What Does Sidamo Honey Taste Like and How to Brew Sidamo Coffee

Sidamo Natural G1

Country: Ethiopia (Sidamo)

Grade: G1

Region: Guji

Roast Level: Medium-light roast

Processing Method: Natural

Variety: Local indigenous varieties

Area: Shakicha

Flavor Notes: Cranberry, sweet orange, plum, blueberry

Shakisso stands apart within Guji, Sidamo, and is a region distant from most coffee-producing areas in Sidamo province. The area is also famous for its gold-mining industry, and labor, land and ethnic factors have brought instability to the region. The coffee here, however, is quite exceptional, and Ninety Plus's legendary bean Nekisse also originates from this area.

Nectar originally meant the nectar of Shakisso flowers. If you search the Coffee Review website using "Guji" as a keyword, you will find more than ten reviews scoring above 92 points, with several high scores of 94 and 95.

Shakisso, in the Guji zone of the southern Oromia region, borders Sidama and Gedeo. The area has many pits originally dug for gold mining, which is why this coffee-growing region is full of holes and walking through the coffee fields is quite dangerous. Shakisso is a unique area within Guji/Sidamo, remote even from most of Sidamo's coffee regions. Another famous local product is gold, and factors such as miners, land and ethnicity also caused unrest here in 2006. The biggest challenge the region faces today is the manpower needed to maintain the growing areas and harvest the coffee. Local smallholders began growing organic coffee in 2001 and work closely with medium-sized coffee producers, because they know how to grow forest coffee in highland areas.

Cupping Notes

Dry Aroma: sweet cherry, raisins, preserved fruits, preserved plums, dried pineapple, strawberry

Wet Aroma: cherry, cranberry, sweet orange, plum, blueberry, honey peach, lychee

Taste: the entry is like a sweet, juicy honey peach, with the tangy acidity of pineapple. The middle reveals intense aromas of cranberry, blueberry, strawberry, pineapple and dried fruits that fill the palate. The finish brings lychee and plum, with the viscosity of dried fruit. The whole experience is like a tropical fruit storm - elegant yet dominant, falling into an ocean of nectar, just as its name suggests.

Brewing Instructions

Hand-pour Sidamo: 15g of coffee, ground to a medium-fine consistency (Komachi hand grinder with Fuji ghost-tooth burrs set to 3.5), V60 dripper, water temperature 91-93°C. First pour 30g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g, then pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Origin: Ethiopia

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Sidamo's naturally processed richness is what you are chasing, FrontStreet Coffee's Flower Champion is the obvious place to start. It comes from the Hambella area of Guji, Sidamo, and the whole farm covers 200 hectares worked with traditional natural processing: ripe cherries are dried on raised beds for 21 days, turned constantly for even drying, and sorted by hand every three to five days to remove defective or moldy beans; once the skins harden they are hulled, and the green beans get a final sorting. Roasted medium-light, it delivers a light fermented wine aroma, florals, citrus and mango, with a dense, complex body, honeyed sweetness, a cocoa note and a touch of spice, plus a long finish.

For another naturally processed Sidamo with a rare variety behind it, try the FrontStreet Sidamo Hamashu. The Hamashu processing station has become a regular on Ethiopian green bean competition lists thanks to its quality and distinct flavor. It works mainly with the 74-series disease-resistant varieties released by JARC (the Jimma Agricultural Research Center); 74158 has notably small beans and prominent floral and fruit notes. The FrontStreet Hamashu 74158 has an alluring aroma of perfume lemon, strawberry and star fruit, and the entry is very clearly sweet with strawberry, star fruit and green grape, before a soft floral note gradually surfaces.