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Flavor Characteristics of Ethiopia Sidamo Lion King Coffee: Variety, Region, Taste, Grind Setting, and Processing Method

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Sidamo Lion King Flavor Characteristics: 1. After harvesting, beans are not specifically sorted or processed, with uneven appearance and maturity mixed together in a relatively crude process, resulting in unstable coffee bean quality with a tendency to have defective beans. 2. Coffee farmers typically find open spaces near their homes for processing, so the ground is often

Ethiopian Sidamo Lion King

[FrontStreet Coffee · Sidamo Lion King]

Origin: Sidamo, Guji Zone, Ethiopia

Altitude: 1800-2000 meters

Processing: Natural Process

Harvest Time: 2017

Variety: Local Indigenous Varieties

01丨Region Introduction

Sidamo Region

Sidamo coffee flavors are extremely diverse. Different soil types, microclimates, and countless indigenous coffee varieties create a varied landscape of towering mountains, highlands, plateaus, valleys, and plains throughout the region. The geology consists of nutrient-rich, well-drained volcanic soil with depths reaching nearly two meters, with surface soil appearing dark brown or brown.

Sidamo grows at elevations between 4,600-7,200 feet on the southern Ethiopian plateau (Sidamo province). It is a renowned specialty coffee region in southern Ethiopia, bordering Kenya to the southeast and directly south of the capital. It typically exhibits distinct sweetness and is preferred by many people. The annual production is approximately 225,000 bags of 60kg each. Sidamo's coffee flavors are extremely diverse, with different soil types, microclimates, and countless indigenous coffee varieties. The region features towering mountains, highlands, plateaus, valleys, and plains, creating diverse topography. The local geology consists of nutrient-rich, well-drained volcanic soil with depths reaching nearly two meters, with surface soil appearing dark brown or brown. The region's greatest advantage lies in maintaining soil fertility through organic material recycling, using fallen leaves from surrounding trees or plant residues as fertilizer. This creates distinct differences and characteristics in the coffee produced by various towns.

From 2010-2012, it consistently received high scores of 92-94 from CR (Coffee Review), a prestigious American coffee evaluation website. This demonstrates the exceptional quality of green beans from this region.

Guji Zone Introduction

The Guji Zone is located southeast of the renowned Yirgacheffe region.

Administratively, it belongs to the Oromia Region Guji Zone and represents regional green coffee beans. Similar to how Yirgacheffe became widely known after gaining fame, Guji Zone became an independent sub-region within the broader Sidamo area. This batch of FrontStreet Coffee's Sidamo coffee is produced by small coffee farmers from the Shilcho Cooperative near Dara Woreda town in Sidamo province. This cooperative was established in 1976 and is currently a member of the Sidama Coffee Farmer Cooperative Union (SCFCU). SCFCU is a major coffee cooperative union in Ethiopia, currently comprising approximately 46 member cooperatives, making it the second-largest coffee cooperative in Ethiopia.

02丨Processing Method

The natural process is the oldest and most traditional method of processing coffee beans. Compared to the washed process, coffee processed using this drying method is also known as "natural coffee" or "sun-dried coffee." The harvested coffee cherries are directly exposed to sunlight for about two to four weeks. This method is typically used in countries with distinct dry and wet seasons.

1. First, harvest ripe coffee cherries

2. Initially sort out impurities and defective beans

3. Screen floating beans: Pour coffee cherries into water tanks; mature, full cherries will sink to the bottom, while immature or damaged cherries will float to the surface.

4. Natural drying: Remove the mature coffee cherries that sank to the bottom and spread them in the drying area for sun-drying, reducing moisture content from 70% to about 10-12%. They need to be turned several times daily for even drying, and covered at night to prevent moisture absorption.

5. Remove outer shell: After about two to four weeks of sun exposure, the outer layer of the coffee seeds becomes dry and hard. At this point, a hulling machine is used to remove the outer shell, completing the process.

03丨Green Bean Analysis

[FrontStreet Coffee Sidamo Lion King - Natural Process]

Ethiopia has nearly 2,000 recorded coffee varieties. Ethiopia's coffee varieties are like a "grand garden" with everything imaginable - long, short, thin, and fat beans, making identification difficult, hence they are called local indigenous varieties. The beans are medium-sized but also include dwarf small-grain varieties. Disease resistance is relatively weak; they are tall, robust, with moderate tree form.

04丨Roasting Analysis

These green coffee beans are relatively small, greenish-yellow with poor uniformity and moderate moisture content. The roasting target is light to medium roast, aiming to preserve bright acidity while showcasing multi-layered tropical fruit flavors and aromas.

In the first batch of roasting, the drop temperature was relatively high, with an entry temperature of 200°C and relatively high heat. During the roasting process, it was discovered that these beans have extremely high altitude and are very hard. To avoid uneven roasting caused by inconsistent green bean sizes, a roasting approach of extended dehydration with gradual heat reduction and steady temperature rise was adopted. The heat was adjusted when the beans entered the yellowing point, completed dehydration, and showed first crack signs, avoiding surface scorching. The beans were dropped between dense first crack and the end of first crack, shortening the caramelization reaction time to preserve flavor clarity and floral-fruity aromas.

Yangjia 600g semi-direct flame roaster

Heat the roaster to 200°C, set the damper to 3. After 30 seconds, adjust heat to 160°C, keeping damper unchanged. Return to temperature at 1'35''. Maintain heat. At 4'50'', bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering dehydration stage. Reduce heat to 120°C, adjust damper to 4.

This FrontStreet Coffee Sidamo Lion King Natural exhibits floral aromas with prominent fruit flavors; it's smooth, balanced, with lively and diverse layered complexity.