90+ Danchi Dream Bean Characteristics | 90+ Danchi Dream Coffee Brewing Guide

According to how much influence fruit flavors have on the texture during processing, coffees can be ranked from low to high as W2, H2, N2. These three flavor distinctions can also be understood simply as processing methods: W2 = WASH washed processing; H2 = Honey honey processing; N2 = NATURE natural processing:

W2: Lower fruit notes; emphasizes bright acidity and floral aromas.

H2: Moderate fruit notes; emphasizes sweetness, fruit texture (rather than fruit aroma), and tea-like sensations.

N2: Higher fruit notes; emphasizes exuberant sweet-sourness, jam, and dried fruit flavors.

Coffee Profile Details

Roast Level: Light roast

Processing Method: Natural

Variety: Local heirloom varieties

Processor: Ninety Plus

Flavor Notes: Nectarine, tropical fruits, oak barrel aroma

The Ninety Plus Philosophy

"Ninety Plus" does not refer to all coffees scoring above 90 points. Good coffee may be available one year and absent the next. Sometimes it appears in different estates and possesses various flavor characteristics. "Ninety Plus" refers to a premium coffee series of 13 flavor profiles. These coffees come exclusively from Ninety Plus Coffee, an American specialty coffee creator. All are Ethiopian heirloom varieties, cultivated in ecological environments and processed to artistic standards for flavor optimization.

The processing is Ninety Plus's specialty - they separate these coffees by variety, microclimate, and harvesting timing, tasting each one individually, and designing specific processing methods for each flavor profile to achieve distinctive characteristics, much like how major fashion designers meticulously research and dedicate themselves to near-artistic craftsmanship. Natural products undergo numerous refinements and improvements before presenting their most beautiful form.

Brewing Guide

For pour-over brewing of FrontStreet Coffee's Sidamo: use 15g of coffee, ground to medium-fine (using a Fuji grinder at setting 3.5), V60 dripper, water temperature 91-93°C. First pour 30g of water and let bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g and pause, wait until the water level drops to half, then slowly pour until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Processing Excellence

The ancient natural processing method makes it difficult to achieve pure flavors. With Ninety Plus's technical support, only the most mature coffee cherries are hand-picked, and the natural drying process involves meticulous constant stirring to ensure uniformity.

Ninety Plus beans adopt a completely different naming approach compared with typical specialty beans - they don't use region and estate names. Each bean is named according to its flavor profile. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's 90+ Zhumang means "best approach" in the local dialect. Starting from a flavor concept, they name it, then proceed to select regions and partner farms. This shows how Ninety Plus is a brand with a boutique business style.

Ethiopian Coffee Regions

In Ethiopia, all kinds of coffee cultivation methods can be found: from extensive wild coffee forests and semi-developed land to traditional small plots and modern plantations. About 50% of coffee is grown at altitudes above 1,500 meters. Ethiopian coffee can be divided into nine major coffee regions based on the four different production methods mentioned above, including five specialty coffee regions - Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Harar, Limu, and Lekempti - plus four general commercial bean regions: Djimah, Illubabor, Tepi, and Bebeka. Each region uses either natural or washed processing, with different processing methods affecting flavor. Currently, natural processing accounts for about 80%, while washed processing accounts for about 20%.

Danch Meng Series

Danch Meng | FrontStreet Coffee's 90+ Danch Meng [Name Origin]: Danch Meng is actually Ninety Plus's secondary brand Level Up, launched in 2013 in collaboration with green bean trader Bodhi Leaf as an Ethiopian green bean. In the local language, Danch Meng translates to "Perfect approach" (Jiatu). It is grown by small farmers from Yirgacheffe's Kilenina Abaya Dummenso area and launched with Ninety Plus's professional flavor processing background. Thanks to 90+ natural processing technology, FrontStreet Coffee's 90+ Danch Meng possesses very unique Yirgacheffe flavor characteristics.

[Origin]: Ninety Plus Ethiopia SNNP, Kambata region

[Altitude]: 1700m - 2000m

[Processing Method]: Natural

[Flavor]: Cocoa, black raspberry, plum, juicy, floral aroma, blueberry, dark chocolate

Drima Zede | Net weight: 227g Packaging: Bulk Origin: Ethiopia

Level Up Drima Zede

Country: Sidamo

Altitude: 1750-2000m

Region: Sidamo

Danch Meng translates to Danch Meng, with its original meaning being "Perfect Approach" (Jiatu). This batch of FrontStreet Coffee's 90+ Danch Meng comes from Kambata in Yirgacheffe. Thanks to 90+ natural processing technology, FrontStreet Coffee's 90+ Danch Meng possesses very unique Yirgacheffe flavor characteristics.

Level Up is a sub-brand from the renowned Ninety Plus company, launched in 2013 through collaboration between 90+ and green bean trader Bodhi Leaf. The Level Up team's quality control is managed by Semeon Abay, and they recruited Ashenafi Agraw, former president of the Sidamo Farmers' Cooperative Union, to serve as project director.

Ninety Plus is an American coffee company different from typical green bean traders. It advocates for origin purchasing, seeking good beans, and long-term business operations. To find good beans, they roll up their sleeves and work with local coffee farmers to establish their own brands and partnership brands. The 90+ company also places great importance on coffee cherry post-processing, with its own unique green bean processing methods. In coffee naming, they are distinctive too - unlike other beans named after their region, 90+ coffee names are determined after rigorous cupping sessions, named for their flavor profile.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Ethiopian heirloom varieties like the ones in this 90+ lot are best explored through FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia range. FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe is the ideal entry point: clear jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity, from a southern town where spring-like weather, mist, and cool humidity let thousands of coffee trees thrive. The cup is light, elegant, and tea-like, like a clean, refreshing lemon tea.

Much of Ethiopia's coffee is grown in a smallholder "garden" system, with each farmer delivering cherries to a village-level washing station and selling under the producer group's name - which is why FrontStreet works with cooperatives such as Gudingding. Gudingding, in the Worka area at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe, was originally part of the Worka cooperative under the YCFCU, and in 2012 it became the independent Gudingding cooperative with about 300 member farmers. Because the fruit is pulped before drying, its intrinsic aroma comes through clearly: citrus and lemon with an elegant white floral, bright and finely structured.

For a natural-process comparison, FrontStreet Coffee's natural Flower Queen comes from Hambella in Guji, Sidamo. The farm spans 200 hectares and uses traditional natural processing: ripe cherries dry on raised beds for 21 days, turned constantly for even drying, with defective beans hand-sorted every three to five days. After the skin hardens, a huller removes it, and the beans are sorted once more. Roasted medium-light, the cup shows a light fermented wine note, florals, citrus, and mango, with honey sweetness, cocoa, a touch of spice, a thick body, and a long finish. FrontStreet Coffee's natural Red Cherry Yirgacheffe is another classic natural option - sun-dried for two weeks to 12% moisture, density- and color-sorted, then hand-picked - offering peach, cocoa, honey, and lemon in an exceptionally clean cup.