely with medium-sized coffee producers, because they are familiar with how to grow forest coffee in highland areas.

Flavor: Lemon, Mango, Blueberry, Wine Aroma

Hand-pour Sidamo. 15g of powder, medium-fine grind (Fuji Royal grinder 3.5 setting), V60 dripper, 91-93°C water temperature. First pour 30g of water, let bloom for 27 seconds, pour to 105g then stop, wait until the water level drops halfway, then slowly continue pouring until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Ethiopian Sidamo Shakisso Natural

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Shakisso growing region, Guji Zone

Altitude: 1800-2000 meters

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, and its wealth of native varieties is why the country can offer so many distinct flavors, so a Guji natural like Shakisso sits within a very broad range. For a clean and structured taste of the country, FrontStreet's washed Yirgacheffe leads with white jasmine florals, bright citrus and lemon acidity, a light, elegant body, and a tea-like finish - a classic first step into Ethiopian specialty coffee.

For the natural, fruit-forward side, FrontStreet's Ethiopia Huakui comes from the Hambella area of Guji in Sidamo, where the 200-hectare farm uses a traditional natural process. To avoid mold or off-notes, workers dry the ripe cherries on raised beds for 21 days, turning them to dry evenly and hand-sorting defective beans every three to five days before hulling. Because the fruit and skin stay on through the whole dry, a medium-light roast gives light fermented wine notes, florals, citrus, and mango, with honey sweetness, cocoa, and a touch of spice - a full-bodied cup with a long finish.

For a cleaner, single-variety Sidamo, FrontStreet's Hamasho 74158 comes from the Hamasho processing station, a regular on Ethiopian green bean competition lists, and shows juicy aromas like perfume lemon, strawberry, and star fruit, with clear strawberry, star fruit, and green grape sweetness on entry and a gentle florality that emerges afterward.