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How are Sidamo Coffee Beans? Flavor Description, Characteristics, and Origin Information

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, For professional barista exchanges, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). Ethiopian Sidamo Shakisso Natural Country: Ethiopia Region: Guji Zone Altitude: 2250-2350m Processing Method: Natural Variety: Local

For professional barista communication, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

FrontStreet Coffee · Ethiopia Sidamo Guji Natural

Ethiopian Sidamo Shakisso Natural

Coffee Information

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Guji Zone

Altitude: 2250-2350 meters

Processing Method: Natural

Variety: Local Heirloom

Producer: Local small farmers

Flavor Notes: Passion fruit, rose floral, strawberry jam

Sidamo coffee flavors are incredibly diverse due to different soil compositions, regional microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties, resulting in significant differences and characteristics in coffee produced by each town area. The Sidamo region is located in southern Ethiopia, where agriculture is the main industry, and coffee growing areas are situated around the Great Rift Valley.

Hambella Region

Hambella (generally translated as "Hambella") is located in Ethiopia's largest coffee producing region, Guji, and is administratively under the Oromia Regional State. Hambella's west faces Yirgacheffe's Kochore region across mountains, with the two production areas separated by a 3200-meter-high, approximately 30-kilometer-wide plateau. To the southeast, north, and east, it borders Guji's sub-regions of Shakiso, Uraga, and Kercha, making it Ethiopia's highest altitude coffee sub-region (Harrar is Ethiopia's highest altitude main region).

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

Among all these estates and processing stations, only the natural processed coffee from the "Buku Abel" estate and processing plant is called "Champion."

Awards and Recognition

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

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

Processing Details

The Champion processing plant is located in Buku Abel village at 2200 meters altitude. From its initial cultivation, it was chosen for a noble "family environment" - fertile, humus-rich reddish-brown soil, and provided shade protection by "Enset" trees, enabling Champion coffee to receive sufficient sunlight and develop rich flavors without consuming excessive nutrients, thereby retaining more essence within the coffee cherries. During the harvest and processing season (December-January), its unique growing environment and natural climate create Champion's distinctive flavors. We only begin natural processing when the sugar content of harvested red cherries reaches above 30. During the first two days of natural processing, we ensure the moisture content of red cherries to allow their fructose to fully begin fermentation reactions. Meanwhile, the high-altitude location allows the processing plant's nighttime temperature to drop to around 12°C, preventing over-fermentation odors due to excessive heat. When temperatures are higher at noon, we promptly provide shade to prevent sun-damage to red cherries. We only select fully red, completely mature coffee cherries, all hand-picked, dried on African raised beds, with specified cherry layer thickness and continuous turning every 24 hours to ensure even drying and ventilation, more accurately controlling fermentation degree.

Brewing Instructions

For pour-over brewing of FrontStreet Coffee's Sidamo Natural Champion: Use 15g of coffee, medium-fine grind (Fuji's ghost tooth grinder at 3.5 setting), V60 dripper, water temperature 91-93°C. First pour 30g of water for 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level drops to half, then slowly pour until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

At night, to prevent sudden rainfall, thick plastic sheets are used for covering. This allows red cherries to ferment and dehydrate at relatively low temperatures. After 18 days of natural processing, when the moisture content of green coffee beans drops to around 13%, natural processing is stopped. The beans are packed in jute bags and stored in warehouse conditions of 12-22°C and 40-50% humidity for about 50 days of green bean resting and further dehydration. When the green bean moisture content reaches around 10%, they are transported to processing plants for hulling, screening, and sale.