How 90+ Guji Coffee is Made and How Guji Coffee Beans are Graded

As another Ethiopian sun-dried coffee, Drima Zede is produced under strict supervision and selection, sidestepping the earthy off-flavors and high defect rates that plague so many natural coffees. Instead, it showcases the enchanting sweetness that made the natural process famous. Drima Zede's captivating fruit character carries the alluring aromatics typical of traditional Ethiopian naturals—rich, full-bodied sweetness, a lingering aftertaste, and just the right amount of mouth-watering acidity. It is also wonderfully forgiving to brew: the beans are so flavor-dense that whether you pour-over them for a refreshing cup or pull them as espresso for intensity, they show off their inherent character beautifully.

90+ Level Up Series Drima Zede Flavor Profile

Nectarine and tropical fruits with a clean, bright mouthfeel. The first sip is genuinely stunning.

Drima Zede's captivating fruit character carries the alluring aromatics typical of traditional Ethiopian naturals—rich, full-bodied sweetness, a lingering aftertaste, and just the right amount of mouth-watering acidity. It is also wonderfully forgiving to brew: the beans are so flavor-dense that whether you pour-over them for a refreshing cup or pull them as espresso for intensity, they show off their inherent character beautifully.

Coffee Details

Country: Ethiopia (Sidamo)
Altitude: 1750-2000m
Region: Sidamo
Roast Level: Light roast
Processing Method: Natural
Variety: Local heirloom
Processing Station: Ninety Plus
Flavor: Nectarine, tropical fruits, oak barrel aroma

The Ninety Plus Philosophy

Ninety Plus names its beans in a completely different spirit from conventional specialty coffees. There are no region or estate names; instead, each coffee is named after its flavor profile—Drima Zede, for instance, means "best approach" in the local dialect. They begin with a flavor concept, name the coffee, and only then select the regions and partner farms. It is a brand with a distinctly boutique way of operating.

Ethiopian Coffee Overview

Ethiopia offers every style of coffee cultivation, from vast wild coffee forests and semi-developed land to traditional small plots and modern plantations. About 50% of the coffee grows above 1,500 meters. The country is divided into nine major coffee regions across these four production systems: five specialty regions—Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Harrar, Limu, and Lekempti—and four commercial regions—Djimmah, Illubabor, Tepi, and Bebeka. Each region uses either natural or washed processing, and the choice shapes the flavor: today roughly 80% of Ethiopian coffee is natural processed, while about 20% is washed.

Brewing Instructions

For pour-over: use 15g of coffee ground medium-fine (Fuji Royal grinder, setting 3.5), a V60 dripper, and water at 91-93°C. Start with a 30g bloom for 27 seconds, then pour up to 105g and pause. Once the water level drops to half, continue pouring slowly until you reach 225g in total. Avoid the tail end of the extraction. Water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, with an extraction time of 2:00.

About Ninety Plus

"Ninety Plus" does not simply mean every coffee scores above 90 points—a great coffee may be available one year and gone the next, sometimes surfacing on different estates with different flavor expressions. Rather, "Ninety Plus" refers to a series of 13 top-tier flavor profiles, sourced exclusively by Ninety Plus Coffee, the American specialty coffee creators. All are Ethiopian heirloom varieties, grown in carefully managed ecosystems and processed to artistic standards with flavor optimization as the goal. Processing is Ninety Plus' true specialty: the coffees are separated by variety, microclimate, and harvest timing, with each lot tasted individually. A specific process is then designed for each flavor target until a distinctive character is achieved—much the way a great fashion designer painstakingly refines a near-artistic masterpiece. Natural products go through countless rounds of refinement before they finally present their most beautiful form.

Processing Excellence

The ancient natural method rarely yields pure, transparent flavors, but Drima Zede—with Ninety Plus' technical support—hand-selects only the most mature cherries and dries them with meticulous, constant stirring to ensure uniformity. The result is an exceptionally transparent, clean cup with dramatic flavor shifts as the coffee cools and warms. The aromas of fruit, florals, and oak barrel are simply enchanting!

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Drima Zede's sweet, fruit-laden natural character has won you over, two more Ethiopian naturals from FrontStreet Coffee deserve a place on your shelf.

FrontStreet Natural Huakui: from the Hambella district of Guji, Sidama, on a 200-hectare farm using traditional natural processing. Cherries dry on raised beds for 21 days, turned constantly and hand-sorted every three to five days to remove any moldy or defective fruit. Dried with the pulp intact, a medium-light roast brings out gentle fermented wine aromatics, florals, citrus, and mango, with honey sweetness, a spiced cocoa undertone, a thick body, and a long-lasting finish.

FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Red Cherry Project Natural: after culling broken or moldy cherries, the fruit dries in the sun for about two weeks until moisture reaches 12%, allowing the pulp's sugars to soak deep into the bean. Multiple rounds of density, color, and hand sorting guarantee a pristine cup with rich, captivating fruit—peach, cocoa, honey, and lemon.