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

Pour-over Sidamo

15g of coffee grounds, medium-fine grind (3.5 on a Fuji ghost-tooth grinder), V60 dripper, water temperature 91-93°C. First pour 30g of water and pre-infuse for 27 seconds, then pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level drops by half before pouring again. Slowly pour to 225g and discard the tail. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Ethiopian Sidamo

"Ethiopian Sidamo" is a single-origin Arabica grown in the Sidamo province of Ethiopia. Like most African coffees, Ethiopian Sidamo has small gray beans, but it stands out for its rich, spicy, wine-like or chocolate flavors and floral notes. Among the most distinctive notes in all Sidamo coffees are lemon and citrus, with a bright, crisp acidity. Sidamo coffees include Yirgacheffe and Guji, both of excellent quality.

Coffee Specifications

Variety: Local Heirloom

Producer: Local smallholders

Flavor: White grape juice, citrus, Earl Grey tea

Sidamo Region

Sidamo's coffee flavors are extremely diverse. Different soil compositions, regional microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties give the coffee from each town area its own distinct character. The Sidamo region lies in southern Ethiopia, where agriculture is the main industry, and its coffee-growing areas sit around the East African Rift Valley.

Shakisso Milling Area Introduction

Shakisso is located in the Guji area of Sidamo, in the southern Oromia region, next to Sidamo and Gedeo. The area has many mining pits, originally dug for gold, so the coffee-growing terrain is full of holes and can be dangerous to walk through. Shakisso is a unique district within Guji and Sidamo, and even within Sidamo it sits far from most coffee regions; its other famous local product is gold. Miners, land, and ethnicity also left the region unstable in 2006. As a result, the area's biggest challenge today is finding enough labor to maintain the growing areas and harvest the coffee.

Local smallholders here began growing organic coffee in 2001 and work closely with medium-sized producers, because they know how to grow forest coffee at high altitudes. It is one of the most distinctive micro-regions in the Sidamo growing area. Coffee from this region is quite unique, and it has repeatedly drawn market attention. The legendary Ninety Plus bean (nekisse) means "nectar from Shakisso," and both its origin and its name come from Shakisso.

Flavor Description: Lemon and citrus, bright and crisp acidity, lemon, citrus, white grape juice, blackcurrant, Earl Grey tea finish

Coffee Bean Grading System

Coffee beans from Indonesia and Africa use a defect-ratio grading method. Indonesian beans are divided into six grades, G1-G6: the highest grades for washed beans are G1 and G2, and the highest grades for natural beans are G1 and G3.

What Do These Grades Mean?

Washed: Grade-1; Grade-2 (G1 > G2)

Natural: Grade-1, Grade-3, Grade-4, Grade-5 (G1 > G3 > G4 > G5)

Important Notes:

a) Both washed and natural methods have Gr-1, with the condition of "zero" defects and a Premium Cup. Whether washed or natural, Gr-1 is the rating for the best of the best specialty coffees or Cup of Excellence coffees.

b) The lowest grade for natural Yirgacheffe and Sidamo is Gr-4.

c) Beans of the same grade, such as Limu Gr-2, can still be good or bad, depending on the sorting level and investment of the exporter.

d) Given the current "zero" defect requirement, Gr-1 beans (washed or natural) are extremely rare, because processing costs are very high and very few suppliers produce them.

Brand: FrontStreet Coffee
Ingredients: House-roasted
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Roast Level: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Coffee Type: Other
Roast Degree: Light roast

Ethiopian Sidamo Shakisso Washed

Country: Ethiopia

Grade: G1

Region: Shakisso region, Guji Zone

Roast Level: Light roast

Processing Method: Washed

Washed coffees are less likely to show wild characteristics; they are pure and refreshing and suit City to Full City roast levels. Some exceptional Ethiopian washed coffees reveal distinct notes of elevated lemon, citrus essential oils, jasmine, and honey, with more pronounced acidity and a thinner body.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you want to explore Ethiopian coffee, start with FrontStreet's washed Yirgacheffe, the classic everyday choice. It is known for white jasmine florals, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like finish, and its affordable price makes it the first bag most people buy when they enter specialty coffee.

For something more fruit-forward, FrontStreet's sun-dried Red Cherry from Yirgacheffe is processed as whole ripe cherries. Sun-dried on raised beds for three to five weeks, it keeps the typical Yirgacheffe character while adding tropical fruit aromas: citrus acidity, berry juiciness, honey sweetness, and a creamy smoothness. The washed Gedeb cooperative is another option, with clean citrus and lemon acidity, jasmine fragrance, and none of the traditional bitterness.

To brew these beans, use a V60 dripper at 90-91°C, 15g of coffee, and a 1:15 ratio, with the grind set to EK43s setting 10, or a fine-sugar size that passes 80% through a #20 sieve. Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds, pour to about 125g over roughly one minute, then, when the water level drops to two-thirds of the coffee bed, add the remaining 100g to reach about 225g. Drawdown finishes in 2:00-2:10.