Ethiopian Sidamo Natural Guji Coffee Price - How Much Does It Cost

Ethiopian Sidamo Shakisso Natural

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Shakisso, Guji Zone

Altitude: 1,800-2,000 m

Process: Natural

Variety: Local Landrace (Heirloom)

Producer: Local smallholders

Roast Level: Light roast

Shakisso coffee possesses a remarkable uniqueness, and the lots produced here consistently capture the market's attention. Ninety Plus's legendary bean "Nekisse" literally means "Nectar from Shakisso" - both its growing region and its name derive from Shakisso.

Sidamo's coffee flavors are incredibly diverse. Differences in soil composition, regional microclimates, and countless native varieties mean that coffee from each town and district shows its own distinct character. The Sidamo region lies in southern Ethiopia, where agriculture dominates the local economy and the coffee-growing areas cluster around the Great Rift Valley.

Shakisso, in the Guji Zone of Oromia Region, borders Sidamo and Gedeo. The area is pocked with old mining pits that were historically used for gold extraction, leaving cavities scattered throughout the coffee-growing land - so many that walking between plantations can be hazardous. Shakisso stands out as a unique producing area within Guji/Sidamo: even within Sidamo it is remote, far from most coffee-growing districts. Gold mining remains another famous local industry. Miners, land disputes, and ethnic tensions destabilized the region in 2006, and the biggest challenge facing the area today is the shortage of manpower to maintain the growing fields and harvest the coffee. Local smallholders began cultivating organic coffee in 2001, working closely with mid-sized producers who understand how to grow forest coffee at high altitude.

Flavor: Lemon, mango, blueberry, winey aroma

Pour-over recipe for Sidamo: 15 g of coffee at a medium-fine grind (Fuji Royal hand grinder, setting 3.5), V60 dripper, water at 91-93°C. First pour: 30 g of water, bloom for 27 seconds. Continue pouring to 105 g, then pause until the water level drops halfway down the coffee bed. Pour slowly to 225 g total, avoiding the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For another taste of Guji's natural-process character, FrontStreet Coffee's Natural Huakui from the Hambella growing area of Guji, Sidamo is the standout: dried for 21 days on raised beds with constant turning and repeated hand-sorting, then roasted medium-light to reveal a light fermented wine aroma, florals, citrus, and mango, with honeyed sweetness, cocoa, and spice over a thick body and long finish. If you prefer washed clarity instead, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe offers crisp jasmine and bright citrus with a light, tea-like elegance.