Sidamo Honey Pour-over Brewing Data | How to Brew Sidamo Honey Coffee

Pour-over Sweet Notes

15g of coffee grounds, medium-fine grind (Fuji ghost-tooth blade grinder setting 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 drops to half before continuing. Slowly pour until you reach 225g total. Discard the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, total extraction time 2:00.

Ethiopian Coffee Grading System

Ethiopian coffee beans are graded by defect count. Beans are divided mainly into six grades, G1 through G6. Ethiopia also uses this system: the highest grades for washed beans are G1 and G2, while for natural beans the highest grades are G1 and G3.

Washed Process

Grade 1; Grade 2 (G1 > G2)

Natural Process

Grade 1 and Grades 3 to 5 (G1 > G3 > G4 > G5)

Coffee Origin Information

Region: Oromia, Ethiopia

Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom

Altitude: 2000m

Processing: Washed

Ethiopian Coffee Cultivation

Ethiopia offers a wide range of coffee cultivation methods, from extensive wild coffee forests and semi-developed land to traditionally managed small plots and modern plantations. Roughly 50% of coffee is grown at altitudes above 1500 meters. Based on these four production styles, Ethiopia divides into nine major coffee regions: five specialty areas — Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Harrar, Limu, and Lekempti — and four general commercial bean regions — Jimma, Illubabor, Teppi, and Bebeka. Each region uses either the natural or the washed method, and processing shapes the flavor. Today natural processing accounts for about 80% and washed for about 20%.

Processing Method

This micro-lot's fruit is hand-selected as 100% red cherries, then run through an Agared depulper to remove the skin and pulp. The beans, still coated in mucilage, are fermented in tanks for 36 hours, followed by 4 hours of soaking. After drying on 30×1.8 meter drying beds, they are hulled. Following manual screening to reach G1 grade, they are packed in GrainPro bags inside outer jute bags.

The Oromia Region

The Oromia region is one of the world's coffee origins. The indigenous Oromo people here were among the first in the world to use coffee as food, dating back to the 5th century AD. Oromia lies roughly between 3 and 15 degrees north latitude and 33 to 40 degrees longitude. The region is world-renowned for its primitive plant species and biodiversity. This is where coffee was born. For the local Oromo, coffee is not only a beverage and a food but also an important part of trade. It is their stimulant and an important tool for keeping the peace.

Flavor Description

Distinct wild ginger and bergamot notes with black currant undertones. The finish carries a raisin-like sweetness, and the overall profile evokes Earl Grey tea.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For a clean, elegant introduction to Ethiopian coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe is the place to start. It shows clear jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity — Yirgacheffe has long been shorthand for that floral-and-fruit balance — with a light, graceful body and a tea-like, lemony freshness. FrontStreet's Gutingding cooperative lot goes one step further: washed in the traditional way, it keeps the bean's own aromatics front and center, pouring out citrus and lemon notes and delicate white florals with a bright, refined overall profile.

If you are curious about Ethiopia's wild side, FrontStreet's Kafa Forest coffee is grown in shade at 1400-2100 meters in a truly wild setting. Medium-light roasted, it carries pronounced white florals on the grind, a bright lemon acidity on the palate, sweet orange and bergamot, and a finish of melon, nut, and green-tea-like freshness. All three are excellent as pour-over.