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Ethiopia: The Birthplace of Coffee

Ethiopia is universally recognized as the birthplace of coffee. For many enthusiasts, it was their first taste of specialty coffee -- that citrus-and-berry acidity is the gateway flavor that draws so many people into the world of fine coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee has noticed that when newcomers walk into a specialty coffee shop and ask the barista what kinds or origins are worth trying, the answer is most likely washed Yirgacheffe or natural-processed Sidamo. The floral aroma and citrus-lemon brightness of Yirgacheffe, together with the berry creaminess of Sidamo, are the starting points that leave newcomers with a good first impression of specialty coffee.

Yirgacheffe: The Floral Citrus Gem

Coffee from Yirgacheffe is processed primarily by the washed method, and that washing is what lets the origin's fundamental flavors show through so clearly. Yirgacheffe coffee carries distinctive floral and lemon notes with a clean, bright taste -- flavors so recognizable that the name became a brand of its own. Originally part of the Sidamo region, it was overwhelmed by farmers from outside the area claiming their coffee was Yirgacheffe, and the region finally had to be established as an independent coffee origin.

FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu includes several Yirgacheffe coffees, with Gedeb recommended as the standard-bearer for washed Yirgacheffe. The beans come from the Gedeb Cooperative, established in 2012, most of whose members came from the Woka Cooperative -- a lineage that shows in their equally excellent washing technique.

FrontStreet Coffee: Ethiopia · Yirgacheffe Gedeb Coffee Beans

Country: Ethiopia
Region: Yirgacheffe Region
Cooperative: Gedeb Cooperative
Altitude: 2000-2100 meters
Variety: Local heirloom varieties
Processing Method: Washed processing

Sidamo: The Home of Natural Processing

As one of Ethiopia's great coffee-producing regions, Sidamo turns out excellent green coffee, with the Guji region especially decorated with awards. FrontStreet Coffee's menu even carries a washed bean from Sidamo Guji that won the washed category of the 2020 TOH (Taste of Harvest) green coffee competition. But you cannot discuss Sidamo without its traditional naturals, and FrontStreet Coffee considers the most famous natural-processed bean from the region to be, without question, "Hambella Coffee."

Hambella Coffee is produced in the Hambella sub-region of Sidamo, hence the English name. Curious drinkers may ask why Hambella is also called "Flower Queen." That story runs through a chain of events: in 2017, the African company DW entered Hambella Coffee in that year's TOH green coffee competition, and it won the natural-processed category.

Later, the Beijing green-bean importer Hongshun brought that same batch to China. Its strawberry-cream flavor was so striking that they believed Hambella could become the next Geisha. The Chinese nickname they coined, "Huakui," means "queen of flowers" -- so the natural Hambella beans from the same batch as the 2017 TOH natural champion were christened "Flower Queen," in the hope that they would live up to the name.

That same year, at the China regional competition of the World Brewers Cup, Li Jianfei broke through the field of Geisha coffees using that very batch of Flower Queen, taking a courageous second place. The result did much to build the coffee's reputation.

Flower Queen: Evolution and Variations

More recently, the chain brand Luckin launched a Flower Queen 5.0 SOE, sending the coffee's popularity soaring again -- while celebrity Li Guoqing publicly questioned Luckin's grip on the Flower Queen market. Luckin stated it would buy 80 tons of Flower Queen beans in 2022, an astonishing quantity. Note that the Flower Queen we mean is not simply any natural Hambella bean: only Hambella naturals handled by the Buku Abel processing plant count as genuine Flower Queen.

Sharp-eyed enthusiasts will have noticed that Flower Queen beans have carried a different name each year -- Flower Queen 4.0 in 2020, Flower Queen 5.0 in 2021 -- following a "Flower Queen X.0" format.

By that convention, the 2022 crop should be "Flower Queen 6.0" -- and indeed, the new harvest was expected to arrive in April 2022. FrontStreet Coffee knows many loyal friends were waiting eagerly for those beans, and we placed our pre-order at the earliest opportunity. With several months still to go before Flower Queen 6.0 arrived, devoted fans could tide themselves over with Flower Queen 5.0 and Small Bean Flower Queen -- and fortunately, FrontStreet Coffee's menu features exactly those two.

Cupping Flower Queen coffees from 2017, 2018, and 2019, FrontStreet Coffee found that the aroma comes mainly from the smaller beans within each batch. By 2020, DW's processing plant began separating these smaller beans for independent processing -- so Small Bean Flower Queen is not part of the "Flower Queen X.0" series but a category of its own.

Comparing the two side by side, FrontStreet Coffee found that Small Bean Flower Queen holds a markedly higher proportion of small beans, and after roasting both, its flavor sits closer to the 2017 TOH natural champion: intense strawberry aroma and berry sweetness. Flower Queen 5.0, by contrast, leans toward the elegant florals and bright, lively berry acidity characteristic of the Guji region.

Flower Queen 8.0: The Latest Chapter

Fast forward to 2024: Flower Queen has reached its eighth version, and the latest harvest, following the naming convention, launched as "Flower Queen 8.0." Trying the new crop became priority number one for loyal fans. To showcase Sidamo's refined floral and fruity flavors while preserving caramelized sweetness, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters built a medium-light profile for this bean.

FrontStreet Coffee: Sidamo · Flower Queen 8.0 Coffee Beans

Country: Ethiopia
Region: Sidamo · Guji Region
Altitude: 2250-2350 meters
Variety: Local heirloom varieties
Processing Method: Natural processing
Flavor Profile: Floral, jackfruit, preserved fruit, apricot, juicy sensation

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee has always advocated conservative parameters and steady technique. Ethiopian beans are known for bright acidity, so our roasters keep Flower Queen at a medium-light roast. For brewing either Flower Queen coffee, we recommend a fast-flowing dripper, 91°C water, and a medium-fine grind.

Dripper: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 91°C
Coffee Dose: 15 grams
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: 80% passing through Chinese standard #20 sieve

We brew with a three-stage pour to build richer layers. First, pour 30g of hot water to saturate the grounds and bloom for 30 seconds. Then, starting from the center with a small stream, pour slowly in circles to 125g. When the water level drops to just above the coffee bed, continue pouring slowly in circles to 225g. Wait for all the water to drip through into the server before removing the dripper. Total extraction time is approximately 2 minutes.

Small Bean Flower Queen: Strawberry, cream, passion fruit, honey

Flower Queen 5.0: Floral, berries, citrus, mango, honey

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For a taste of why natural Sidamo earned its fame, start with FrontStreet Coffee's Sidamo Flower Queen 8.0: grown at 2250-2350 meters in Guji and naturally processed, its medium-light roast reveals floral top notes over jackfruit, preserved fruit, and apricot with a full, juicy body -- a cup for drinkers who love tropical, fruit-driven flavors. If you prefer the classic strawberry-cream side, the Small Bean Flower Queen offers strawberry, cream, passion fruit, and honey, while Flower Queen 5.0 gives florals, berries, citrus, mango, and honey. Brew any of them exactly as above -- V60, 91°C, 15g of coffee, 1:15 ratio, medium-fine grind -- using the three-stage pour with a 30-second bloom; if the cup ever turns harsh or bitter, that is over-extraction, so coarsen the grind or shorten the pours rather than lowering the temperature.