90+ Chanmang Coffee Bean Sidamo Natural Specialty Coffee Bean Differences, Distinctions, and Awards

90+ beans take a completely different naming approach from conventional specialty beans. They carry no region or estate name; instead, each coffee is named for its flavor profile. "Zhu Mang," for example, means "best approach" in the local dialect. Starting from a flavor concept, then naming, and only then selecting regions and partner farms, it is clear that 90+ is a brand with a boutique business style.

Ethiopia's Coffee Cultivation

In Ethiopia you can find every kind of coffee cultivation: from vast wild coffee forests and semi-developed land to traditionally managed small plots and modern plantations. About 50% of the coffee is grown at altitudes above 1,500 meters. Based on these four production methods, Ethiopian coffee is divided into nine major regions, including five specialty coffee regions: Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Harar, Limu and Lekempti, plus four commercial regions: Djimmah, Illubabor, Tepi and Bebeka. Each region uses either natural or washed processing, and the processing method shapes the flavor. Today, natural processing accounts for about 80% and washed processing about 20%.

The 90+ Philosophy

"90+" does not mean that every coffee scores above 90 points. Good coffee appears one year and may be absent the next, and sometimes it shows up at different estates with different flavor characteristics. "90+" is a premium coffee series built around 13 flavor profiles. These coffees come exclusively from the American specialty coffee creator Ninety Plus Coffee. They are all Ethiopian heirloom varieties, cultivated in particular ecological environments and processed to artistic standards for flavor optimization. Processing is 90+'s specialty: the coffees are separated by variety, microclimate and harvest timing, tasted individually, and given a specific processing method designed to reach a particular flavor profile, much as a fashion designer devotes full attention to a near-artistic craft. The natural products go through extensive refinement before being presented in their most beautiful form.

Drima Zede Processing Excellence

The ancient natural method rarely achieves a pure flavor, but Drima Zede, with 90+ technical support, has only the most mature coffee cherries selected by hand. During natural drying, careful, constant stirring ensures uniformity. The final result is an exceptionally transparent, pure taste with striking changes between hot and cold, and aromas of fruit, flowers and oak barrels that are incredibly captivating.

Zhu Mang's Distinctive Character

Also an Ethiopian natural coffee, Zhu Mang, after strict supervision and selection, avoids the earthy impurities and high defect rates that can trouble natural beans. Instead it highlights the captivating sweetness for which natural processing is known. Zhu Mang's enchanting fruit notes inherit the captivating aroma of traditional Ethiopian natural processing, unreservedly expressing rounded, full-bodied sweetness with a long aftertaste and mouth-watering fruit acidity. Brewing Zhu Mang day to day is quite approachable. The beans are rich in flavor, and whether you use a refreshing pour-over or a rich siphon, they show their inherent character beautifully.

The 90+ Level Up series Zhu Mang flavor profile: nectarine, tropical fruits, a clean and bright taste, astonishing from the first sip.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Roast Level: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Roast Level: Light roast

Zhu Mang's enchanting fruit notes inherit the captivating aroma of traditional Ethiopian natural processing, unreservedly expressing rounded, full-bodied sweetness with a long aftertaste and mouth-watering fruit acidity. Brewing Zhu Mang day to day is quite approachable. The beans are rich in flavor, and whether you use a refreshing pour-over or a rich espresso, they show their inherent character beautifully.

Brewing Instructions

Hand-pour Sidamo: 15g of coffee, medium-fine grind (Fuji Royal burr grinder on setting 3.5), V60 dripper, water temperature 91-93C. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level drops to half, then slowly pour to 225g in total. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Coffee Details

Country: Sidamo

Altitude: 1750-2000m

Region: Sidamo

Roast Level: Light roast

Processing Method: Natural

Variety: Local indigenous varieties

Processing Station: NinetyPlus 90+

Flavor Notes: Nectarine, tropical fruits, oak barrel aroma

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Zhu Mang shows what a carefully executed natural Ethiopian coffee can be: nectarine, tropical fruit and a clean, bright cup rather than the earthy, defect-prone profile that natural processing sometimes delivers. If that style appeals to you, the FrontStreet Huakui is an excellent companion bean. Grown from Ethiopia's native heirloom varieties and given the classic natural process, it pours out creamy strawberry, mango, jackfruit, citrus and blueberry, with the ripe tropical-fruit character that Ethiopian natural coffee is known for, and it took first place in the TOH green bean competition that year.

FrontStreet also roasts the FrontStreet Natural Red Cherry, another Ethiopia natural lot, picked from fully ripe cherries and dried on raised beds, showing berry, honey and a creamy body. Together with Zhu Mang, they make a rewarding tasting of how much variety a single country and one processing method can produce.