Is Guaye an Arabica Coffee? How to Best Brew Guaye Coffee Beans for Cold Brew?

As a renowned Arabica variety that has gained prominence in recent years, Coffee Flower comes from the Sidamo region of the African continent's Ethiopia. It belongs to local heirloom varieties and is a sun-dried coffee bean famous for its rich floral and fruit aromas. FrontStreet Coffee's house-roasted Coffee Flower beans are medium-light roasted to preserve more floral notes and fruit acidity, presenting a fuller flavor profile.

Are Heirloom Varieties Arabica?

Ethiopia, as the birthplace of coffee, preserves tens of thousands of Arabica heirloom coffee varieties, making it a natural coffee museum. Coffee cultivation is predominantly managed by small farmers, basically coffee grown independently by farmers. During harvest season, processing stations directly purchase coffee cherries from nearby farmers for processing.

Coffee varieties are inherently complex and difficult to identify. Additionally, the Ethiopian government,出于保护考虑, is unwilling to disclose these varieties, so they are collectively called "heirloom varieties." As an agricultural product, the expression of coffee flavor naturally depends on the innate factors of variety and terroir. FrontStreet Coffee believes that Ethiopian coffee's captivating aroma and fruity characteristics are largely attributed to its unique growing environment and the excellent quality of heirloom varieties.

What is Sun-Dried Coffee?

Sun-drying is one of Ethiopia's oldest methods for processing green coffee beans. Coffee cherries are immediately dried in the sun after harvesting, common in areas with abundant sunlight or water scarcity. Nearly 70% of Ethiopian coffee is sun-dried. FrontStreet Coffee believes that compared to washed coffee, sun-dried coffee has lower acidity, higher sweetness, clearer mouthfeel, but slightly lower cleanliness. In terms of flavor, it produces more berry-like characteristics and is more complex. Classic Sidamo flavor uses sun-dried coffee, known for its mellow richness, complex sweetness, viscous and smooth texture, rich layers of spices, flowers, and fruit aromas, accompanied by bright aftertaste.

Compared to washing, sun-drying involves longer fermentation time and higher degree of reaction between microorganisms and pulp. When fermentation begins, microorganisms produce more volatile compounds, especially esters. Although most sugars are destroyed during roasting, these compounds transform into another form of aromatic compounds during caramelization. It is these aromatic substances that provide more floral and tropical fruit fermentation aromas for roasted coffee beans, such as furan compounds, expanding sun-dried coffee's flavor profile and making it taste sweeter. The Sidamo Coffee Flower 8.0 coffee beans on FrontStreet Coffee's menu are also selected from sun-dried batches, originating from Hambella.

Coffee Flower is also called "Hambella" Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee learned through research that Hambella is located at the junction of West Sidamo and Guji regions, managed under the Guji region, adjacent to Yirgacheffe's Kochere across mountains. The mountainous area between them has an altitude of 3200 meters, making it Ethiopia's highest altitude sub-region. It's worth noting that the Guji region was formerly part of the Sidamo region, becoming an independent new region in 2010 due to the excellent flavor of its coffee beans, as designated by the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX).

This area features various types of terrain and landforms, with fertile black soil reaching depths of up to two meters, allowing plants to root deeper. Additionally, the average altitude is above 1800 meters, with significant temperature differences between day and night - all favorable conditions for growing high-quality coffee in Guji. Coffee cultivation hardly requires chemical fertilizers; fallen leaves, decaying matter around trees, plant roots, and soil organic matter provide sufficient nutrients for robust coffee tree growth.

Currently, we can still see both Sidamo and Guji regions appearing simultaneously. This is mainly due to Ethiopia's administrative divisions, which are categorized into four levels, ordered from large to small: Region, Zone, Woreda, Kebele. Most green coffee bean names follow this naming convention. For example, Coffee Flower is located southeast of Yirgacheffe in Sidamo region, administratively belonging to Oromia Region → Guji Zone → Shakisso Woreda → Hambella Kebele.

Coffee Flower was entered into the TOH (Ethiopia National Taste of Harvest competition) by DW company in 2017, where it won the championship and subsequently entered the market. Coffee Flower is called Hambella in English, which is the Hambella region name. Coffee Flower comes from sun-dried coffee beans at the Buku Abel processing plant in Guji. The Buku Abel processing plant purchases coffee cherries from different areas near farms for processing and sale.

During each coffee harvest season (December-January), Buku processing plant organizes farmers to pick fully red coffee cherries with sugar content above 30 degrees, placing selected coffee fruits on African drying racks for sun-drying. Due to the significant day-night temperature difference, farmers use sunshades at noon to avoid excessive fermentation from high temperatures, and wrap with plastic at night to prevent sudden rain showers. Continuous turning throughout the day ensures even drying while preventing fruit scorching or unpleasant fermentation flavors. After approximately 18 days of sun-drying, when the moisture content of green coffee beans reaches only 13%, machines can remove the outer shells.

FrontStreet Coffee aims to present Coffee Flower's full fruit flavors, thus adopting medium-light roasting. Through cupping, the sun-dried Sidamo Coffee Flower coffee exhibits dry aromas of nuts, honey, berries, and subtle fermentation notes. The entry reveals full sweet and sour flavors of passion fruit, cream, and strawberries, with a rich body and cocoa aftertaste.

How to Brew Cold Brew with Sidamo Coffee Flower?

Compared to other freshly ground coffee preparations, cold brew only requires grinding coffee beans, adding water for soaking the night before, sealing, and refrigerating. The next day, simply remove the filter core and you can take the coffee to work in a cup - making it one of the most time-saving home coffee methods, and also one we can easily replicate at home to match store-quality coffee. Secondly, when using our favorite coffee beans, the low-temperature fermentation of cold brewing brings unique delicious flavors. Below, FrontStreet Coffee will use today's protagonist, Coffee Flower, as the extraction object to demonstrate the operation for everyone.

Coffee Beans: Sidamo · Coffee Flower 8.0

Amount: 50 grams

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:12 (600ml room temperature water)

Grind size: Fine sugar (80% passes through #20 sieve)

Steeping time: 8-12 hours

The method is simple: first pour the ground coffee powder into the built-in filter of the cold brew pot and add room temperature purified water. Next, tighten the lid and place in the refrigerator for 8 hours. (Note: Refrigerate! Don't freeze!) After steeping, remove the coffee and filter it using a dripper and filter paper to remove residue, making it taste cleaner. For cold brew served at the store, FrontStreet Coffee refrigerates it sealed for 3-4 hours after filtering before serving, as this intensifies the coffee's fermentation flavors.

Brewed Coffee Flower cold brew has rich dark berry and black tea aromas when consumed directly, with a refreshing yet substantial mouthfeel. At this point, FrontStreet Coffee adds 1-2 ice cubes to slightly dilute the concentration while bringing icy coolness, making the coffee taste more like a refreshing fruit tea. Generally, for flavor experience and health safety considerations, for extraction methods performed at low temperatures such as ice drip, cold brew, cold soaking, etc., FrontStreet Coffee recommends everyone to consume within 5 days (counting from the production date).

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473