How does 90+ sun-dried Sidamo coffee perform in a pour-over?

90+ Is an American green bean company as well as a cupping score above 90 points. Its Profile Processing system covers selection, breeding, and processing, producing lots such as Eleta with longan and spice notes and Juliette with grape and champagne tones. Frontstreet Coffee shares pour-over recommendations for 90+ sun-dried Sidama beans so drinkers can brew a consistent cup at home.

Because 90+ controls the process from bean to finished lot, the cup shows flavors that are hard to replicate elsewhere. For brewing, use a medium-fine grind, water just off the boil, and a steady pour to draw out the fruit and spice notes. Keep the recipe simple and adjust one variable at a time when comparing a sun-dried Sidama lot against other coffees labeled frontstreet coffee.

90+ is an exciting name in the coffee world—it represents both exceptional quality scoring above 90 in cupping and the name of an American green bean company. With its original Profile Processing system, this company controls everything from selection and breeding to processing, launching a range of stunning coffees like Eleta with its longan and spice notes and Juliette with grape and champagne tones. This article takes you deep into the origins and estate stories of 90+, and shares Front Street Coffee's pour-over recommendations for 90+ sun-dried Sidama coffee beans, helping you brew a great cup at home.

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat official account: FrontStreet Coffee

When people mention "90+", many first think of a score, but in the coffee world, just bringing up 90+ instantly sparks lively discussion. The focus is often: what new beans has 90+ released? What innovative processing methods have they used this time? Today, Front Street is here to talk about what makes this 90+ so special.

What is 90+?

90+ (Ninety Plus) is the name of an American green bean company. In coffee cupping, 90+ means scoring over 90 points, a high score typically only achieved by beans of exceptional quality. Thus, many interpret the company's name as meaning they only produce coffee beans scoring above 90.

Of course, this interpretation isn't unfounded—90+ company's beans are indeed outstanding. For example, the Eleta currently sold by Front Street features longan and spice flavors, while Juliette presents grape and champagne notes, both from 90+. When tasted alongside other coffees, people can easily identify them as part of the 90+ series because their uniqueness can't be replicated elsewhere. This uniqueness is entirely due to the production system 90+ established: Profile Processing.

90+ Profile Processing

As mentioned, 90+ is a green bean company, i.e., a green bean merchant. What sets it apart from others is the Profile Processing system, established by founder Joseph Brodsky at the company's inception.

Typically, green bean merchants first cup coffees to taste them, then select high-quality beans to purchase—essentially buying and reselling beans produced by others. But 90+ is unique in that they're not satisfied with just procurement; they want to be involved from bean selection and breeding to processing, meaning they produce their own high-quality green beans. So, after the company was founded in 2006, this plan began.

At first, 90+ was small and lacked the funds to engage in all aspects of green bean production, so they started with coffee processing, since they had the technology to control flavor expression. Specifically, they bought freshly picked coffee cherries from nearby farmers, brought them back to their processing plant for meticulous post-processing. It was in this context that Aricha and Beloya were born.

These two beans had incredibly rich fruit flavors and caused a huge sensation upon release, giving 90+ a massive reputation right from their first venture. The income from this fame was naturally substantial—now they had the money to get involved in other aspects of green bean production. So, 90+ began selecting promising farmers and gradually entered every stage of green bean production. Ultimately, 90+ could give farmers and processing plants varying degrees of advice based on the flavors they wanted, helping them better assist in gradually refining the beans to the originally intended flavor profile.

But 90+ wasn't satisfied with just that. For the beans produced, they would select again until they found the batch that best matched their vision before selling it. It's fair to say that the reason 90+ company's bean quality remains at the top level relies not on luck or opportunism, but on the results of their dedicated maintenance—a core value they've always upheld.

90+'s Estates

By 2009, after great success in Ethiopia, 90+ returned to Panama with years of accumulated technology and experience, establishing "Ninety Plus Geisha Estate." Because during their time in Ethiopia they hadn't found a bean variety comparable to Geisha, they decided to use Geisha directly, applying years of expertise to it, letting Geisha surpass Geisha. Five years later, in 2014, this estate finally produced coffee beans, and thus the 90+ series was born. The Eleta Geisha and Juliette Geisha mentioned earlier by Front Street both come from this 90+ series.

Introduction to 90+ Estate's Geisha Coffee Beans

On Front Street's bean list, there are two beautifully named 90+ Geisha coffees: Juliette and Eleta. The medium roast perfectly interprets their full, juicy body and intense floral aroma. Front Street dares to say these two coffees live up to the 90+ name in every way.

FrontStreet Coffee: Panama Ninety Plus 90+ Geisha · Eleta Coffee Beans

Country: Panama

Grade: SHG

Region: Volcán

Estate: Ninety plus

Variety: Geisha

Altitude: 1400-1800 meters

Processing: 90+ special processing

Flavor: Bergamot, sweet orange, pineapple, longan, dried fruit, apple

FrontStreet Coffee: Panama Ninety Plus 90+ Geisha · Juliette Coffee Beans

Country: Panama

Grade: SHG

Region: Volcán

Estate: Ninety plus

Variety: Geisha

Altitude: 1400-1800 meters

Processing: 90+ special processing

Flavor: Muscat grape, champagne, perfume lemon, full and round body, long and pleasant high sweetness with a lingering finish

Brewing Recommendations for 90+ Geisha Coffee

Coffee beans: 90+ Eleta Geisha, 90+ Juliette Geisha

Dripper: V60

Water temperature: 92℃

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:15

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

Since these two beans also belong to 90+ special processing, Front Street suspects after tasting that they are anaerobic sun-dried processed, so we recommend a finer grind to allow these faster-draining beans to achieve suitable extraction.

Fold the filter paper and fit it into the dripper, wet it with a small amount of water to make it adhere better, and discard the water from the server. Then add the coffee grounds and gently tap to distribute them evenly. For the first pour, gently add 30g of water for blooming, letting it bloom for 30 seconds. For the second pour, add water up to about 135g, circling outward evenly and steadily. Then wait for the coffee to drain; when it's halfway down, pour the final segment up to 225g. After all the coffee has dripped through, the total extraction time is generally about 2 minutes, and a cup of 90+ Geisha coffee is ready.

In 2019, after the Geisha Estate, 90+ acquired another plot to establish a new 90+ estate. This plot is located near Barú Volcano, so 90+ named it "Ninety Plus Barú Estates." With the nourishment of volcanic soil, we believe 90+ will produce even more delicious coffee beans! Front Street calculates: established in 2019, five years of cultivation—now we just need to wait a while longer to taste the new deliciousness from 90+ Barú Estates. Let's look forward to it!

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