90 Ninety Company 90+ Ember Coffee Ember Coffee Characteristics

90+ Nekisse

The Nekisse coffee bean comes from a company called 90+.

Region: 90+SNNP, Sidama, ETHIOPIA

According to the company's recently updated map of 90+ estates, there are 8 regions within the SNNP area.

In 2006, Joseph Brodsky founded Ninety Plus (90+). 90+'s cooperative model with local estates keeps complete control over every step - planting, sampling, harvesting, and all downstream processing and cupping. 90+'s exclusive Profile Processing guarantees that every bean it releases delivers a unique yet stable flavor profile and quality. 90+'s coffee is marketed much like fine wines, and it has carved out a distinctive place in the market.

Natural Process

The "Flower Queen" beans are made exclusively from fully red, completely mature cherries, all hand-picked and dried on African raised beds. The fruit layer is kept thin, and the cherries are turned continuously every 24 hours. The estate's unique natural environment allows for low-temperature fermentation.

During the harvest and processing season (December-January), the combination of growing environment and natural climate shapes the Flower Queen's distinctive flavor. Drying only begins once the sugar content of the harvested red cherries measures above 30. For the first two days on the beds, moisture is deliberately maintained so the fructose can ferment fully, while the high-altitude location lets nighttime temperatures at the processing station fall to around 12°C - cool enough to prevent the off-flavors of over-fermentation. When the midday sun grows hot, shade cloth goes up to keep the red cherries from sunburn.

For Nekisse, the cherries are hand-sorted both before and after they go onto the raised beds. Workers must strip out every unripe cherry and hunt for coffee berry borer (broca) holes.

The raised beds keep the cherries on a clean surface with air circulating all around, which helps them dry evenly. The key is a thin layer and regular turning so every cherry dries at the same rate.

Drying schedule: for the first three days the cherries sit in full sun through cold nights. From day four onward, they are shaded between 12 PM and 2 PM, when the day is at its hottest - and it matters to leave space between the beds while shaded. After 20-25 days, the coffee reaches its ideal moisture content.

Ethiopia Sidama 90+ Nekisse

Country: Ethiopia

Region: 90+SNNP, Sidama

Altitude: 1750-2000 meters

Processing Method: Natural Process

Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom

Flavor: Floral aroma, nectarine, tropical fruits, blackberry, blueberry, plum, cream, cinnamon

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Love what natural-process Ethiopia can do? FrontStreet's Ethiopia Huakui comes from the Hambella area of Guji, Sidamo, where whole cherries dry on raised beds for 21 days with constant turning and repeated hand-sorting. Roasted medium-light, it unfolds a light fermented wine aroma, florals, citrus, and mango over a thick body and honeyed sweetness - an alluring parallel to Nekisse's fruit-forward natural profile.