Siphon-Brewed Zhu Mang Coffee: Flavor Profile and Brewing Parameters for Pour-Over vs Siphon

The Origin of Ninety Plus

In 2006, Joseph Brodsky founded Ninety Plus (90+). Following the wave set off by Geisha's emergence in Panama in 2003 and 2004, Joseph began his own journey. When he did not find the results he expected in Panama at the time, another idea took hold: perhaps among Ethiopia's more than 10,000 coffee varieties there were still untapped varieties with potential waiting to be discovered. To ensure quality, 90+ adopted a cooperative model with local estates and kept complete control from planting, sampling, and harvesting through later processing and cupping. Ninety Plus's exclusive Profile Processing ensures that every coffee bean released has a unique and consistent flavour profile and quality, while 90+ coffees stand out in the market with a marketing approach similar to premium fine wines.

About Drima Zede Coffee

Drima Zede is one of the most approachable and delicious beans among Ethiopia's many coffees. Like many other 90+ beans, Drima Zede is an over-decorated coffee bean. Its original name is Yirgacheffe, and more precisely a natural-processed Yirgacheffe.

Under traditional natural processing it is extremely difficult to achieve a coffee with a clean, pure mouthfeel. This bean, however, possesses both the pure brightness of washed beans and the enchanting gentleness of traditionally natural-processed beans. Complex floral aromas and layered fruit acidity shine between the lips and teeth, creating the perfect taste of high summer, and during the wet aroma, on the bloom, a mango fragrance often appears.

Origin of the Name

Drima Zede, meaning "Best Approach" in the local dialect, is the name of this Yirgacheffe. According to information provided by the original manufacturer, this Yirgacheffe is a specialised product series developed on the basis of 90+ experience.

The ancient natural processing method makes it difficult to obtain pure flavours, but Drima Zede, with 90+ technical support, hand-selects only the most mature coffee cherries. The natural drying process requires careful, constant turning to ensure uniformity. The final result is a very transparent and pure mouthfeel with dramatic changes between hot and cold. The aromas of fruit, flowers, and oak barrels are extremely charming.

Origin Information

Origin: Ninety Plus Ethiopia SNNP, Sidama region

Altitude: 1750 m - 2000 m

Processing method: Natural

Flavor: Nectarine, tropical fruits, cream, cinnamon.

Naming Method

Ninety Plus beans take a completely different approach to naming compared with conventional specialty beans. First, unlike regular beans, their names do not include region and estate names. Each bean is named according to its flavour profile.

For example, Drima Zede means "best approach" in the local dialect. Ninety Plus's naming usually starts with a flavour concept, then a name, followed by the selection of regions and cooperative farms. This is quite different from the usual approach and represents a brand with a boutique management style.

Drima Zede's charming fruity notes inherit the enchanting aromas bestowed by traditional Ethiopian natural processing. It expresses generous, full-bodied, long-lasting sweetness and a perfectly tantalising fruit acidity without reservation.

Daily Brewing

Drima Zede is also quite easy to brew day to day. The bean itself is rich in flavour. Whether you use clean pour-over methods or rich espresso brewing, it can showcase its inherent character excellently.

The discovery and development of good coffee are certainly things everyone hopes to see. Many times, however, when specialty coffee becomes industrialised, an accompanying decline in quality is unavoidable. We still hope everyone chooses rationally, does not blindly chase brands, selects good coffee that suits them, and judges by quality as the most important factor.

Brewing Analysis

Pour-over Drima Zede Reference

Using a Key dripper, 16 g of coffee to 32 g of water, bloom for 30 seconds, extract with 89-90°C water at a ratio of 1:15, medium-fine grind (Fuji 3.5). For the second pour, add water to 110 ml and pause, wait for the water level to drop before slowly adding more water. Keep the speed even and the water level not too high. Add water again to 233 ml and stop. Extraction time: 2:15. Rich natural sweetness. Everyone can fine-tune according to their own taste preferences.

Siphon Drima Zede

25 g coffee, 310 g water, medium grind, fine sugar, water temperature 90-91°C. Reduce the heat, add the coffee grounds, and stir 3-5 times to moisten fully. At 45 seconds, stir gently for 5 seconds, turn off the heat, then rotate and stir once more. Fresh citrus aroma, rich mouthfeel, prominent sweetness in the finish, excellent aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Drima Zede is a natural Yirgacheffe, and the clearest way to appreciate what Yirgacheffe can do is to taste it alongside a washed expression from the same town. FrontStreet's washed Yirgacheffe, the most popular entry into Ethiopian coffee, is known for its white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and tea-like body, and the FrontStreet Gediding Cooperative lot from the Woka production area deepens that with jasmine florals, green tea, and honey after a medium-light roast. If you love the juicy, fruit-forward character of Drima Zede's natural processing, FrontStreet's natural Red Cherry beans, made from fully ripe cherries dried on raised beds, bring citrus acidity, a berry-juice body, honey sweetness, and a creamy smoothness. Yirgacheffe sits at roughly 1,700-2,100 meters with trees planted above 1,800 meters, one of the highest coffee regions in the world, which is exactly why its florals and citrus read so vividly in the cup.