Ethiopia Natural Sidamo Guji Premium Coffee Beans Flavor Profile and Aroma Characteristics

Shakisso Coffee: A Unique Ethiopian Treasure

Shakisso coffee has a character all its own, and its lots reliably draw attention on the market. The legendary Ninety Plus bean "Nekisse" literally means "Nectar from Shakisso" — both the coffee and its name trace back to this growing region.

Product Information

Brand: FrontStreet Coffee
Address: No. 10, Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Contact: 020-38364473
Ingredients: Roasted in-house
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Package Type: Bulk
Taste Profile: Rich and mellow
Bean State: Roasted whole beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Coffee Type: Other
Roast Level: Light roast

Coffee Origin Details

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Shakisso growing area, Guji Zone

Altitude: 1800-2000 meters

Processing Method: Raised bed natural processing

Variety: Local indigenous Heirloom

Producer: Local smallholder farmers

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

Sidamo's Coffee Diversity

Sidamo's flavors span an astonishing range. Different soils, regional microclimates, and countless indigenous heirloom varieties give each town's coffee its own signature. The Sidamo growing region lies in southern Ethiopia, where agriculture dominates the local economy and the coffee zones cluster around the Great Rift Valley.

The Shakisso Growing Region

Shakisso sits in Guji Zone in the Oromia region, bordering both Sidamo and Gedeo. The area is dotted with old mining pits dug for gold — which is why you'll find so many holes across the landscape, and why walking between coffee plots here demands a careful step.

Shakisso is a distinctive corner of Guji/Sidamo. Even by Sidamo standards it's remote, far from most coffee-producing areas, and gold mining is the region's other claim to fame. In 2006, miners, land disputes, and ethnic tensions combined to destabilize the region; the biggest challenge today remains simply finding the manpower to maintain the growing areas and bring in the harvest.

The local smallholders began cultivating organic coffee in 2001, working closely with mid-sized producers who know how to grow forest coffee at high altitude.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For another side of Guji's natural-processed character, try FrontStreet Coffee's Hualui (Hambella) from the Hambella district of Guji in Sidamo. On a 200-hectare farm using traditional natural processing, ripe cherries dry for 21 days on raised beds and are turned constantly for even drying, with farmers hand-sorting out moldy or defective beans every three to five days. A medium-light roast reveals a light fermented wine note, florals, citrus, and mango — honeyed sweetness with a cocoa undertone, a touch of spice, and a thick body with a long, persistent finish.

If you'd rather go brighter, FrontStreet Coffee's Hamashu comes from a Sidamo washing station that's a fixture on Ethiopian green-coffee award lists, built on the disease-resistant JARC 74158 variety with its small, dense beans. Expect perfume lemon, strawberry, and starfruit on the nose, a clear wave of strawberry, starfruit, and green grape sweetness, and soft florals unfolding on the finish — the ideal counterpart to Shakisso's deeper, wine-toned profile.