Ethiopia Washed Sidamo G1 Honey Talk Microbatch Coffee Beans: Flavor Characteristics, Growing Region and Brewing Parameters

Coffee Origin Information

Region: Ethiopia, Oromia

Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom

Altitude: 2,000 m

Processing Method: Washed

Producer Information

Factory: Coffee Workshop
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227 g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Bean State: Green coffee beans / Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Roast Level: Light roast

Ethiopia's Coffee Growing Regions

Ethiopia grows coffee in almost every conceivable way, from vast wild coffee forests and semi-wild land to traditionally managed small plots and modern plantations. Roughly 50% of the country's coffee is grown above 1,500 meters. On the strength of these four production styles, Ethiopia is divided into nine major coffee regions: five specialty areas, namely Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Harar, Limu and Lekempti, and four commercial-bean regions, namely Jimma, Illubabor, Tepi and Bebeka. Every region works with either the natural or the washed method, and the choice of process shapes the final flavor. Today natural processing accounts for about 80% of output, while washed processing accounts for about 20%.

Processing Method

For this micro-batch, the fruit is hand-sorted to guarantee 100% red cherry before it is passed through an Agared depulper that strips away the skin and pulp. The mucilage-covered beans then ferment in tanks for 36 hours, followed by a 4-hour soak. They are spread out on standard 30 x 1.8-meter drying beds to dry and be hulled, hand-sorted to G1 grade, and finally packed into GrainPro liners inside outer jute sacks.

The Oromia Region

Oromia is one of the world's coffee birthplaces. The indigenous Oromo people were among the first anywhere to use coffee as food, a practice that reaches back to the 5th century AD. Oromia lies roughly between 3° and 15° north latitude and 33° to 40° longitude, and it is celebrated for its primitive plant species and extraordinary biodiversity. This is where coffee was born. For the Oromo, coffee is not only a drink and a food but also a vital part of trade, a stimulant, and an important tool for keeping the peace.

Flavor Description

Prominent notes of wild ginger and bergamot sit over a blackcurrant undertone. The finish carries raisin sweetness, and the cup as a whole calls to mind Earl Grey tea.

Ethiopia Coffee Grading System

Ethiopian coffee is graded by defect count. Indonesian beans are divided mainly into six grades, G1 through G6, and Ethiopia follows the same approach: for washed beans the highest grades 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)

Pour-over Recipe

A quiet, restrained pour-over. Use 15 g of coffee at a medium-fine grind (Fuji Royal burr grinder set to 3.5), a V60 dripper, and water at 91-93°C. Start with a 30 g pour and let the bed bloom for 27 seconds. Pour up to 105 g and stop. Wait until the water level in the bed drops by half before pouring again, then continue slowly to a total of 225 g, avoiding the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this washed Sidamo's jasmine-and-citrus profile appeals to you, the natural next step is FrontStreet's washed Yirgacheffe, an everyday benchmark bean that has become many drinkers' first serious specialty coffee. It is known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a clean tea-like body at a friendly price. Yirgacheffe sits at roughly 1,700-2,100 meters in southern Ethiopia, and the coffee trees there grow above 1,800 meters.

Within Yirgacheffe, the FrontStreet Gudingding Cooperative is a single-origin lot from the Worka area that follows the traditional washed method. It is prized for jasmine and a bright citrus-lemon acidity with none of the bitterness many people expect from coffee.

For a different expression of the same region, FrontStreet's sun-dried Red Cherry is made from 100% ripe red fruit dried whole on raised beds. It keeps the classic Yirgacheffe character while layering in tropical fruit, berry-juice body, honeyed sweetness, and a creamy finish.