What are the Characteristics of Ninety Plus Coffee? Introduction to the Flavor and Taste of Hacienda La Esmeralda

FrontStreet Coffee - 90+ Estate Nekisse Coffee Introduction

Here at FrontStreet Coffee we carry a coffee from 90+ Estate called Zhu Mang, known for its tropical fruit flavors and fermented aromatics. But here's something you may not know: "90+" doesn't simply mean coffees scoring above 90 points. It refers to a premium coffee series built around 13 different flavor profiles.

These coffees can come from different estates and display all kinds of flavor characteristics. During processing, the team separates them by variety, climate, and harvest timing, tasting each lot individually. They're treated like works of art approaching perfection — the people behind 90+ pour heart and soul into dialing in the optimal flavor profile and presenting each coffee in its most perfect form.

That pursuit of ultimate flavor is genuinely admirable. Their sustainable development model and environmentally friendly practices have become a benchmark many coffee producers study. Since the company was founded in 2006, this young company has made the global coffee industry take notice in just a few years — the coffee series first unveiled in 2007 was immediately regarded as a precious selection by coffee experts.

This introduction, however, features another 90+ coffee called Nekisse — a name that already sounds sweet!

Nekisse

Name Origin:

In 2009, this coffee was named "Nectar from Shakisso," a nod to its nectar-like flavors and the town of Shakisso in Ethiopia's Sidamo province. Although it was initially grown in the Shakisso region, later Nekisse lots have all come from the Wellega and Sidama regions — only the name remains.

Origin:

Ninety Plus, Ethiopia — Wellega and Sidama regions

Altitude:

1750-2000m

Processing Method:

Natural

Flavor Profile:

A multi-layered mouthfeel, balanced, with flavors of peach, berries, passion fruit, cream, and milk chocolate. It's a classic specialty coffee. From hot to cold, it keeps surprising you with tuberose, blueberry, aromatic wood, and cocoa.

Knowledge Expansion:

Ninety Plus is an American company that works in production and cultivation in Ethiopia and Panama through grower and origin-trade partnerships.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the 90+ story appeals to you but you'd like to start with Panama, FrontStreet Coffee's Boquete Washed Gesha is the ideal entry point. Grown at 1600 meters in Panama's most iconic specialty region — where cloud cover keeps days humid and nights cool, and volcanic soil from Barú feeds the trees — it cups with the jasmine florals, green tea, honey, citrus, and orange that only Gesha delivers.

Ready to go further? The FrontStreet Flower Butterfly (Huadie) carries half Gesha lineage — a blend of Gesha, Caturra, and Catuai grown in the Barú volcanic area of Boquete — and shows impressive body, citrus acidity, and jasmine aroma in both pour-over and cold brew. And for the top tier, the FrontStreet Esmeralda Red-Label Gesha is sourced from a single plot above 1700 meters, cupping at 91+ with that signature delicate orange-blossom honey character.