Sidamo Guji Coffee Introduction: Flavor Profile of Guji Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Sidamo Dimma Coffee

Drima Zede Production Area Introduction

Sidama grows on the southern Ethiopian highlands at altitudes between 4,600-7,200 feet (Sidama Province). It is one of the best-known specialty coffee regions in southern Ethiopia, bordering Kenya and lying southeast of Jimma and directly south of the capital. The coffees are typically marked by a distinct sweetness and are widely favored; annual production is roughly 225,000 bags of 60kg.

Sidama's flavors are unusually varied. Different soil types, microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties together produce a landscape of towering mountains, highlands, plateaus, valleys, and plains. Geologically the region is nutrient-rich, well-drained volcanic soil nearly two meters deep, with a surface layer that appears dark brown or brown. Its greatest advantage is the way fertility is maintained through organic matter recycling: fallen leaves from surrounding trees and plant residues serve as fertilizer.

Ninety+ Dimma

Name Origin: Drima Zede (Dimma, the name of this Sidama coffee) means "Best Approach" in the local dialect. According to the original producer, it is a specialized product series built on more than 90 years of experience. Traditional natural processing rarely delivers a completely pure flavor, but with 90+ technical support, Drima Zede is made by hand-selecting only the ripest cherries and stirring them constantly through the natural drying phase to keep the lot uniform. The result is an exceptionally transparent, pure cup with a dramatic swing between hot and cold, carrying captivating aromas of fruit, flowers, and oak barrel.

Origin: Ninety+ Ethiopia SNNP, Sidama Region

Altitude: 1750m-2000m

Processing Method: Natural Process

Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom

Roast Level: Light Roast

Flavor Profile: Floral aroma, nectarine, tropical fruits, blackberry, blueberry, plum, cream, cinnamon

Acidity: Medium-High

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this natural Sidama whets your appetite for Ethiopian coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's most approachable starting point is the FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe, an everyday drinker built on the classic Yirgacheffe profile: white jasmine on the nose, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a clean, tea-like body. Yirgacheffe is a town in southern Ethiopia's Sidama zone, sitting at roughly 1700-2100 meters, with the coffee trees themselves planted above 1800 meters. It was the region's unmistakable white florals and lemon-citrus acidity that turned "Yirgacheffe" into shorthand for an entire style of Ethiopian coffee, and in 2010 the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange separated it from Sidama precisely because the name had become so famous.

For a step up in clarity, FrontStreet Gedingding Cooperative is worth seeking out. Gedingding sits in the Woka area at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe and was originally part of the Woka Cooperative under the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union before being carved out as a single-origin lot in its own right. It follows the most traditional washed processing, which strips the fruit before drying and leaves the bean's own aromatics sharply defined - no trace of bitterness, just clean citrus and lemon acidity with a jasmine lift. FrontStreet's natural-process Red Cherry, by contrast, is picked as whole ripe cherries and sun-dried for three to five weeks, so it keeps the typical Yirgacheffe character while adding a tropical fruit sweetness: citrus acidity, a berry-juice texture, honeyed sweetness, and a creamy mouthfeel.

For brewing, FrontStreet suggests a V60 with 15g of coffee, a 1:15 ratio, and water at 90-91°C. Grind to about the texture of fine granulated sugar, or 80% passing a #20 sieve (EK43s setting 10). Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds, then pour another 95g (about 125g on the scale) over roughly one minute. When the water level falls to two-thirds of the bed, add the remaining 100g (about 225g total) and finish the pour by around 1 minute 35 seconds. Drawdown should complete between 2:00 and 2:10, at which point you can lift the dripper off.