Introduction to Pour-Over Flavor Profile of Sun-Dried Sidamo Coffee - Characteristics of Ethiopian Sidamo Coffee Origin Varieties

Sidamo: Ethiopia's Premier Coffee Region

Sidamo is an important coffee-producing region in Ethiopia. Administratively, this region was formerly part of the Oromia Regional State, but due to its significant status as a coffee-producing area, it became an independent first-level administrative unit through a referendum in 2018.

The Sidamo region is located in southern Ethiopia, extending eastward to the Arsi and Bale administrative districts and westward into the Gamogofa administrative area. Sidamo coffee is cultivated at altitudes between 1,400-2,000 meters. Agriculture dominates the local industry, with the 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.

Diverse Flavor Profiles and Rich Terroir

Sidamo's coffee flavors are exceptionally diverse. Different soil types, microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties contribute to this diversity. Within the region, towering mountains, highlands, plateaus, valleys, and plains create varied topography. The local geology consists of nutrient-rich, well-drained volcanic soil with depths reaching nearly two meters, with surface soil displaying dark brown or brown colors.

The region's greatest advantage lies in maintaining soil fertility through organic material cycling, using fallen leaves from surrounding trees and plant residues as natural fertilizers. This creates distinct differences and characteristics in coffee produced by various towns. From 2010 to 2012, Sidamo consistently achieved high scores of 92-94 points from CR (Coffee Review), America's authoritative coffee evaluation website. This demonstrates the exceptional quality of green beans from this region.

Many famous sub-regions have emerged within Sidamo, including the now-independent Yirgacheffe region, as well as the increasingly renowned Guji and Hambella regions in recent years.

The Legend of "Huang Kui" Coffee

Among FrontStreet Coffee's bean selection, the most popular Huang Kui coffee beans come from the Hambella region of Sidamo.

In 2017, a Hambella coffee bean that won the TOH (Taste of Harvest) sun-dried category championship was introduced to China by a Beijing green bean supplier. In the same year, Li Jianfei, the runner-up of the World Brewers Cup China region, used this coffee bean to defeat numerous competitors' Geisha coffee beans. During an era when Geisha coffee beans dominated major competitions, a sun-dried coffee bean from Ethiopia managed to outperform so many Geisha beans. People naturally began to view this unassuming coffee bean with newfound respect. Consequently, the green bean supplier strategically named this bean "Huang Kui," meaning "the leader of geishas" (In Taiwan, Geisha is also translated as "Yiji," meaning geisha).

After winning the championship in 2017, DW company further increased the number of processing stations in the core Hambella region's Dimtu area, including "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 stations, only those from the "Buku Abel" processing station's coverage area include the original small production area that yielded the sun-dried coffee bean "Huang Kui."

Coffee Varieties and Processing

Huang Kui coffee beans use Ethiopian native varieties, which doesn't refer to a specific single variety. As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia has an incredibly diverse range of coffee varieties. It serves as a natural gene bank for Arabica coffee. On one hand, the vast number of varieties makes identification and classification challenging. On the other hand, the Ethiopian government,出于 protection considerations, is unwilling to disclose information about these varieties, so they are collectively referred to as Ethiopian native varieties. Due to this variety complexity, mixed planting and mixed harvesting are practiced, resulting in Ethiopian native variety beans having inconsistent sizes.

Pour-Over Brewing Guide

Brewing Parameters

FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-light roast to highlight the floral and fruity acidity of Huang Kui coffee beans.

Dripper: V60 #01
Water Temperature: 90-91°C
Dose: 15g
Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Medium-fine (Chinese standard #20 sieve, 80% pass rate)

Brewing Technique

Method: Three-stage extraction. Use 30g of water for bloom for 30 seconds. With a small water flow, pour in circles to 125g for the first stage. 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 filter cone. (Timing starts from bloom) Total extraction time: 2'00".

Flavor Profile

Flavor: Berries, mango, black tea, with a full and smooth mouthfeel.

Connect With Us

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat account: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

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