Sidamo Hambella Coffee Region Flavor Profile - Why Sun-Dried Hambella is Called "Flower Queen" Coffee Beans

Sidamo is located in southern Ethiopia and is world-renowned for its bright citrus notes, berry flavors, and delightfully elegant sweet-sour taste. It stands as one of Ethiopia's famous specialty coffee-producing regions.

The "Flower Queen" Coffee Bean

When discussing Sidamo coffee, one must mention a coffee bean named "Flower Queen." Since its introduction in 2017, the Flower Queen coffee bean has been deeply loved by many. FrontStreet Coffee has been selling this Sidamo Flower Queen coffee bean since 2017, and each year the Flower Queen releases an updated version. For example, the 2024 production season's Flower Queen is named FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopian Flower Queen 8.0.

The Origin of the "Flower Queen" Name

If you observe carefully, you'll notice that the Chinese and English names of this coffee bean don't correspond. In Chinese, it's called "Flower Queen" (花魁), while in English, it's more commonly referred to as "Hambella," which directly translates to "Hanbella."

Why This Discrepancy?

This is because Hambella is named after the coffee's production region. Hambella is a sub-region of the Guji zone, administratively belonging to the Oromia Regional State. To the west, Hambella faces the Kochere area of Yirgacheffe across mountains, with the two regions separated by a highland area of 3,200 meters in altitude and approximately 30 kilometers in width. To the southeast, east, and north, Hambella borders other sub-regions of Guji: Shakiso, Uraga, and Kercha.

The Guji zone, formerly belonging to the Sidamo coffee region, was established as an independent new region by the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) in 2010. Located southeast of Yirgacheffe, Guji is a region with complex terrain changes including towering mountains, valleys, and plains. The region's geology consists of nutrient-rich black soil (Vertisol) with soil depth reaching nearly two meters, and an average altitude above 1,800 meters. The significant day-night temperature differences created by these geographical characteristics provide the terroir conditions necessary for producing high-quality specialty coffee.

In 2017, Ethiopia's DW green bean company sent their coffee beans to the TOH (The Taste of Harvest) green bean competition hosted by the African Fine Coffee Association. A natural processed batch from the Buku Abel processing plant won the TOH Ethiopia championship with its rich strawberry and cream aroma. That year, this batch of green beans was imported by a Beijing green bean trader. Due to its championship status, it was named "Flower Queen."

In the same year, Li Jianfei from Beijing won second place in the 2017 World Brewers Cup China Championship with this Flower Queen coffee, further boosting its popularity. At that time, Gesha variety coffee was dominant, with most competitors choosing Gesha beans. However, Flower Queen, an Ethiopian heirloom variety, defeated many Gesha coffees that year to win second place. (Although achieving second place depended on more than just the quality of Flower Queen, its excellent quality was certainly one factor in the good result). It's therefore not surprising that many people consider this Flower Queen comparable to Gesha coffee.

Subsequently, DW company established processing plants in the Dimtu core area of Hambella: "Buku Abel," "Buku Saysay," "Haro Soresa," and "Tirtiro Goye," with an annual coffee production of approximately 1,100 tons. In terms of growing regions and processing plants, only the natural processed coffee beans from the "Buku Abel" processing plant can be called "Flower Queen."

FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Sidamo Natural Flower Queen 8.0

Region: Sidamo, Guji Zone
Altitude: 2250-2350m
Variety: Local Heirloom
Processing: Natural Process

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Parameters

To highlight the floral and fruity notes and aroma of this Sidamo Natural Flower Queen, FrontStreet Coffee uses a medium-light roast. The aroma of the coffee beans is preserved by extending the dehydration period. Beans are charged at 175°C, reaching the turning point at 96.2°C after 1 minute and 32 seconds, with heat at 120 and air damper at 3 to ensure uniform boiler temperature increase. The yellowing point is reached at 6 minutes, entering the development phase with heat increased to 140. First crack begins at 9 minutes and 50 seconds, with beans discharged 1 minute and 40 seconds after first crack at an exit temperature of 196°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Notes

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Brewing Device: HARIO V60
Parameters: 15g coffee/1:15 ratio/90°C water temperature
Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (78% pass-through rate on Chinese standard #20 sieve)
Method: 30g water bloom for 30 seconds, then pour directly to 125g in the center before分段. After seeing the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g. Remove the filter cone when the coffee bed is visible. Total extraction time: 2 minutes 00 seconds.
Flavor: Citrus acidity, full-bodied berry juice, lemon black tea notes, persistent sweetness.

Why Does Flower Queen Taste Different Each Year?

Looking at FrontStreet Coffee's summary of Flower Queen cupping notes from previous years:

[Flower Queen G1] Smooth, passion fruit, fermented wine aroma, jackfruit, strawberry.
[Flower Queen 2.0] Overall clean mouthfeel, more pronounced berry aroma with nutty notes, richer flavor profile.
[Flower Queen 3.0] Subtle strawberry jam, black tea notes, short sweet aftertaste.
[Flower Queen 3.1] Floral notes, cream, tropical fruits, caramel, persistent sweet aftertaste.
[Flower Queen 4.0] Citrus acidity, full-bodied berry juice, lemon black tea notes, persistent sweetness.

In fact, not only Flower Queen coffee but basically most coffees have flavor variations each year. Why? Coffee is essentially a plant, an agricultural cash crop. Factors including climate, planting soil, fertilization conditions, and annual rainfall all more or less affect coffee yield and quality. Later, processing techniques and attention to detail during processing also more or less affect the final coffee flavor. Therefore, Flower Queen coffee naturally has slight flavor variations each year.

In addition, harvesting and selection are also factors that make each annual batch different. If you observe carefully, you'll find that the 2017 Flower Queen coffee beans varied in size (a characteristic of Ethiopian coffee beans, partly because the coffee grading system is based on defects, and partly because there are numerous heirloom varieties). The following year's Flower Queen 2.0 coffee beans became more uniform in size, and the current FrontStreet Coffee Sidamo Flower Queen 8.0 beans are even smaller. Differences from previous years can also be observed in the appearance of the coffee beans.

This year, Flower Queen's changes don't stop there. This year, we can even find washed Flower Queen coffee beans and black honey processed Flower Queen coffee beans, making the Flower Queen name even more diverse.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473