Is Guji Coffee Region Part of Sidamo? The Distinctive Aroma of Sidamo Coffee Beans

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Sidamo Region

Sidamo Coffee is named after its origin region.

The Sidamo administrative region is located in southern Ethiopia, bordering Kenya. Sidamo, Harar, and Limu are the main premium coffee-producing regions in Ethiopia. Although the Yirgacheffe area is administratively part of Sidamo, its unique natural geographical environment— including soil composition and water content— creates distinctive aromas and flavors that are well-known in the global specialty coffee industry. Therefore, you'll often hear "Sidamo" and "Yirgacheffe" referred to separately in the market. [Similar to the relationship between "Yantai apples" and "Xixia apples"]

Sidamo: Altitude ranges from 1,400 to 2,200 meters, belonging to the garden coffee system.

Like Yirgacheffe, specialty coffee beans from the Sidamo region are grown organically and hand-picked to ensure the health and premium flavor of the coffee. Notably, Sidamo coffee also has lower caffeine content and is known as a naturally low-caffeine coffee.

Washed Sidamo green beans appear light green in color, with distinct citrus notes and subtle berry aromas upon tasting, as well as pleasant elegant sweet and sour flavors, grape-like sweetness, and a chocolate aftertaste.

Sidamo offers balanced flavor profiles with higher sweetness. Its body is also somewhat fuller compared to Yirgacheffe. Especially during the natural drying process where fruit pulp ferments, the resulting acidity and sweetness similar to red wine, combined with coffee's original cocoa bitterness, gives certain batches of Sidamo an intoxicating flavor reminiscent of chocolate liqueur.

The Guji Zone region has been one worth considerable attention, and its development in recent years has confirmed that the rise of the Guji region is indeed one of Ethiopia's important recent trends. Beyond beans from larger sub-regions such as Hambela and Shakiso, exceptional beans from processing stations or even single estates have emerged, surpassing what the traditional Yirgacheffe region can offer. Furthermore, in terms of innovative processing methods, there are also honey-processed batches. Besides the recent focus on Gesha Village, the Guji region has also become an important hotspot. To understand Ethiopia's trends, Guji is undoubtedly an essential focal point.

Knowledge point: Shakiso (sometimes also spelled Shakisso) is the most noteworthy micro-region within the Sidamo producing area.

In summary: FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research workshop dedicated to sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation simply to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three discounted coffee events monthly, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to offer more friends the best coffee at the lowest possible price—this has been our mission for the past six years!

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