Sidamo Flower Queen Coffee Brands and Sidamo Coffee Brewing Steps

Coffee Origin Information

Coffee Country: Africa, Ethiopia

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

Coffee Variety: Heirloom, Ethiopian native varieties

Production Altitude: 2250-2350M

Quality Grade: G1

Processing Method: Natural (African drying beds)

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Content: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Roast Level: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Roast Degree: Light roast

Ethiopian Sidamo Shakisso Natural

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Guji Zone

Altitude: 2250-2350m

Processing Method: Natural

Variety: Local native Heirloom

Producer: Local smallholders

Flavor Notes: Passion fruit, rose floral, strawberry jam

Sidamo Regional Characteristics

Sidamo coffee flavors are remarkably diverse: different soil compositions, regional microclimates, and countless native varieties give each town area's coffee its own distinct character. The Sidamo production zone lies in southern Ethiopia, where agriculture dominates and coffee grows around the Great Rift Valley.

Hambella Region Details

Hambella lies within Guji, Ethiopia's largest coffee-producing region, administratively part of the Oromia Regional State. Its west faces Yirgacheffe's Kochore across mountainous terrain, the two production zones separated by highlands reaching 3,200 meters in altitude and about 30 kilometers wide. To the southeast, north, and south it borders Guji's Shakiso, Uraga, and Kercha sub-regions respectively, making it Ethiopia's highest-altitude coffee sub-zone (Harrar is Ethiopia's highest-altitude main zone).

The Hambella region currently has about 20 processing stations of various sizes. DW Company alone runs 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 roughly 1,100 tons.

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

Award Recognition

Cupping Notes: Passion fruit, rose floral, strawberry jam, berry sweet and sour, peach flesh, black tea finish

2016/2017 Season:

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 Details

The Flower Queen processing station sits in Buku Abel village at 2,200 meters. From the start it was chosen for its privileged "family environment" - fertile, humus-rich reddish-brown soil, with shade provided by "Enset" trees. Flower Queen receives enough sunlight to develop rich flavors without excessive nutrient drain, so more of the essence stays inside the cherries.

During harvest and processing (December-January), this unique environment and natural climate create Flower Queen's distinctive flavors. Natural processing begins only when the sugar content of the harvested red cherries exceeds 30. Over the first two days, the cherries' moisture is managed so their fruit sugars can fully begin fermenting. Meanwhile, the high altitude lets nighttime temperatures at the station fall to around 12 degrees Celsius, preventing the off-flavors of over-fermentation from excess heat; when noon temperatures climb, the cherries are promptly shaded to prevent sun damage.

Only fully red, completely mature cherries are selected, all hand-picked and dried on African raised beds with a limited layer thickness and 24-hour regular turning to ensure even drying and ventilation - and more precise control of fermentation.

At night, thick plastic sheeting covers the beds against sudden rain. This lets the red cherries ferment and dehydrate at relatively low temperatures. After 18 days of natural processing, once the green beans' moisture drops to around 13%, drying stops. The beans are packed in jute bags and rested under natural conditions of 12-22 degrees Celsius and 40-50% humidity for about 50 days of resting and further dehydration. When the green bean moisture reaches roughly 10%, they are transported to the station for hulling, sorting, and sale.

Brewing Recommendations

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

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Ethiopia is one of the world's most celebrated specialty coffee origins - and as the birthplace of coffee, it hosts countless native varieties, a treasure land that keeps coffee lovers faithfully coming back for its flavors.

FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe: the ideal entry point to Ethiopian specialty coffee, with clear jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity. Yirgacheffe itself is a small town in southern Ethiopia, spring-like year-round, misty, cool, and humid, where thousands of coffee trees thrive. Its floral-and-fruit-acid character is light, elegant, and tea-like - like a refreshing, clean lemon tea.

FrontStreet Guodingding Cooperative: Ethiopian coffee is largely garden-grown, with each smallholder delivering cherries to village-based washing stations to be sold under the team's name - hence the many cooperative coffees like FrontStreet Guodingding, Worka, and Konga. In 2012, Guodingding's roughly 300 member farmers split from the Worka cooperative under the YCFCU union and formed their own independent cooperative. Because the pulp is removed before drying, the coffee's inherent aromas come through with unusual clarity: citrus and lemon tones, elegant white florals, and a bright, delicate profile.

FrontStreet Natural Red Cherry: in natural processing, damaged or moldy cherries are discarded first, then the rest dry in the sun for about two weeks so the pulp's sugars and essence fully soak into the beans. At 12% moisture, the hardened pulp, mucilage, and parchment are scraped away, and the beans pass density and color checks plus hand sorting. FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Red Cherry Project natural shows peach, cocoa, honey, and lemon.

FrontStreet Natural Guji (Hua Kui): from the Hambella district of Guji, Sidamo - a 200-hectare farm using traditional natural processing. Ripe cherries dry on raised beds for 21 days, turned constantly for even drying, with moldy or defective beans hand-sorted out every three to five days. Dried whole with pulp and skin on, a medium-light roast reveals light fermented wine notes, florals, citrus, and mango in a much richer, more complex cup - honey sweetness, a cocoa undertone with a touch of spice, thick body, and a lasting finish.

FrontStreet Sidamo Natural Hamaxiu 74158: from the Hambella washing station, a regular winner in Ethiopian green bean competitions, growing JARC's 74-series disease-resistant varieties. The small-beaned 74158 is intensely fragrant - sweet notes of perfume lemon, strawberry, and star fruit, with vivid strawberry, star fruit, and green grape sweetness on entry followed by gentle florals.

FrontStreet Kaffa Forest Coffee: unlike the garden-grown model, Kaffa Forest is best known for wild coffee, with trees growing under shade at 1,400-2,100 meters in a pristine ecosystem of microclimates, red soils, and abundant rainfall. A medium-light roast gives distinct white florals, bright lemon acidity, sweet orange and bergamot flavors, and a green-tea-like finish with subtle melon and nut notes.