Ethiopia Sidamo Red Honey Process Bensa Coffee Beans Brewing Parameters Flavor and Taste Description

Ethiopia Sidamo Red Honey Process Bensa Coffee Beans

Region: Ethiopia, Sidamo, Bensa Town

Altitude: 2100m

Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom

Processing Method: Red Honey Process

Grade: G1

Harvest Season: 2021

Coffee Growing Region

The Sidamo region is located in southern Ethiopia, extending eastward to the Arsi and Bale administrative areas and westward to the Gamogofa administrative region. Sidamo coffee is cultivated at altitudes between 1400m-2000m. The local economy is primarily based on agriculture, with main coffee growing areas situated around the Great Rift Valley. Sidamo has developed rapidly in recent years and has become an important coffee export hub.

Sidamo coffee flavors are incredibly diverse. Different soil types, microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties result in distinct differences and characteristics in coffee produced by each town. Among these, Bensa Town is located in eastern Sidamo at altitudes of 1800m-2300m. Coffee from this region exhibits even more diverse flavors, typically presenting berry acidity and citrus fruit tea notes.

Ethiopian Heirloom

As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia boasts an enormous number of coffee varieties, making it a treasure trove of coffee genetic diversity. However, variety identification is time-consuming and labor-intensive, with most being grown by small farmers who mix their harvests for processing, making it difficult to separate individual varieties. Therefore, "Heirloom" is used as a general term to encompass Ethiopia's numerous coffee varieties rather than referring to a specific coffee variety.

Red Honey Process

Red Honey processing is one type of honey process. After coffee cherries are harvested, they undergo pulping. The pulping process retains 70%-75% of the mucilage. Since most of the mucilage is preserved, if direct sun drying were used, the sugars in the mucilage could easily over-ferment.

Therefore, coffee beans processed using the Red Honey method need to be dried in shaded, well-ventilated sheds. The drying process typically takes 12-14 days. Finally, after confirming that moisture content and fermentation levels meet standards, the beans are stored in the warehouse.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Recommendations

Due to the higher moisture content in new harvest green coffee beans, the moisture in green beans affects heat transfer during roasting, and coffee can easily experience incomplete dehydration during the roasting process. At this time, coffee beans might appear fully roasted on the surface while still being undercooked inside. To avoid under-roasting, FrontStreet Coffee recommends extending the dehydration time when roasting Bensa coffee beans (the time between temperature return point and yellowing point). Meanwhile, to highlight the sweet characteristics of the Red Honey process, FrontStreet Coffee's roaster appropriately extended the development period (the time between yellowing point and first crack).

Cupping Flavor Description

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: V60#01

Water Temperature: 90-91°C

Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (80% retention on China standard #20 sieve)

Brewing Method: Three-stage extraction. Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds. Using a small water flow, pour in a circular motion to 125g for the first pour. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops again and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the beginning of blooming) Total extraction time is 2'00".

Important Notice :

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