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Introduction to Ethiopian Sidamo Coffee: Characteristics and Flavor Description

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange, more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Ethiopian Sidamo Coffee. The Sidamo region is located in southern Ethiopia, featuring diverse terrain and fertile volcanic soil. Sidamo coffee offers rich fruit acidity and intense aroma. Coffee from the Sidamo region achieves a perfect balance between aroma and taste.

FrontStreet Coffee - Ethiopian Sidamo Coffee Introduction

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For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

FrontStreet Coffee - Ethiopian Sidamo Coffee Introduction

Sidamo region is located in southern Ethiopia and features diverse terrain with fertile volcanic soil. Sidamo coffee is rich in fruit acids and has strong aromas. Sidamo region coffee achieves a perfect balance and harmony between aroma and taste, making it ideal for those who enjoy prominent flavors but not too intense. Perfect for quietly savoring alone at dusk~

In 2004, the Ethiopian government applied for patents for three coffee-producing region names to enhance the promotion of unique domestic coffees; Sidamo was one of them (the other two being Harrar and Yirgacheffe). Coffee from Sidamo is often processed through a mix of washed and natural methods and is quite popular among coffee enthusiasts who enjoy fruit-forward and aromatic coffees.

Sidamo's coffee flavors are incredibly diverse. Different soil compositions, regional microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties create distinct differences and characteristics in the coffee produced by each town and area.

Main varieties include: Guanko (Heirloom variety), Cheman (Heirloom variety, 90+ special region)

Sidamo's coffee flavors are extremely diverse. Different soil types, microclimates, and countless native coffee species, along with towering mountains, highlands, plateaus, valleys, and plains within the region, create diverse topography. The geology of this area consists of nutrient-rich, well-drained volcanic soil with depths of nearly two meters, and the surface soil appears dark brown or brown.

The greatest advantage of this area lies in maintaining soil fertility through the recycling of organic matter, using fallen leaves from surrounding trees or plant root residues as fertilizer. This has resulted in coffee produced by towns having distinct differences and characteristics. From 2010-2012, it consistently achieved high scores of 92-94 from the authoritative American coffee evaluation website CR. This demonstrates the exceptional quality of green beans from this region.

The green coffee beans are green with a slightly grayish tint, with some being large and coarse while others are small and fine. The acidity combines both softness and intensity, the body ranges from light to full, and it features sweet, spicy aromas, making it one of the garden coffees from Ethiopia's southern highlands. Unlike typical African coffees, Sidamo possesses excellent acidity and a rich mouthfeel, allowing one to enjoy the wet aroma of floral notes.