Sidamo Shakiso Flavor Description: Which Brand Makes the Best Shakiso Coffee

Ethiopian Sidamo Shakisso Washed

Country: Ethiopia

Grade: G1

Region: Shakisso, Guji Zone

Roast Level: Light Roast

Processing Method: Washed

Washed coffees tend to be less wild, with a pure and refreshing character that suits City to Full City roast levels. Some exceptional Ethiopian washed coffees show distinct notes of uplifting lemon, citrus essential oil, and jasmine, with honey flavors, more pronounced acidity, and a lighter body.

Pour-over Sidamo: 15g of coffee grounds, medium-fine grind (Fuji Ryusui burr grinder setting 3.5), V60 dripper, water at 91-93°C. First pour 30g of water and bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops halfway, then continue slow pouring until reaching 225g. Discard the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

"Ethiopian Sidamo" is a single-origin Arabica grown in Ethiopia's Sidamo province. Like most African coffees, it is marked by small grayish beans, but it stands out for rich, spicy, wine-like or chocolate flavors and floral aromas. The most distinctive notes across all Sidamo coffees are lemon and citrus, with a bright, crisp acidity. Sidamo encompasses Yirgacheffe and Guji, both of exceptional quality.

Variety: Local Heirloom

Producer: Local smallholder farmers

Flavor Notes: White grape juice, citrus, Earl Grey tea notes

Sidamo Region

Sidamo coffee flavors vary enormously because of differences in soil composition, regional microclimates, and countless native varieties, so each town's coffee shows clear differences and character. The region lies in southern Ethiopia. Agriculture dominates the local economy, and the coffee areas sit around the Great Rift Valley.

Shakisso Region Introduction

Shakisso is located in the Guji zone of Sidamo, in the southern Oromia region, bordering Sidama and Gedeo. The area has many mining pits, originally dug for gold, which leave numerous holes across the coffee-growing land and make walking through the plantations hazardous. Shakisso is a distinctive area within Guji/Sidamo; even inside Sidamo it sits far from most coffee-producing regions, and gold mining is another famous local product. Miners, land disputes, and ethnic tensions brought unrest to the region in 2006. The biggest challenge the area faces today is simply having enough manpower to tend the plots and harvest the coffee.

Local smallholders began growing organic coffee here in 2001, working closely with medium-sized producers who understand how to grow forest coffee at high altitude. This is one of the micro-regions with the strongest identity within Sidamo. Its coffee is genuinely unique, and it consistently draws market attention. Ninety Plus' legendary bean (nekisse) originally means "Nectar from Shakisso," taking both its origin and its name from Shakisso.

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

Indonesian and African beans use a defect-based grading system. Indonesian beans are divided mainly into 6 grades, G1-G6. For washed beans the highest grades are G1 and G2; for natural beans the highest are G1 and G3.

What does that mean? As follows:

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

Natural: Grade-1 and Grade-3 to Grade-5 (G1 > G3 > G4 > G5)

Important Notes:

a) Both washed and natural coffees can reach Grade 1, on the condition of "zero" defects and a Premium Cup. Whether washed or natural, Grade 1 is the rating reserved for the best specialty coffees or Cup of Excellence coffees.

b) The lowest grades for natural Yirgacheffe and Sidamo are Grade 4.

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

d) Given the current "zero" defect requirement, Grade 1 beans (washed or natural) are extremely rare, since processing costs are very high and few suppliers take on that level of quality control.

Manufacturer: Dazhen Coffee FrontStreet Coffee (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

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this clean, tea-like Sidamo profile appeals to you, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe is the natural next cup. It is the classic introduction to Ethiopia, known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like body, and its accessible price has made it the first specialty coffee for countless drinkers.

To go narrower, FrontStreet Coffee's Gediding cooperative coffee comes from the Woka area at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe and follows traditional washed processing; it shows no bitter, old-school edge, just clean citrus and lemon acidity with jasmine fragrance, which is why it is often called the last pure corner of Yirgacheffe. And for a fruit-forward take on the same region, FrontStreet Coffee's Red Cherry is a full-red-cherry natural, dried on raised beds and turned every few hours in the first days to avoid over-fermentation, giving citrus acidity, berry juice, honeyed sweetness, and a creamy smoothness.

Brew a washed Yirgacheffe in a V60 at 90-91°C with 15g of coffee and a 1:15 ratio, ground to fine-sugar size (about 80% pass-through on a #20 sieve). Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds, pour to 125g over about a minute, and finish to 225g once the bed drops to two-thirds, aiming for a 2:00-2:10 drawdown.