Characteristics of Ethiopian Sidamo Coffee Beans - Don't Miss This Sun-Dried Sidamo Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee: An Introduction to Sidamo Guji Coffee

Another Ethiopian heirloom lot, this Guji coffee is produced in the Sidamo region at elevations between 1750-2000 meters. The soft, fertile soil, suitable temperature and humidity, rainfall patterns, and the timing of the rainy season all combine to create the conditions behind Guji's superior quality.

Sidamo green coffee beans are recognizable by their slightly grayish appearance, with a mix of larger and smaller beans. In the cup they offer a balance of gentle yet bright acidity, appropriate body, and sweet, spicy aromatics. Unlike Yirgacheffe, Sidamo's flavor leans toward citrus sweetness layered with rich berry aromas and tropical fruit, creating a very rich and delicate texture.

As a natural-processed Sidamo, Guji achieves a purity nearly equivalent to washed processing, which is truly remarkable!

In general, natural processing better highlights a bean's inherent sweetness but often lacks the clean brightness of washed coffee, and many people assume naturals always carry some off-flavors. Guji is quite special—it will definitely refresh anyone's preconceptions about natural processing.

Guji not only avoids the traditional shortcomings of natural processing but also evokes the very strengths of washed coffee. Beyond the excellent quality of the beans themselves, this comes down to careful post-harvest handling. Green coffee processing is a genuine specialty of 90+, though their exact methods remain their secret. What we do know is that 90+ categorizes its coffees in fine detail, then experiments tirelessly, designing specialized processes for each flavor profile. Only after countless refinements—when the optimal state is reached—are the results presented.

The cleanliness of natural processing stems not only from meticulous green bean handling but also from attentive roasting. Constant temperature- and humidity-controlled warehouses, professional and sanitary facilities, top-grade roasting machines, and experienced roasters give us confidence in stability and in the flavor expression these excellent beans deserve, with minimal post-roast screening.

When roasting this bean, the key consideration is how best to preserve and present its original qualities. A rigorous, tightly controlled roast lets it keep the captivating aromatics typical of Ethiopian coffee, retain round and full-bodied flavors, and showcase a lingering sweetness. Intense fruit, berries, yellow peach, pineapple, plus the winey aroma from natural fermentation make a cup like golden rum dropped into a fruit basket—impossible to resist.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this glimpse of natural-processed Sidamo has whetted your appetite, the FrontStreet natural Huakui (Guji Hambella) is the lot to try. From a 200-hectare farm in the Hambella growing area, the ripe cherries are sun-dried on raised beds for 21 days, turned constantly for even drying and hand-sorted every three to five days to remove defective fruit. Roasted medium-light, it shows a light fermented wine aroma, florals, citrus, and mango, with honeyed sweetness, a cocoa undertone, a touch of spice, a thick body, and a long finish.

For a cleaner take on the same style, the FrontStreet natural Red Cherry Project Yirgacheffe uses only fully ripe cherries dried whole on raised beds, turning every 2-3 hours at the start to prevent uneven fermentation. The cup keeps the classic Yirgacheffe character while adding tropical fruit from the drying: citrus-like acidity, berry juiciness, honeyed sweetness, and a creamy smoothness—peach, cocoa, honey, and lemon in one glass. Both are vivid proof that a well-made natural can be every bit as clean as a washed coffee.