Introduction to Ethiopia Sidamo Shantawene Processing Station - Sidamo Coffee Flavor Characteristics

FrontStreet Coffee: Ethiopia Sidamo Santa Weni 74158 Coffee Beans

Country: Ethiopia

Grade: G1

Region: Sidamo

Processing Station: DWD Santa Weni Processing Station

Altitude: 2050 meters

Processing Method: Full red cherry 96-hour anaerobic natural

Variety: 74158

Flavor Notes: Citrus, pineapple, guava, red wine finish

Region Introduction

FrontStreet Coffee's research reveals that Sidamo Province was established in 1942, named after the local "Sidama" people, who previously formed the Sidama Kingdom. There has long been debate over whether to use "Sidamo" or "Sidama," but within the coffee industry, "Sidamo" is more widely used, which is why we are more accustomed to calling it "Sidamo."

Geographically, the Sidamo region is located in the southern highlands of Ethiopia, near Lake Awasa in the Great Rift Valley, bordering Kenya. Due to its high altitude, favorable rainfall, fertile soil, and countless native tree species, it is exceptionally suitable for coffee cultivation. Coffee trees here generally grow at altitudes between 1550-2200 meters. High altitude means coffee cherries mature more slowly, developing more complex and intense aromatic structures, and the harvest season is later than in other Ethiopian regions.

Historical complexities have caused Sidamo to intertwine with other administrative regions, making it one of the world's most complex and difficult-to-understand origins. Compared to other regions, Sidamo covers not only a large area but also a vast territory. The Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) has divided it into 5 geographical zones: A, B, C, D, and E. These five zones each govern multiple sub-regions, containing over 50 cooperatives and more than 200 washing stations. Under the influence of different altitudes, humidity, soil, and microclimate factors, coffee flavors can vary subtly between villages.

DWD Company's Santa Weni processing station is about 40 minutes' drive from Santa Weni town. It is one of DWD Company's high-altitude processing stations (the company owns a total of 17 processing stations). If you have the opportunity to visit the Santa Weni processing station, you will see farmers processing large quantities of freshly harvested fully red coffee cherries. This practice originated from the "Red Cherry Project" in 2007.

In 2007, Dutch green coffee merchants proposed the "Red Cherry Project" to obtain higher-quality Ethiopian coffee beans. The Red Cherry Project refers to using manual labor instead of mechanical harvesting for coffee cherries, and the harvested cherries must be mature. Mature coffee cherries appear red in color, while immature ones are mostly green. Mechanical harvesting typically mixes immature cherries with ripe ones, which can introduce some undesirable flavors to the brewed coffee.

Compared to the Gosi processing station, also owned by DWD Company, Santa Weni's climate is drier with lower average temperatures, causing coffee cherries to grow more slowly and absorb more abundant nutrients over longer periods. After harvesting, the coffee cherries are sorted, and qualified cherries are placed in fermentation tanks, then injected with carbon dioxide for 96 hours of anaerobic fermentation.

After fermentation, the cherries are placed on raised beds for drying. They are regularly turned to ensure even drying and covered with shade when temperatures are too high to prevent over-drying. After about 20-24 days of drying, when the moisture content drops to 12%, they can be stored in warehouses.

What does "74158" mean?

After 1970, Coffee Berry Disease (CBD) spread rapidly across major Ethiopian growing regions. Infected coffee cherries gradually turn from green to grayish-black and eventually die on the branches. Once infected, coffee trees can lose up to 80% of their harvest.

In 1972, growers began using chemical fungicides to prevent CBD. While somewhat effective, relying solely on pesticides treats symptoms rather than the root cause. The long-term solution was to find natural varieties with strong resistance to Coffee Berry Disease.

In 1973, the Ethiopian coffee institution JARC (Jimma Agricultural Research Center) identified 19 locations in the southwestern region for collection. By 1975, researchers had collected 639 seed samples, conducting scientific identification and field trials. Finally, 13 coffee varieties were selected that showed resistance to CBD, as well as drought tolerance, high yield, and excellent flavor.

Subsequently, the 74*** and 75*** series were developed and improved from these mother coffee trees. JARC recorded this broad category as "1974/1975 CBD-Resistant Selections." Therefore, 74 represents 1974, the year this variety was cataloged, and the last three digits are the experimental sample numbers. The well-known 74 series were all cataloged during this period.

Therefore, "74" here indicates this bean was discovered in 1974, while "158" is this variety's sample number, with medium-sized beans. FrontStreet Coffee speculates that the fame of the 74158 variety is largely due to Ethiopia's Cup of Excellence (COE), and FrontStreet Coffee's 96-hour anaerobic natural Santa Weni is one of the outstanding winners that achieved this distinction.

The full name of Cup of Excellence (COE) is "Cup of Excellence," a national-level green coffee competition held annually, bringing together excellent large and small estates from across the country. The competition has a special restriction: strictly prohibiting flavored beans from participating. Due to this ban, people can more directly experience the high-quality natural flavors from producing regions.

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