Enjoying Two Distinct Flavor Profiles of Ethiopia Sidamo Guji Bourbon Washed at High and Low Temperatures

FrontStreet Coffee - Sidamo Washed Bourbon Coffee Introduction

Sidamo Guji Growing Region

Sidamo coffee offers exceptionally diverse flavors, shaped by varied soil types, microclimates and countless native coffee varieties. The region features towering mountains and diverse topography, producing distinct differences and characteristics among the coffees of its various towns. The Guji region, located along the Mora Mora River in southern Ethiopia, is considered the birthplace of forest coffee.

Within this area, several small coffee farms combine their harvested cherries for processing and export. These coffees are not modern varieties but traditional varieties that have remained unchanged since early times.

Bourbon

Bourbon refers to coffee produced from Arabica trees of the Bourbon cultivar. Bourbon coffee is typically grown at elevations of 800-1500 meters. It originated on Bourbon Island in the Indian Ocean (now called Réunion Island) as a sub-variety that mutated from Typica, and belongs to the same category as one of the oldest coffee varieties still in existence. Most Bourbon coffee cherries are red, which is why it is also known as Red Bourbon.

There are, however, two natural variants that display different colors: Orange Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon. Because of the lower yield of Bourbon varieties and their vulnerability to wind and rain, they have not been widely cultivated. Even so, when grown at high altitudes they exhibit exceptional flavor performance.

Sidamo Guji Bourbon Washed

Bean Variety: Bourbon

Region: Haro Wachu, Uraga, Guji, Oromia

Processing Station: Wolichu Wachu Washing Station

Altitude: 2100-2300 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Flavor Profile: Rock tea, Lemon, Ginger candy, Honey, Pear

Knowledge Point: The Arabica lineage was likely first discovered in southern Sudan, but it was not until it spread to Ethiopia that it gradually flourished and developed.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Washed Ethiopian coffee at altitude is one of the clearest expressions of the country's native varieties, and FrontStreet's Yirgacheffe Gotingding cooperative coffee is a fine introduction. Farm output in the area is small, so growers send their cherries to a cooperative for centralized processing and sale. Gotingding is an outstanding processing team from Gotingding village with practiced technique, and it earned its reputation because its coffee is especially delicate and clean. The washed process lets the coffee show its jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity to the fullest; roasted medium-light, it opens into green tea and honey notes and suits pour-over, cold brew and espresso.

For a more floral, estate-level expression of the same country, FrontStreet's Kafa Forest coffee comes from the Kafa forest in southwestern Ethiopia, a UNESCO-recognized biosphere reserve and a globally acknowledged birthplace of Arabica. The trees grow in shade at 1400-2100 meters, and FrontStreet roasts the beans medium-light. Ground, they show clear white florals; the entry brings a bright lemon acidity with sweet orange and bergamot, and the finish carries a faint melon and nut character with a green-tea-like body.

Both coffees reward a similar approach: a medium-light roast, a gentle pour and water around 90-91°C to keep the florals and citrus acidity intact without pulling out bitterness.