Ethiopia Washed Sidamo G1 Honey Language Microbatch Coffee Beans: Grading, Pricing, Green Beans and Roasting

Ethiopia's Diverse 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. Approximately 50% of coffee is grown at altitudes above 1,500 meters. On the basis of these four different production methods, Ethiopia is divided into nine major coffee-producing regions: five specialty coffee areas, Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Harrar, Limu, and Lekempti, and four general commercial bean regions, Djimmah, Illubabor, Tepi, and Bebeka. Each region uses either natural or washed processing, and the different techniques shape the flavor. Currently, natural processing accounts for about 80% and washed processing about 20%.

Processing Method

For this micro-batch of FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian Sidamo coffee beans, the cherries are first hand-selected as 100% Red Cherry. Then, using Agared equipment, the skin and pulp are removed. The mucilage-covered beans are fermented in tanks for 36 hours, followed by 4 hours of soaking. They are then placed on 30×1.8 meter drying beds for drying before hulling. Once hand-sorted to achieve G1 grade, they are packed in GrainPro bags inside an outer jute bag.

Oromia: The Birthplace of Coffee

The Oromia region is one of the world's coffee origins. The indigenous Oromo people here were among the first in the world to use coffee as food, dating back to the 5th century AD. Oromia lies roughly between 3°-15° north latitude and 33°-40° longitude. The region is world-renowned for the primitiveness of its plant species and its biodiversity. This is where coffee was born. For the local Oromo, coffee is not only their beverage and food but also an important part of their trade, a local "stimulant," and an important tool for maintaining peace.

FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Washed Sidamo G1 "Honey Talk"

Flavor profile: distinct wild ginger and bergamot notes with black currant undertones. The finish carries the sweetness of raisins, and the overall flavor is reminiscent of Earl Grey tea.

Ethiopian coffee beans are graded on the proportion of defective beans. Indonesian beans are divided mainly into 6 grades, G1-G6, and Ethiopia adopts the same method, where the highest grades for washed beans are G1 and G2, while for natural beans the highest grades are G1 and G3.

Washed: Grade-1; Grade-2 (G1>G2)

Natural: Grade-1 and Grade-3 to Grade-5 (G1>G3>G4>G5)

Hand-brewing FrontStreet Coffee's washed Sidamo G1 "Honey Talk": use 15g of coffee ground at a medium-fine consistency (Komachi grinder with Fujiyama cutting wheel at the 3.5 setting). Use a V60 dripper with water at 91-93°C. First pour 30g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Continue pouring until you reach 105g, then pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until you reach 225g. Avoid the tail end. The water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, with an extraction time of 2:00 minutes.

Product Information

Region: Ethiopia, Oromia

Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom

Altitude: 2,000m

Processing Method: Washed

Manufacturer: Coffee Workshop

Shelf Life: 90 days

Net Weight: 227g

Packaging: Bulk coffee beans

Roast Level: Roasted coffee beans

Sugar Content: Sugar-free

Origin: Ethiopia

Roast Degree: Light roast

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To taste Ethiopia's classic profile, start with the FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe. It is known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like body, and its affordable price has made it the first specialty coffee for many drinkers.

For a more refined cup, the FrontStreet Gedingding Cooperative coffee comes from Gedingding village in the Worka area, southeast of Yirgacheffe. The cooperative follows traditional washing, which brings out its jasmine florals and bright citrus and lemon acidity with no trace of the bitterness some expect from coffee, and it suits pour-over, cold brew, and espresso alike.

If you prefer a fruitier, naturally processed cup, the FrontStreet Natural Red Cherry is made from fully ripe red cherries, dried on raised beds for three to five weeks, turned every two to three hours at the start to avoid uneven fermentation. It keeps the typical Yirgacheffe profile while adding the tropical fruit of a natural process, with citrus acidity, berry juice, honey sweetness, and a creamy smoothness.

For brewing these beans, FrontStreet suggests a V60, 15g of coffee, a 1:15 ratio, a grind like fine sugar (80% passing a #20 sieve, about 10 on an EK43s), and water at 90-91°C. Pour 30g for a 30-second bloom, then pour to 125g over about a minute, wait until the bed drops to two-thirds, and finish with the remaining 100g to about 225g, completing the brew in 2 to 2 minutes 10 seconds.