Ethiopia Sidamo Guji Mekanesa Natural Coffee Pour-Over Tutorial - How to Brew Mekanesa Coffee Beans for Optimal Flavor

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2018 Ethiopia Sidamo Guji Makanissa Natural

☕ Region | Sidamo Guji

☕ Origin | Kercha

☕ Processing Station | Makanissa Processing Station

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The Makanissa washing station is located in Kercha town (Woreda Kercha) in the Guji production area of Sidamo Coffee Valley.

Most local small-scale coffee farmers have only a few hundred coffee trees on average and cannot afford pesticides and chemical fertilizers. The harvested red cherry fruits are directly sent to this Makanissa washing station.

This processing station is located at high altitude with very low temperatures. The washed process requires 48 hours to complete fermentation washing, followed by 15 days of slow sun-drying to complete the green beans.

Combining several factors—fertile soil, excellent varieties, quality management, and the high-altitude location of this washing station where green beans are naturally dried slowly at low temperatures—it's no exaggeration to call this a "super premium bean."

- Ethiopia Makanissa Washing Station Natural

Hundreds of small farmers near Makanissa deliver cherries to the washing station daily. On average, a small farmer owns less than 1 hectare of land. Most coffee is grown using organic methods, with organic compost being very common. Coffee tree density is generally less than 1,500 trees per hectare.

The coffee varieties planted by farmers nearby are mostly improved Certo and local Wolisho. There are also coffee trees from forest wild varieties transplanted to small farms. We usually refer to these different varieties collectively as Ethiopian Heirloom—a comprehensive term for local native Typica variants and improved old varieties.

Producing excellent natural coffee is a very difficult challenge. Every detail must be carefully attended to during production, with no room for negligence. The producer of this coffee, the owner of a private processing station in Shakisso, hopes to produce the highest grade natural coffee—G1. They set up cherry collection stations near villages to ensure fruit quality while making it easy for farmers to deliver cherries. Any immature or overripe cherries are eliminated to achieve sweet and clean flavors. Cherries for natural processing are typically harvested later in the harvest season, making it easier to obtain cherries with perfect ripeness.

The first stage of natural processing is critical. Cherries must be spread in a thin layer on drying beds to avoid fermentation flavors. They need to reach the so-called "raisin" stage within a few days—about 25% moisture content. When turning the cherries, great care must be taken to avoid damaging the fruit skin.

In the second stage, from 25% to 12% moisture, the layer can be thicker. Continuous turning is required during the day, only allowing the cherries to rest at noon and night. Any negligence during production can result in mold and undesirable flavors. Overall, it's a very time-consuming and laborious process to obtain the finest natural coffee. The two natural processing stages together take approximately 15-18 days.

When lightly roasted, this Sidamo coffee first reveals grapefruit and preserved peach flavors. As the temperature gradually decreases, sucrose sweetness spreads across the palate. Finally, when tasted at room temperature, the flavor transforms to resemble orange juice—rich and juicy with moderate acidity and very smooth. It's an excellent choice for those new to light roast coffee 😋

How to Brew Sidamo Coffee [Guji Makanissa Natural] Well?

FrontStreet Coffee Pour-over Reference: Measure 15g of [Guji Makanissa 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, extracted with a V60 dripper.

Using the hot water from the pour-over kettle, draw circles clockwise with the filter cup center as the focal point. Start timing when brewing begins. Brew the coffee to 30g in 15 seconds, then stop pouring. When the time reaches 1 minute, pour the second time. During the second pour, like before, draw circles clockwise with the filter cup center as the focal point. Avoid pouring water on the area where coffee grounds meet the filter paper to prevent channel effects.

Leave one circle of space when pouring to the outermost layer of coffee grounds, then brew circle by circle toward the center. By 2 minutes and 20 seconds, brew the coffee to 220g to complete the brewing process.

｜ Cold Brew [Guji Makanissa Natural]

FrontStreet Coffee Cold Brew [Guji Makanissa Natural] Reference:

Sidamo coffee [Guji Makanissa Natural], light to medium roast, BG grinder setting 4B, grinding level 3, 20g beans, 87°C water temperature, steep for 3 minutes, Chemex pot, then cold brew with ice water, total water volume 200ml.

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