Sidamo Guji G1 Lion King Pour-Over Parameters Recommendation_How to Brew Natural Process Lion King Coffee with Cold Brew

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Sidamo Coffee Region Introduction

Sidamo's coffee flavors are incredibly diverse. With different soil types, microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties, the region features towering mountains, highlands, plateaus, valleys, and plains with diverse topography. The area's geology consists of nutrient-rich, well-drained volcanic soil, with soil depth reaching nearly two meters, and the surface soil appearing dark brown or brown. Sidamo grows at altitudes between 4,600-7,200 feet in the southernmost Ethiopian highlands (Sidamo Province), making it a renowned specialty coffee region in southern Ethiopia, bordering Kenya to the south, southeast of Jimma, and directly south of the capital. Typically characterized by distinct sweetness, it is favored by many people, with an annual production of approximately 225,000 bags/60kg. The region's greatest advantage lies in its soil fertility, maintained through the cycling of organic matter, using fallen leaves from surrounding trees or plant residues as fertilizer. This creates distinct differences and characteristics in the coffee produced by various towns.

From 2010 to 2012, it continuously achieved high scores of 92-94 from the authoritative American coffee evaluation website CR. This demonstrates the extraordinary quality of green beans from this region.

Guji Region Introduction

The Guji region is located southeast of the renowned Yirgacheffe region.

In administrative divisions, it belongs to the Oromia Region → Guji Zone, representing regional green coffee beans. Similar to how Yirgacheffe became widely known after gaining fame, Guji Zone became an independent sub-region of the broader Sidamo area. This batch originates from coffee smallholders near the town of Dara Woreda in Sidamo Province, produced by the Shilcho Cooperative. This cooperative was established in 1976 and is currently a member of the Sidama Coffee Farmer Cooperative Union (SCFCU) in Sidamo Province. SCFCU is a major coffee cooperative union in Ethiopia, currently comprising about 46 member cooperatives, making it the second-largest coffee entity in Ethiopia.

02 | Processing Method

Natural processing is the oldest and most traditional method for coffee beans. Compared to washed processing, this drying method yields what's known as "natural coffee" or "sun-dried coffee." The harvested coffee cherries are directly exposed to sunlight for about two to four weeks. This method is typically used in countries with distinct dry and wet seasons.

1. First, harvest mature coffee cherries

2. Preliminary removal of impurities and defective beans

3. Screen floating beans: Pour coffee cherries into a water tank. Mature, full fruits will sink to the bottom, while immature or damaged fruits will float to the surface.

4. Natural drying method: Remove the mature coffee cherries from the bottom of the tank and spread them on a drying patio for sun-drying, reducing moisture content from 70% to about 10-12%. They need to be turned several times daily to ensure even drying, and covered at night to prevent moisture absorption.

5. Remove outer shell: After sun-drying for about two to four weeks, the outer layer of the coffee seeds becomes dry and hard. At this point, a hulling machine is used to remove the outer shell, completing the process.

03 | Green Bean Analysis

[Sidamo Coffee Lion King Natural Processing]

Ethiopia has nearly 2,000 recorded coffee varieties. Ethiopian coffee varieties are like a "grand landscape garden" with everything imaginable—long, short, thin, fat—making identification difficult, hence they are called local native varieties. The beans are medium-sized but include dwarf small-grain varieties, with relatively poor disease resistance; they are tall, robust, and moderate in tree form.

04 | Roasting Analysis

This green coffee bean is relatively small, greenish-yellow, with poor uniformity and low moisture content. The roasting target is light-medium roast, aiming to preserve bright acidity while showcasing multi-layered tropical fruit flavor and aroma.

In the first batch of roasting, the drop temperature was relatively high, with an entry temperature of 200°C and relatively high heat. During the roasting process, it was discovered that these beans come from extremely high altitudes and are very hard in density. To avoid uneven roasting caused by inconsistent green bean sizes, a roasting approach of extended dehydration, gradual heat reduction, and stable ascent was adopted. Heat was adjusted finer when the beans entered the yellowing point, completed dehydration, and showed first crack signs, avoiding surface scorching. The beans were discharged between dense first crack and before first crack ended, shortening the caramelization reaction time to preserve flavor cleanliness and floral-fruity aromas.

Yangjia 600g semi-direct flame roaster

Heat to 200°C when beans enter the roaster, damper set to 3. After 30s, adjust heat to 160°C, damper unchanged. Return to temperature point at 1'35", maintain heat. At 4'50", bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering dehydration phase. Heat reduced to 120°C, damper adjusted to 4.

This Sidamo Lion King natural coffee approaches floral aroma, with relatively prominent fruit flavors; smooth, balanced, with lively and varied layering.

How to Brew Sidamo Coffee [Guji G1 Lion King Natural] Well?

FrontStreet Coffee pour-over reference: Weigh 15g of [Guji G1 Lion King Natural] coffee powder, pour into a grinder for medium grinding. The ground particles should be slightly coarser than table salt. We use BG grinder setting 5R (60% standard sieve pass rate), water temperature 90°C, V60 filter cup for extraction.

Using hot water from the pour-over kettle, draw circles clockwise centered on the middle of the filter cup. Start timing when brewing begins. Brew the coffee to 30g within 15 seconds, then stop pouring water. When the time reaches 1 minute, perform the second pour. Similar to the first pour, draw clockwise circles centered on the middle of the filter cup. Avoid pouring water where the coffee powder meets the filter paper to prevent channeling effects.

Leave a circle when pouring to the outermost edge of the coffee powder, then draw circles back toward the center. At 2 minutes and 20 seconds, brew the coffee to 220g to complete the brewing process.

| Cold Brew [Guji G1 Lion King Natural]

FrontStreet Coffee cold brew [Guji G1 Lion King Natural] reference:

Sidamo Coffee [Guji G1 Lion King Natural], light-medium roast, BG grinder setting 4B, grinding level 3, 20g beans, 87°C water temperature, bloom for 3 minutes, Chemex pot, then cold brew with ice water, total water volume 200ml.

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