How to Brew Ethiopian Coffee for the Best Taste? What's the Price of a Cup of Coffee?

The Queen of Ethiopian Coffee

If FrontStreet Coffee had to crown a queen among Ethiopian coffees, Flower Champion would make the shortlist without hesitation. The name—literally "Flower Champion"—comes from its championship pedigree: after winning a competition, this bean became the flagship of Ethiopia's Sidamo region. Skipping Sidamo Flower Champion means you haven't really tasted Ethiopian coffee at all.

Bean Information

GuJi Hambella Natural G

Guji Hambella · Flower Champion 3.1

Country of Origin: Ethiopia

Processing Station: Mansa Shantang Processing Station

Variety: MANSA native variety

Altitude: 2125m

Grade: G1

Processing: Natural (sun-dried)

Flower Champion 3.1 was discovered in the now-familiar GUJI HAMBELLA region. In the mountain valley of MANSA grows a tidy, young coffee forest that produces unusually large, sweet cherries—a striking contrast to the surrounding "small-bean" varieties. To study them, a processing station, MANSA Shantang, was built right in the valley, and after successive trials with this large-bean coffee, this year's natural-process MANSA lot launched under the name "Flower Champion 3.1."

Brewing Section

Trapezoidal Single-Hole Dripper

The trapezoidal single-hole dripper has straight ribs and a small outlet, and the filter doesn't fit snugly against the wall—all of which aids degassing and drainage. Its relatively thick ceramic walls hold heat well.

Parameters & Technique: 15g coffee / 1:15 ratio / 90°C / Grind BG-6T (57% pass rate on a Chinese-standard 20-mesh screen)

Bloom with 34g of water for 30 seconds, pour in circles to the center up to 125g, let the bed drain, then continue pouring to 225g. Remove the dripper once the bed shows. Total extraction time: 1'53".

Flavor: Floral and fruity aroma, tropical fruit, cream, the sweetness of ripe fruit; a fairly full body with honeyed sweetness.

Hario V60

The V60's spiral ribs run top to bottom at varying lengths, so water flows quickly and gas escapes freely. Because of that fast flow, this dripper calls for segmented pouring to slow the water down and stretch the extraction, offsetting the under-extraction a fast flow can cause.

Parameters & Technique: 15g coffee / 1:15 ratio / 90°C / Grind BG-6T (57% pass rate on a Chinese-standard 20-mesh screen)

Bloom with 35g of water for 30 seconds, pour to the center up to 125g, let the bed drain, then pour to 227g. Remove the dripper once the bed shows. Total extraction time: 2'00".

Flavor: Floral notes, cream, tropical fruit, caramel, and a lingering sweet finish.

Origami Dripper

The Origami's deep vertical grooves and relatively large outlet give it a fast flow rate, and the ceramic version conducts and holds heat well. Flower Champion 3.1 leans flavor-forward, so I wanted to see whether the mouthfeel could be made smoother instead—pairing the Origami with flat-bottom filter paper pulls the cup toward a more even, balanced extraction.

Parameters & Technique: 15g coffee / 1:15 ratio / 90°C / Grind BG-6T (57% pass rate on a Chinese-standard 20-mesh screen)

Bloom with 33g of water for 30 seconds, pour to the center up to 124g, let the bed drain, then pour to 228g. Remove the dripper once the bed shows. Total extraction time: 1'58".

Flavor: Cream, tropical fruit, a tea-like texture, with sweetness and acidity in tidy balance.

On a sweltering summer day, one glass of iced coffee is never enough—you'll want a whole pot. So I brewed one using the ice-fire (hot-over-ice) method.

Cake Dripper

The cake dripper's flat bottom extracts the coffee more thoroughly, and with only three small outlet holes the flow is slow, letting the grounds steep. The result is a rounder, more balanced cup.

Ice-Fire Brewing Process

1. Place 30g of ice in the dripper.
2. Add the ground coffee on top of the ice and let it sit for 1 minute.
3. Bloom with 40g of hot water for 30 seconds.
4. Pour in circles up to approximately 116g.
5. Once the coffee has fully drained into the server, remove the dripper.
6. Add 70g of ice to the server.

Parameters: 15g coffee / 90°C / 1:15 ratio / Medium grind (BG-6T: 57% pass rate on a Chinese-standard 20-mesh screen)

Flavor: A creamy aroma while brewing; in the cup, florals, tropical fruit, black tea, the sweet-tart notes of ripe fruit, and a fruit-tea-like mouthfeel.

A cup of Flower Champion at FrontStreet Coffee costs just 30 yuan—exceptional value for a coffee like this.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Flower Champion 3.1 wins you over to natural-process Sidamo, try FrontStreet Coffee's Guji Hambella Flower Champion natural as well. The farm spans 200 hectares and dries its cherries on raised beds for 21 days, turning them constantly for even drying and hand-sorting defective beans every three to five days. After a medium-light roast it shows a delicate fermented wine note, florals, citrus, and mango, with a rich, layered body—honey sweetness, cocoa, a whisper of spice, and a long finish.

New to Ethiopian coffee? Start instead with FrontStreet's washed Yirgacheffe everyday bean: crisp jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity with a light, elegant, tea-like body—like a clean, refreshing lemon tea, and a gentle introduction to the region.