What is coffee sugar and where does Flor's sweetness come from?

Coffee sugar is the perceived sweetness in the cup, and Front Street Coffee's Sidamo Flor shows it clearly through creamy strawberry, mango, jackfruit, citrus, and blueberry notes. The finish is tea-like rather than sugary, with a faint floral trace. Natural processing at the Buku Abel station, where only fully red cherries with a sugar content of 30 or above are used, builds most of that layered fruit character.

Cherries dry roughly 18 days on African raised beds. Farmers shade the beds at midday against heat and cover them at night against rain, turning the fruit steadily for even drying. Flor also carries the mild fermented note typical of Sidamo natural beans, and this berry-rich profile helped it take first place in the TOH green bean competition, a result that still shapes its reputation among buyers.

If you favor coffee with a hint of Earl Grey tea, Front Street Coffee's Sidamo Flor may win you over at first sip. This bean is renowned for its prominent tropical fruit profile, with aromas of creamy strawberry, mango, jackfruit, citrus, and blueberry interwoven, while the finish reveals a sweet, tea-like aftertaste. The reason Flor can present such layers is closely tied to its natural processing—the Buku Abel processing station harvests fully red cherries from December to January each year, requiring a sugar content of 30 or above, and after about 18 days of slow drying on African raised beds, it achieves a rich berry aroma. This article will take you through the flavor characteristics, processing techniques, and brewing parameters to fully understand the unique charm of Front Street Flor.

If you are fond of that Earl Grey tea-like note in coffee, Front Street Coffee's Sidamo Flor is worth trying—it will quickly immerse you in a world of floral and fruity tea flavors, leaving you delighted and wanting more.

The floral aroma of Front Street Flor is not of the intense, bold type; what truly stands out is its fruit profile—aromas of creamy strawberry, mango, jackfruit, citrus, and blueberry interwoven, making it particularly appealing to the nose; after drinking, the tea-like sweetness and refreshing aftertaste gradually emerge, leaving only a faint, elusive floral note. This bean also carries the slight fermented aroma characteristic of Sidamo natural beans, with distinct layers of tropical fruit flavors that often leave a deep impression. The reason "Flor" won first place in the TOH green bean competition back then was precisely this rich berry aroma.

The captivating flavor presentation of Front Street Flor owes much to its natural processing.

During the annual harvest season for Flor coffee (December to January), the Buku Abel processing station arranges for farmers to pick only fully ripe red coffee cherries, with a sugar content value of at least 30. The selected fruits are spread out on African raised beds to dry. The local temperature difference between day and night is extreme, so coffee farmers shade the sun at noon to prevent excessive fermentation from high temperatures; after nightfall, they cover with plastic sheets to guard against sudden rain showers. Constant turning throughout the day not only ensures even drying of the fruit but also prevents sunburn or unpleasant fermentation odors. After about 18 days of natural processing, the green coffee beans' moisture content drops to around 13%, and they can be hulled by machine.

To fully experience the rich aroma of Flor, Front Street Coffee recommends using freshly roasted beans for brewing, as this preserves more aromatic compounds. The Front Street Flor coffee beans we sell are all roasted within 5 days, and with shipping time, they arrive at the customer's hands just at their optimal flavor period, ready to brew upon opening the bag.

To bring out the aroma of high-altitude coffee beans, Front Street uses a relatively high water temperature to allow aromatic compounds to release more fully, while also being careful to avoid over-extraction. The recommended brewing parameters are as follows:

Dripper: V60

Water temperature: 92–93°C

Grind size: fine granulated sugar (80% passing through a No. 20 standard sieve)

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Coffee dose: 15 grams

Three-pour method: First, wet the coffee bed with twice the amount of water as the coffee grounds, and after it forms a dome, let it bloom for 30 seconds; then, pour in a slow circular motion from the center outward until reaching 125 grams, then pause; wait for the coffee bed to drop to half the height of the dripper, then pour the third stage with the same slow stream until reaching 225 grams, and once all the coffee liquid has dripped through, remove the dripper. Total time is about 2 minutes.

After grinding the natural Front Street Flor, the rich tropical fruit aroma rushes forth, accompanied by a honey-like sweetness. On the palate, there's a full-bodied berry sweetness, complex aromas like passion fruit emerge, a clear black tea-like mouthfeel is discernible, and the aftertaste is long and memorable.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.