Ethiopia Sidamo Sun-Dried Flower Queen Sidamo Guji Specialty Coffee Bean Varieties, Brand Recommendations and Estates

Hambella: The Premier Coffee Region

Hambella is located in Guji (GUJI), Ethiopia's largest coffee-producing region, and is administratively part of the Oromia Regional State. To its west, Hambella faces Yirgacheffe's Kochore region across the mountains, the two areas separated by a highland plateau reaching 3,200 meters in elevation and approximately 30 kilometers in width. To the southeast, north, and south it borders Guji's Shakiso, Uraga, and Kercha sub-regions respectively, making it Ethiopia's highest-altitude coffee sub-region (Harrar is Ethiopia's highest-altitude main coffee region).

Processing Facilities and Production

There are currently nearly 20 processing plants of various scales in the Hambella region. The DW company operates four estate processing plants in Hambella's core Dimtu area: "Buku Abel," "Buku Saysay," "Haro Soresa," and "Tirtiro Goye," with an annual coffee production of approximately 1100 tons.

Among all these estates and processing facilities, only the natural-process coffee from the "Buku Abel" estate and processing plant is called "Flower Queen."

Brewing Method

For pour-over Flower Queen: use 15g of coffee, ground to a medium-fine consistency (Fuji ghost tooth grinder setting 3.5), a V60 dripper, and a water temperature of 91-93°C. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, total extraction time 2:00.

Awards and Recognition

Cupping notes: passion fruit, rose floral, strawberry jam, berry sweetness and acidity, peach flesh, red tea finish

2016/2017 Season

Ethiopia National Taste of Harvest Competition - Champion

2016/2017 harvest season Ethiopia Coffee Competition - Champion

2017 Regional Africa Taste of Harvest Competition - Runner-up

2017 Africa Coffee Competition - Runner-up

Processing and Terroir

The Flower Queen processing plant is located in Buku Abel village at an altitude of 2200 meters. From its first planting, the site was chosen for its noble "family environment": rich, humus-filled reddish-brown soil, with shade protection from "Enset" trees. This lets Flower Queen receive enough sunlight to develop rich flavors while drawing on abundant nutrients, so more essence is retained within the coffee cherries. During the harvest and processing season (December-January), its unique growing environment and natural climate create Flower Queen's distinctive flavors. Natural processing begins only once the sugar content of the harvested red cherries reaches above 30.

During the first two days of natural processing, the moisture of the red cherries is maintained so their fruit sugars can fully begin to ferment. Meanwhile, the high-altitude location lets the processing plant's nighttime temperatures drop to around 12°C, preventing over-fermentation odors from excessive heat. When temperatures rise at midday, shade is provided promptly to prevent sun damage to the red cherries. Only fully ripe red coffee cherries are selected, all hand-picked, dried on African raised beds with controlled cherry-layer thickness and turned continuously every 24 hours to ensure even drying and ventilation, allowing precise control over the fermentation level.

At night, thick plastic sheets are used as cover against sudden rainfall. This lets the red cherries ferment and dehydrate at relatively low temperatures. After 18 days of natural processing, when the green coffee beans' moisture content drops to around 13%, drying is stopped. The beans are then packed in jute bags and stored under warehouse conditions of 12-22°C and 40-50% humidity for approximately 50 days of resting and further dehydration. When the green coffee moisture content reaches around 10%, they are transported to the processing plant for hulling, sorting, and sale.

Coffee Specifications

Coffee origin: Africa, Ethiopia

Coffee estate: Guji, Hambella Wamena region, Dimtu city, Buku Abel estate

Coffee variety: Heirloom, Ethiopian native varieties

Production altitude: 2250-2350m

Quality grade: G1

Processing method: Natural (African raised beds)

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

Ethiopian Sidamo Shakisso Natural

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Guji Zone

Altitude: 2250-2350m

Processing method: Natural

Variety: Local heirloom varieties

Producer: Local smallholder farmers

Flavor: Passion fruit, rose floral, strawberry jam

Sidamo's Diverse Coffee Profile

Sidamo's coffee flavors are extremely diverse because different soil compositions, regional microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties create clear differences and characteristics in the coffee produced by each town and area. The Sidamo coffee region lies in southern Ethiopia, where agriculture dominates the industry and the coffee growing areas sit around the Great Rift Valley.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Flower Queen's tropical-fruit intensity is the calling card of the Hambella terroir, and FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Flower Queen comes from exactly that ground: the Hambella region of Guji Sidamo, where the farm covers 200 hectares and the cherries are sun-dried on raised beds for 21 days, turned regularly and hand-sorted every three to five days to keep any mold or off-notes out.

Because the whole cherry dries with its pulp and skin, the medium-light roast pours out soft fermented wine notes, florals, citrus, and mango, with a dense, complex body, honeyed sweetness, cocoa, and a little spice on a long finish. Like the Flower Queen in this article, it shows its best face from a 1:15 pour-over at 91-93°C.