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The Difference Between Natural and Washed Ethiopian Sidamo Coffee Beans and Their Price

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). To brew a good coffee bean, you must understand the bean's characteristics. First, let's analyze the natural processed Sidamo coffee beans and washed processed Sidamo coffee beans. Sidamo Coffee Beans: Natural VS Washed. After harvesting, coffee beans must immediately enter the processing stage, otherwise they will start to ferment.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

To brew a good cup of coffee, you must understand the character of the beans. First, let's analyze sun-dried Sidamo coffee beans and washed Sidamo coffee beans.

Sidamo Coffee Beans: Sun-Dried VS Washed

After harvesting, coffee beans must immediately enter processing procedures, otherwise they will start to ferment and produce off-flavors. There are two processing methods: "sun-drying" and "washing," which create different flavors. Sun-dried beans have complete natural richness, gentle aromas, and more body; washed processing has good richness, high aromatics, and lively acidity.

Sun-Dried Sidamo Coffee Beans

The beans are slightly smaller than Longberry, greenish-yellow in color. In Sidamo's sun-drying fields, coffee is placed on wooden racks with hemp nets, and workers manually stir the coffee under sunlight exposure.

Washed Sidamo Coffee Beans

The raw coffee beans are greenish with a slight gray tint, with some areas coarse and others fine. They possess both gentle and bright acidity, appropriate richness, sweet and spicy flavors, clear fruit acidity, smooth mouthfeel, and delicate floral and herbal aromas.

Sun-Dried Sidamo Guji VS Washed Sidamo Guji

Sun-Dried Guji Roasted Beans

Light roast degree, lighter color, no silver skin.

Washed Guji Roasted Beans

Slightly darker roast degree, deeper color, with silver skin residue along the center line.

Brewing coffee is a complex science. Even if you use the same ingredients, same roast, and same process each time, the final taste might still be different. Different brewing methods result in different coffee flavors and mouthfeel. Despite using identical ingredients and ensuring the same amounts of acidity and bitterness, if the extraction degree varies, the coffee's taste will also change.

During extraction, the following factors will affect the coffee's flavor:

Water Temperature

(The water temperature when contacting coffee grounds) [Water Temperature] Brewing parameter suggestions | Control mouthfeel by adjusting water temperature!

Time

(The contact time between water and coffee grounds)

Coffee Ground Particle Size

Grind size distinction | Coarse, medium, medium-fine, fine, very fine

Coffee Extraction Water Temperature Can Change Coffee's Flavor

When it comes to water temperature, people immediately think of the temperature of water poured during extraction, but in reality, this refers to the water temperature when it contacts the coffee grounds.

If the water temperature is too high (above 94°C), it will accelerate the dissolution speed of coffee ground components.

The dissolution speed of acidity itself is already fast, so even with higher water temperatures, the total amount dissolved in water won't change significantly.

The dissolution speed of bitter flavors is relatively slow. If the water temperature is too high, the speed at which bitterness moves from the center of the coffee grounds to the surface will suddenly accelerate, increasing the total amount dissolved in water, thus increasing the proportion of bitterness in the coffee.

Conversely, if the water temperature is low (below 83°C), the proportion of bitterness in the coffee will decrease.

Coffee Extraction Time Can Change Coffee's Flavor

The dissolution speed of acidity is naturally fast, so there isn't much difference between the amount dissolved in 3 minutes versus 5 minutes.

The dissolution speed of bitterness is slow, so there is a significant difference between the amount dissolved in 3 minutes versus 5 minutes. In summary, if you increase the extraction time, the longer the time, the more bitter the coffee becomes.

Coffee Ground Particle Size Can Change Coffee's Flavor

The finer the coffee grounds are ground, the easier it is for their components to be extracted. For acidic components that are already easily soluble, the particle size of coffee grounds doesn't have much impact on them. However, for bitter components that are not easily soluble, the particle size of coffee grounds holds significant importance. The smaller the coffee ground particles, the greater the total amount of bitterness dissolved in water, thus increasing the proportion of bitterness.

At this point, everyone should have some understanding that the factors affecting coffee in brewing methods interact with each other in a cyclical manner. For example, if coffee grounds are ground coarsely, the filtration speed will be faster, and the flavor will be lighter, but you can slightly increase the water temperature or extend the steeping time to adjust the flavor in the cup. However, no matter how you adjust, you cannot change your coffee beans - this is the main theme of the coffee in your cup.

Pour-Over Sidamo Coffee Bean Parameter Suggestions:

Sun-Dried Guji

Recommended: 15g coffee grounds, 90°C water temperature, Fuji grinder setting 3.5, V60 dripper, water-to-coffee ratio 1:15. First pour 30g water, bloom for 30s, second pour 110g water then stop, continue pouring to 225g total, discard the tail water, extraction time around 2:02s.

Washed Guji

Recommended: 15g coffee grounds, 92°C water temperature, Fuji grinder setting 3.5, V60 dripper, water-to-coffee ratio 1:14. First pour 30g water, bloom for 30s, second pour 110g water then stop, continue pouring to 215g total, discard the tail water, extraction time around 2:05s.

Sidamo Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Sidamo Guji coffee beans offer excellent guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they provide exceptional value - a 227-gram package costs only 98 yuan. Calculating at 15g per cup, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 6 yuan. Compared to café prices that often run tens of yuan per cup, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.