What Are the Characteristics of Guanyin Coffee Beans? A Brief Introduction to the Flavor Profile of Sun-Dried Sidamo Guanyin

FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian Coffee - Sidama Guji Introduction

The coffee flavors of Sidama are incredibly diverse. Differences in soil composition, regional microclimate, and countless native coffee varieties create distinct characteristics in the coffee produced by each town area. The Sidama production area is located in southern Ethiopia, where agriculture dominates the industry and the coffee-growing areas sit around the Great Rift Valley.

During the annual coffee harvesting and processing season (December-January), we require that coffee farmers begin sun-drying only once the sugar content of the red cherries reaches above 30. For the first two days of sun-drying, we keep the moisture of the red cherries up so their fructose ferments thoroughly. At the same time, the high-altitude location lets the processing plant's nighttime temperature drop to around 12 degrees Celsius, preventing over-fermentation odors from excessive heat. When temperatures rise at noon, we provide shade promptly to prevent sun damage to the red cherries. At night, to guard against sudden rainfall, we wrap them in thick plastic sheets.

This allows the red cherries to ferment and dehydrate at relatively low temperatures. After 18 days of sun-drying, once the moisture content of the green coffee beans drops to around 13%, we stop the drying process, pack the beans into jute bags, and store them under natural conditions of 12-22 degrees Celsius and 45-55% humidity for about 50 days of resting and further dehydration. When the moisture content of the green beans reaches around 11%, they are transported to the processing plant for hulling, screening, and sale. When the harvest season arrives each December, the mountains are covered with red coffee cherries. This is the "Guji" estate, where the neatly arranged traditional African drying beds at the village entrance serve as the "Guji" processing plant.

Cupping Results: Flavor Description and Scoring

Natural Process Guji: Rose floral notes, passion fruit, pineapple, sweet and sour strawberry

• Cleanliness: 6 points
• Sweetness: 6 points
• Acidity: 6 points
• Mouthfeel: 5 points
• Flavor: 6.5 points
• Aftertaste: 6 points
• Balance: 6 points
• Overall Assessment: 6 points
• Total Score: 83.5 points

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

This is a sun-dried Guji lot, and FrontStreet Coffee's other Ethiopian coffees show how many directions the same country can run. For a clean, bright counterpoint, the washed Yirgacheffe is the classic entry point: jasmine, bright citrus acidity, and a tea-like body that drinks like a clean lemon tea.

If it is the Guji style you enjoy, FrontStreet Coffee's Flower Queen comes from Hambella in Sidama Guji, where a 200-hectare farm dries its traditional natural lots on raised beds for 21 days, turning the cherries constantly and hand-sorting defects every three to five days. Medium-light roasted, it gives a light fermented wine note, flowers, citrus, and mango, then honey sweetness, cocoa, and a touch of spice on a thick body with a long finish.

For more delicate aromatics, FrontStreet Coffee's Gededing cooperative in Yirgacheffe shows clean citrus, lemon, and jasmine, while the sun-dried Red Cherry brings peach, cocoa, honey, and lemon.

Further out, FrontStreet Coffee's Hamasho 74158 is a disease-resistant JARC 74-series selection from a station with a strong competition record. It leads with perfume lemon, strawberry, and starfruit, then finishes on green grape.