How is the Market for Sidamo Haguai Coffee Beans? Which Brand of Sidamo Coffee is Best?

Ethiopian Sidamo Shakisso Natural

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Guji Zone

Altitude: 2250-2350 meters

Processing Method: Natural

Variety: Local Heirloom

Producer: Local smallholders

Flavor: Passion fruit, rose aroma, strawberry jam

Sidamo's Diverse Coffee Characteristics

Sidamo's coffee flavors are incredibly diverse. Different soil compositions, regional microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties create distinct differences from one town area to the next. The Sidama region lies in southern Ethiopia, where agriculture dominates the economy and coffee growing areas surround the Great Rift Valley. The variety in soil, microclimate, and heirloom coffees results in significant differences and unique characteristics across towns.

The Hambella Region

Hambella (often written "Hanbella") lies in Guji, Ethiopia's largest coffee-producing region, and administratively belongs to the Oromia Regional State. To the west it faces Yirgacheffe's Kochore across the mountains, with a 3200-meter-high, 30-kilometer-wide plateau separating the two. To the southeast, east, and north it borders Guji's Shakiso, Uraga, and Kercha sub-regions, making it Ethiopia's highest-altitude coffee sub-region (Harrar is the country's highest-altitude main region).

Today there are about 20 processing stations of various scales in Hambella. DW Company has four estate processing stations in Hambella's core Dimtu area, "Buku Abel," "Buku Saysay," "Haro Soresa," and "Tirtiro Goye," with an annual coffee production of about 1100 tons.

Among all these estates and stations, only the natural-process coffee from the "Buku Abel" estate and processing station is called "Flower Queen."

Awards and Achievements

Cupping Profile: Passion fruit, rose aroma, strawberry jam, berry acidity and sweetness, peach flesh, black tea aftertaste

2016/2017

Ethiopia National Taste of Harvest Competition - Champion

2016/2017 harvest season Ethiopia Coffee Competition - Champion

2017 Regional Africa Taste of Harvest Competition - Runner-up

2017 Africa Coffee Competition - Runner-up

Flower Queen Processing

The Flower Queen processing station is located in Buku Abel village at an altitude of 2200 meters. From the outset it was chosen for its noble "family environment," a fertile, humus-rich reddish-brown soil, with shade protection from "Enset" trees. This lets Flower Queen receive ample sunlight and develop rich flavors without burning through excessive nutrients, preserving more essence in the cherries. During the harvest and processing season from December to January, its unique growing environment and natural climate shape Flower Queen's distinctive flavors. Natural processing only begins once the sugar content of the harvested red cherries reaches 30 or above.

During the first two days of natural processing, the red cherries are kept humid so their fructose can begin fermenting fully. Meanwhile, the high-altitude location drops the processing station's nighttime temperature to around 12°C, preventing the over-fermentation odors that excess heat would cause. When midday temperatures climb, timely shading protects the red cherries from sun damage. Only fully red, completely mature cherries are selected, all hand-picked, and dried on African raised beds with a limited cherry-layer thickness and continuous 24-hour scheduled turning to ensure even drying and ventilation, controlling the degree of fermentation more precisely.

Brewing Recommendations

For pour-over Flower Queen: use 15g of coffee, ground medium-fine (Fuji Royal hand grinder setting 3.5), V60 dripper, water temperature 91-93°C. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level drops to half before continuing to pour, slowly, until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

At night, thick plastic sheeting wraps the cherries to guard against sudden rain, letting them ferment and dehydrate at a relatively low temperature. After 18 days of natural processing, once the green bean moisture content drops to around 13%, natural processing stops. The beans are packed in jute bags and stored in warehouses at 12-22°C and 40-50% humidity for roughly 50 days of resting and further dehydration. When the green bean moisture content reaches around 10%, they are transported to processing stations for hulling, sorting, and sale.

Coffee Details

Coffee Origin: Africa, Ethiopia

Coffee Estate: Guji, Hambella Wamena region, Dimtu city, Buku Abel estate

Coffee Variety: Heirloom, Ethiopian native varieties

Production Altitude: 2250-2350 meters

Quality Grade: G1

Processing Method: Natural (African raised beds)

Shelf Life: 90 days

Net Weight: 227g

Packaging: Bulk coffee beans

Roast Level: Roasted coffee beans

Sugar Content: Unsweetened

Origin: Ethiopia

Roast Degree: Light roast

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Flower Queen's whole-cherry natural processing and its jammy passion fruit and strawberry character sit squarely in the Yirgacheffe family, so the natural counterpart to it is FrontStreet Coffee's Natural Red Cherry Yirgacheffe. Made only from fully ripe red cherries and dried on raised beds for three to five weeks, with the fruit turned every two to three hours early on, it keeps the classic Yirgacheffe character while adding the tropical fruit, berry-juice body, honeyed sweetness, and creamy smoothness that natural processing brings.

If you want a washed counterpoint to compare against the same region, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe and its Gedeb cooperative lot both show white jasmine florals, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a clean, tea-like body. Tasting one washed and one natural Yirgacheffe side by side is one of the clearest ways to understand what processing does to flavor. Brew either in a V60 at 90-91°C with 15g of coffee at a 1:15 ratio, ground to about fine sugar size, for a clean and expressive cup.