90+ Zhu Mang Pour-Over Data: How to Brew 90+ Zhu Mang Coffee

Pour-Over Recipe

15g of coffee, medium-fine grind (Fuji ghost-tooth blade grinder at 3.5), V60 dripper, water temperature 91-93°C. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway before continuing. Pour slowly up to 225g total and discard the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

The Ninety Plus Coffee Philosophy

90+ coffees are named in a completely different way from typical specialty beans. You won't find region or estate names on the bag; instead, each coffee is named for its flavor profile. "Zhu Mang," for instance, means "best approach" in the local dialect. The team starts from a flavor concept, names the coffee, and only then selects the regions and partner farms that can deliver it—a boutique, fashion-house approach to coffee.

Ethiopia's Coffee Heritage

Ethiopia produces coffee in every conceivable way: vast wild coffee forests, semi-developed lands, traditionally managed small plots, and modern plantations. About 50% of its coffee grows at altitudes above 1,500 meters. Based on these four production models, the country divides into nine major coffee regions—five specialty areas (Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Harrar, Limu, and Lekempti) and four commercial areas (Jimma, Illubabor, Tepi, and Bebeka). Each region uses either natural or washed processing, and the method shapes the flavor: today, roughly 80% of Ethiopian coffee is natural processed and about 20% washed.

The Ninety Plus Legacy

"Ninety Plus" doesn't mean every coffee scored 90+ on the cupping table. Great coffee appears in some years and not others, and sometimes from different farms with different flavor signatures. Rather, "Ninety Plus" names a premium series built around 13 flavor profiles, all created by the American specialty coffee house Ninety Plus Coffee. Every one is an Ethiopian heirloom variety, grown in protected ecological environments and processed to artistic standards in pursuit of flavor.

Processing is Ninety Plus's true specialty. The coffees are separated by variety, microclimate, and harvest timing, and each is tasted on its own; then a bespoke process is designed for each flavor profile to achieve a distinct character—much the way a great fashion designer pours everything into a single masterpiece. Natural products go through countless refinements before they reach their most beautiful form and are finally presented to the world.

Drima Zede: Natural Processing Perfected

Traditional natural processing rarely achieves a pure flavor, but with Ninety Plus's technical support, Drima Zede uses only hand-selected, fully ripe cherries, dried naturally with meticulous, constant turning to ensure uniformity. The result is an exceptionally transparent, clean cup with dramatic shifts between hot and cold. The aromas of fruit, flowers, and oak barrel are utterly captivating.

Zhu Mang: The Essence of Ethiopian Natural Coffee

As a natural processed Ethiopian, Zhu Mang—under strict oversight and selection—avoids the harsh earthy impurities and high defect rates that plague typical natural coffees, and instead delivers the captivating sweetness natural processing is famous for. Its enchanting fruit tones inherit the best of traditional Ethiopian naturals: round, full-bodied sweetness with a lingering aftertaste, and perfectly balanced fruit acidity that wakes up the palate.

Zhu Mang is also wonderfully easy to brew at home. The beans themselves are flavor-dense, and whether you brew them as clean pour-over or a concentrated siphon, they show off their distinctive character in full.

Flavor Profile: Ninety Plus Level Up Series Zhu Mang

Nectarine and tropical fruits with a clean, bright mouthfeel. The first sip is genuinely stunning.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Contact: 020-38364473
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Package: Bulk coffee beans
Roast Level: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Roast Degree: Light roast

Zhu Mang's enchanting fruit tones inherit the fascinating aromas of traditional Ethiopian natural processing, expressing round, full-bodied sweetness with a lingering aftertaste and perfectly balanced fruit acidity. It's also easy to brew day to day: the beans are rich in flavor, and whether you use a clean pour-over method or a concentrated espresso extraction, they'll show their distinctive character.

Coffee Specifications

Country: Ethiopia

Altitude: 1750-2000m

Region: Sidamo

Roast Level: Light roast

Processing Method: Natural

Variety: Local native varieties

Processing Station: NinetyPlus

Flavor Notes: Nectarine, tropical fruits, oak barrel aroma

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Love the floral-citrus side of Ethiopian coffee? Then FrontStreet Coffee's Washed Yirgacheffe daily-drinker beans belong on your shelf. Known for white jasmine florals, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a delicate tea-like body—all at an approachable price—they've long been the first bag we hand to newcomers entering specialty coffee.

For a step up in clarity, try FrontStreet Coffee's Washed Gedeb from the Gedeb cooperative, part of the Yirgacheffe Union (YCFCU) until it went independent in 2012 with roughly 300+ smallholder members. The cooperative's seasoned processing lets the coffee show tropical fruits, cream, honey, berries, and citrus with real precision—Yirgacheffe is dotted with villages like Gedeb whose lots are among the last true "pure land" of washed processing.

And if Zhu Mang's natural-processed sweetness won you over, FrontStreet Coffee's Natural Red Cherry pushes that style even further. Only fully ripe, defect-free cherries are picked; after a first sort at the mill they're laid out on drying beds and turned every 2-3 hours during the early days to prevent uneven heating and over-fermentation, then sun-dried for three to five weeks. The cup keeps Yirgacheffe's citrus acidity and adds juicy berry fruit, honeyed sweetness, and creamy smoothness—proof of just how gorgeous an Ethiopian natural can be.