Introduction to the 2022 WBC Champion Sidra Coffee Bean - Characteristics of the Colombian Sidra Coffee Variety

The Rise of Sidra Coffee

At the 2022 World Barista Championship, champion barista Anthony Douglas chose Colombian Sidra coffee beans for his competition. Coincidentally, at the 2019 World Barista Championship, that year's champion Jooyeon Jeon also chose Sidra coffee, though from Ecuador. That is why people began asking what Sidra coffee actually is.

FrontStreet Coffee researched the question and found that Sidra originally comes from Pichincha Province in Ecuador, where locals call the variety Sydra. According to the research, Sidra is a laboratory variety, cultivated from a hybrid of Typica and Red Bourbon. Later, genetic comparison revealed that Sidra shares similar genes with Ethiopian native varieties, leading some scholars to speculate that Sidra was hybridized from experimental research varieties exported from Ethiopia crossed with local Bourbon varieties in Ecuador. Today, Sidra is grown mainly in producing countries such as Ecuador and Colombia.

Finca El Diviso: The Champion's Choice

Following the exposure from Anthony Douglas's competition, people began seeking out the champion barista's coffee beans. The Sidra beans Anthony used come from Finca El Diviso in the Huila region of Colombia.

Where Is Finca El Diviso?

Finca El Diviso is located in Huila, one of Colombia's most famous coffee regions, at an altitude of approximately 2,100 meters and covering an area of 14 hectares. It is a family-run coffee estate, founded by Jose Uribe Lasso in 1996, with over 25 years of coffee cultivation experience.

It is currently run mainly by Nestor Lasso, who is young and highly motivated. His grandfather introduced him to the magnificent world of coffee, and his father inherited the farm with exceptional ability in coffee cultivation. Influenced by this family, Nestor continually strives for excellence in cultivation and processing, growing twelve varieties including Caturra, Colombia, Sidra, Castillo, Geisha and Bourbon.

Nestor's family manages the estate together and continually improves bean quality, which has also brought the family better returns. They have successfully established a new, larger farm, planting and producing even higher quality coffee beans, and are steadily working toward becoming a great family estate.

For Nestor, Finca El Diviso represents a fortunate new beginning. He believes Huila's land is very fertile, and that any diligent person can escape poverty by planting coffee on nutrient-rich soil.

Sidra's "Highlight Moments"

Sidra's rise to fame is largely credited to the two World Barista Champions who endorsed it. The 2019 World Barista Championship (WBC) champion, South Korean contestant Jooyeon Jeon, chose Sidra coffee from La Palma y El Tucan in Colombia. In the same competition, third-place finisher Cole Torode also selected a Sidra batch from this estate.

Last year's newly crowned World Barista Championship winner, Anthony Douglas of Australia, took the top prize with an anaerobic fermented Sidra batch from Colombia's Finca El Diviso. With Anthony's victory, the popularity of Finca El Diviso and the Sidra variety continues to rise in the specialty coffee community.

What Are the Characteristics of Sidra Coffee?

Although genetic testing has shown that Sidra has genetic connections to Ethiopian coffee varieties, it is currently grown mainly in two countries, Colombia and Ecuador, distributed at altitudes between 1,650-1,800 meters. Some origins also have small-scale plantings of Sidra for experimental purposes.

Sidra plants have thick trunks and can reach up to 4 meters in height. They need appropriate shade when planted and are immune to multiple pests but susceptible to leaf rust and coffee berry disease. The leaves are slender and long, with five-petaled flowers at bloom. The fruit is densely distributed, giving high yields, and the cherries are larger and rounder than most Arabica varieties; the green beans appear slender and elongated, somewhat similar to Geisha.

Because Sidra is still relatively scarce in cultivation and shows floral and fruity characteristics comparable to Geisha, with flavors such as peach, citrus, grape and honey, moderate acidity and a rounded mouthfeel, its price is also relatively high.

FrontStreet Coffee has also introduced Sidra coffee beans from Finca El Diviso. This coffee uses a double anaerobic washed process that highlights the coffee's rich acidity. FrontStreet Coffee applies a medium-light roast, with cupping notes revealing rich fruit flavors such as apricot, citrus and grape.

Sidra Coffee Pour-Over Recommendations

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:15

Water Temperature: 91°C

Grind Size: Medium-fine (80% pass-through rate on #20 sieve)

Pouring Technique: Three-stage method

First stage: pour 30ml and bloom for 30 seconds. Second stage: use a small water flow in a circular motion to pour 120ml, and when the water level drops to 1/2, use a small water flow in a circular motion to pour 90ml for the third stage. Total extraction time is 2 minutes.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Sidra from Finca El Diviso is the bean that won the 2022 World Barista Championship, and FrontStreet Colombia Finca El Diviso Sidra is the same lot the shop carries. Processed with a double anaerobic method and roasted medium-light, it leads with passion fruit, grape and apricot over preserved fruit sweetness, with the rich acidity Anthony Douglas built his routine around. It suits a pour-over, a cold brew, a drip bag or a moka pot. For a classic everyday Colombian instead, FrontStreet Colombia Huila is medium-dark roasted for black chocolate, nutty sweetness and a full body. Brew the Sidra at 91°C with 15g at a 1:15 ratio, ground medium-fine to 80% through a #20 sieve, pouring in three stages with a 30-second bloom and a total time near 2:00.