90+ Candle Light Sidamo Natural Specialty Coffee Beans Flavor, Taste, and Aroma Characteristics

The 90+ Level Up Series' Drima Zede has a flavor profile of nectarine and tropical fruit, with a clean, bright taste that is genuinely stunning from the very first sip.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Coffee Workshop | Address: FrontStreet Coffee, 10 Bao'an Qian Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou | Contact: 020-38364473 | Shelf Life: 90 days | Net Weight: 227g | Packaging: Bulk coffee beans | State: Roasted coffee beans | Sugar Content: Sugar-free | Origin: Ethiopia | Roast Level: Light roast

Coffee Details

Country: Ethiopia | Elevation: 1750–2000m | Region: Sidamo | Roast Level: Light roast | Processing Method: Natural | Variety: Local heirloom | Processing Station: Ninety Plus | Flavor Notes: Nectarine, tropical fruits, oak barrel aroma

The Ninety Plus Philosophy

Ninety Plus coffee beans take a completely different naming approach from conventional specialty beans. There are no region or estate names; instead, each coffee is named for its flavor profile. "Drima Zede," for instance, means "best approach" in the local dialect. Starting from a flavor concept, then naming, then selecting regions and partner farms, this shows that Ninety Plus is a brand with a boutique style of management.

Ethiopia's Coffee Heritage

In Ethiopia you can find every kind of coffee cultivation: vast wild coffee forests, semi-developed land, traditional small plots, and modern plantations. Roughly 50% of the coffee is grown above 1,500 meters. Drawing on these four production methods, Ethiopian coffee divides into nine major regions — five specialty zones (Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Harar, Limu, and Lekempti) and four commercial regions (Jimma, Illubabor, Tepi, and Bebeka). Each region uses either natural or washed processing, and the method shapes the flavor. Today, natural processing accounts for about 80% and washed for about 20%.

The Ninety Plus Standard

"Ninety Plus" does not mean every coffee scoring above 90 points. Good coffee varies from year to year, sometimes appearing in different estates with different flavor characteristics. "Ninety Plus" refers to a series of 13 top-tier coffee flavors. These coffees come exclusively from Ninety Plus Coffee, American specialists in specialty coffee. All are Ethiopian heirloom varieties, grown in ecological settings and processed to artistic standards with flavor optimization. Processing is Ninety Plus's specialty: they separate the coffees by variety, microclimate, and harvest timing, taste each one individually, and design specific processing methods for each flavor profile to reach a distinctive character. Like designs from a luxury house, they devote themselves heart and soul to a craft that approaches art. Natural products pass through countless refinements and improvements before reaching their most beautiful form for everyone to enjoy.

Exceptional Processing Excellence

The ancient natural processing method makes pure flavors difficult to achieve, but Drima Zede, with Ninety Plus's technical support, uses only hand-selected fully ripe cherries. The natural drying process involves meticulous, constant stirring to ensure uniformity. The result is an exceptionally transparent, clean taste that shifts dramatically between hot and cold, with fascinating fruit, floral, and oak-barrel aromas.

Brewing Experience

As another natural-processed Ethiopian coffee, Drima Zede — after strict supervision and selection — avoids the annoying earthy impurities and high defect rates common to natural beans, highlighting instead the captivating sweetness for which natural processing is known. Its enchanting fruit profile inherits the fascinating aromas of traditional Ethiopian natural processing, expressing unreservedly a round, full-bodied sweetness with a lingering aftertaste and just the right amount of mouth-watering fruit acidity. Drima Zede is also quite easy to brew day to day. The beans are rich in flavor, so whether you choose a clean pour-over or a richer siphon, both showcase their inherent character well.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this naturally processed Ethiopian coffee appeals to you, FrontStreet's sun-dried Red Cherry is a fine place to explore the style. Made from whole ripe red cherries and dried with the pulp still on, it carries the classic Ethiopian character plus the tropical fruit aroma of natural processing — a citrus-like acidity, a juicy berry quality, honeyed sweetness, and a creamy smoothness.

For a cleaner, more floral counterpoint, try FrontStreet's washed Yirgacheffe daily-drinker, known for white jasmine, a bright citrus-and-lemon acidity, and a tea-like body. It is the most approachable introduction to Ethiopia's washed side, and its gentle price makes it an easy everyday choice.