Sidamo Honey Flavor Profile - Which Sidamo Coffee Brand is Best

Coffee Tasting Notes

[Dry Aroma] Sweet cherry, raisins, preserved fruit, preserved plums, dried pineapple, strawberry

[Wet Aroma] Cherry, cranberry, sweet orange, plum, blueberry, honey peach, lychee

[Slurping] The entry is like sweet, juicy honey peach, with a sweet pineapple acidity. The middle reveals dense aromas of cranberry, blueberry, strawberry, pineapple and dried fruit filling the palate. The finish brings lychee and plum, with dried-fruit viscosity. The whole bean is like a tropical fruit storm, elegant yet dominant, falling into an ocean of nectar, exactly as its name suggests.

Hand Brew Method

Hand-poured Sidamo. 15g of powder, medium-fine grind (Fuji ghost tooth blade 3.5), V60 dripper, 91-93°C water temperature. First pour 30g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until it reaches 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-powder ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Coffee Workshop
Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, FrontStreet Coffee
Manufacturer Contact: 020-38364473
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Origin: Ethiopia

Coffee Details

Sidamo Natural G1

Country: Sidamo

Grade: G1

Region: Guji

Roast Level: Medium-light roast

Processing Method: Natural

Variety: Local native varieties

Area: Shakicho

Flavor Profile: Cranberry, sweet orange, plum, blueberry

Regional Background

Shakicho stands apart within Guji in the Sidamo valley, and it is also far from most coffee-producing areas within Sidamo province. The area's other famous industry is gold mining, and labor, land and ethnic tensions have made the region unsettled. Even so, the coffee from here is quite special: Ninety Plus's legendary bean Nekisse also comes from this area.

Nectar originally means the nectar of Shakicho. Open the Coffee Review website and search for "Guji" as a keyword, and you will find more than ten reviews scoring above 92 points, with several high scores of 94 and 95.

Shakicho, in Guji in the southern Oromia region, borders Sidamo and Gedeo. The area has many mine pits, once used for gold mining, so there are many holes across this coffee-growing region, which makes walking between plots dangerous. Shakicho is a distinctive area within Guji/Sidamo, and even inside Sidamo it is remote from most coffee-producing areas, while its other famous product is gold. Miners, land and ethnic factors also made the region unsettled in 2006. The biggest problem the region now faces is the need for manpower to maintain the growing areas and harvest the coffee. Local small farmers here 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.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For a natural Ethiopian coffee with the same dense, fruit-forward character as the Sidamo above, FrontStreet Coffee's natural Flower Queen is a strong match. It comes from the Hambella area of Guji, Sidamo, where the farm covers 200 hectares and uses traditional natural processing. Ripe cherries are dried on raised beds for 21 days and turned regularly so they dry evenly. Roasted medium-light, it shows a light fermented wine note, florals, citrus and mango, with honey sweetness, cocoa and a touch of spice, a thick body and a lasting finish.

If you want the honeyed, peachy side of this profile, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe natural Red Cherry is an easy pick. It is made only from fully ripe red cherries, dried on raised beds, and roasted medium-light, giving peach, cocoa, honey and lemon notes over a clean, sweet base.

Both are naturals from the region, so keep the brew gentle: a V60 at 91-93°C with 15g and a 1:15 ratio, as in the method above, so the fruit density stays vivid without tipping into bitterness.