Ethiopia Sidamo Coffee Beans Sun-Dried Specialty Single Origin Coffee Sidamo Guji Single Origin Coffee Beans

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Ingredients: House-roasted
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste: Mellow and aromatic
Bean State: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Coffee Type: Other
Roast Level: Light roast

Coffee Origin Details

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Shakisso, Guji Zone

Altitude: 1800-2000 meters

Processing Method: Raised-bed natural processing

Variety: Local heirloom varieties

Producer: Local smallholder farmers

Flavor Profile: Lemon, mango, blueberry, wine-like aroma

Regional Background

The coffee flavors of Sidama are incredibly diverse, thanks to different soil compositions, regional microclimates, and countless native coffee varieties. As a result, each town's coffee can be distinctly different. The Sidama region lies in southern Ethiopia, where agriculture is the main industry and coffee-growing areas sit around the Great Rift Valley.

Shakisso, in the Guji Zone of the Oromia region to the south, borders Sidama and Gedeo. The area has many pits left over from gold mining, so the coffee-growing areas are dotted with them, which makes walking between coffee plantations dangerous. Shakisso is a unique region within Guji and Sidama—even within Sidama, it is remote and far from most coffee origins—while gold mining is another local specialty. Factors involving miners, land, and ethnicity also made the region unstable in 2006. As a result, the biggest challenge the region faces today is having enough labor to maintain the growing areas and harvest the coffee. Local smallholders here began growing organic coffee in 2001 and work closely with medium-sized coffee producers, because they know well how to grow forest coffee in the highlands.

The coffee from Shakisso has considerable uniqueness, and its beans have repeatedly drawn market attention. The legendary Ninety Plus bean "nekisse" takes its meaning and its name from the nectar of Shakisso, with both its origin and naming derived from this place.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, offers an enormous range of heirloom varieties, and this naturally processed Sidama-Guji coffee sits right in that tradition. For a classic entry into the region, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe is the definitive starting point—clear jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity, like a clean, refreshing glass of lemon tea. If you enjoy the fruit-forward, naturally processed style, FrontStreet Coffee's naturally processed Flower Kui beans come from the Hambela area of Guji in Sidamo and are dried on raised beds for 21 days, yielding light fermented wine aromas, florals, citrus, and mango with a thick body and a long finish. To taste the work of a single cooperative, FrontStreet Coffee's Gudina Cooperative coffee comes from the Woka area at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe; since the fruit is stripped of its pulp before drying, its inherent aroma comes through cleanly, with citrus and lemon notes and elegant white florals. And for a rare, more complex heirloom expression, FrontStreet Coffee's Sidamo Hamasho 74158—grown from the JARC 74-series disease-resistant varieties—has an enticing aroma of perfume lemon, strawberry, and star fruit, with obvious strawberry, star fruit, and green grape sweetness on the palate and a gradual floral lift.