How Does Processing Change the Sidamo Coffee Green Bean?

In Sidamo, natural processing dries whole cherries on African raised beds and produces the winey, strawberry-forward profile associated with Hualkui, while washed processing removes the fruit first and yields brighter citrus acidity with a cleaner cup. The coffee green bean going into each route is the same heirloom material; the method decides the final flavor.

Hualkui cherries are picked fully red and dried only after sugar content passes 21, turned every 24 hours and fermented at low temperature for up to 21 days, against about ten days for ordinary naturals. The lot took first place in the natural group at the 2017 Ethiopian International Coffee Cupping. Cupping notes include strawberry, red wine, peach, cherry, and rose.

The Sidamo region is known for its bright citrus acidity and full body, and as a star among natural-process beans, Hualkui has repeatedly earned high cupping scores with its intense strawberry wine aroma. So what exactly are the differences between natural and washed processing? What about Sidamo's history and grading system? This article will start from the region's story, green bean grading, and a comparison of processing methods, then provide a detailed analysis of Hualkui 8.0's flavor performance, and share Front Street Coffee's complete process and parameters for making an SOE Flat White, taking you through the unique charm of this Ethiopian heirloom variety.

To get more specialty coffee knowledge, welcome to follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee)

Hualkui coffee belongs to the Ethiopian heirloom varieties and stands out with its highly impactful aroma and sweetness, with a flavor profile that is very easy to recognize. It once took first place in the natural group at the 2017 Ethiopian International Coffee Cupping, and that lot of green beans was therefore crowned with the name "Hualkui" as the champion. During the harvest and processing season from December to January each year, the region's unique terroir and climate conditions together shape Hualkui's distinctive flavor.

This Sidamo Hualkui selects only fully red cherries at the sorting stage, meaning fully ripe coffee cherries, all hand-picked and dried on African raised beds. Natural processing begins only after the sugar content accumulates to above 21, during which the cherries are turned at fixed intervals every 24 hours to ensure even sun exposure and ventilation, plus a low-temperature fermentation lasting up to 21 days (ordinary natural coffees usually take only about ten days), allowing the degree of fermentation to be controlled more precisely, which is why its sweetness is especially prominent. After cupping and pour-over testing, the wet aroma shows obvious winey and floral notes, and after brewing it is like a cup of strawberry fruit tea.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) confirmed through comparative cupping that the flavor performance of Hualkui coffee beans is: strawberry, red wine, peach, cherry, berry-like sweet acidity, rose aroma, good sweet aftertaste, and red wine fermentation flavor accompanied by tropical fruit sweetness.

The Story of the Sidamo Origin

The pronunciation of Sidamo comes from the indigenous Sidama people. Like other ethnic groups in Ethiopia, the Sidama have their own traditions and culture, and even a New Year recognized by UNESCO—Fiche Chambalala, when more than 5 million people gather in the capital Hawassa each year to celebrate together.

Historically, Sidamo was the name of an old province before Ethiopia's administrative redrawing in 1995. The Sidama people settled in southern Ethiopia as early as the ninth century AD and have their own culture, religion, and language. At the end of the nineteenth century, Emperor Menelik II of the Ethiopian Empire invaded, and after defeat the Sidama were incorporated into the Ethiopian Empire. The name Sidamo was precisely the new name given to the Sidama people by the imperial rulers, so it carries a somewhat derogatory connotation.

After 1995, Ethiopia implemented a federal system of administration, and at the same time, in order to respect the cultures of the various ethnic groups within its borders, the local government reorganized regions according to major ethnic settlement areas and languages. The Sidama were placed under the administration of the new Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, and the area was accordingly restored to its historical original name: Sidama.

But it should be noted that before the administrative redrawing, Sidamo Coffee was already world-famous for its distinctive aroma, so people are more accustomed to calling it Sidamo than "Sidama." In addition, when the Ethiopian government protected Sidama coffee through trademark registration, it also chose the old name Sidamo® as the registered trademark. To this day, domestic consumers have always been used to calling the coffee from here "Sidamo."

On the origin map drawn by the well-known specialty coffee green bean trader Trabocca, the so-called Sidamo coffee area does not entirely belong to today's Sidama State, but rather to Oromiya Region and SNNPR Region. In other words, what everyone calls Sidamo coffee actually refers to a coffee with a "Sidamo flavor." In traditional terms, Sidamo coffee has bright citrus acidity and a smooth mouthfeel, with a fuller body than Yirgacheffe.

Similar to other Ethiopian regions, Sidamo coffee is also mainly grown by smallholders. Coffee produced by smallholders is very limited in volume, and there are coffee cooperatives and processing plants of various sizes in the area, mainly responsible for processing the green coffee beans of the region. Whenever the coffee cherries ripen, nearby farmers send the harvested cherries to processing plants (cooperatives) established near water sources for unified processing, and finally sell them under the name of the processing plant. Nowadays, with the development of specialty coffee, many producers also purchase directly from farmers, strengthening the management and traceability of coffee micro-lots, thereby further improving coffee quality and obtaining more finely processed micro-lots.

Sidamo coffee is cultivated at altitudes between 1400m and 2000m. The local industry is mainly agricultural, and the main coffee-growing areas are located around the Great Rift Valley. Sidamo has developed quite rapidly in recent years and is an important coffee export distribution center. Sidamo's coffee flavors are very diverse; different soil types, microclimates, and countless heirloom coffee varieties have created obvious differences and distinctive characteristics in the coffee produced by each town. Coffee beans in the Sidamo region usually use the natural processing method, which enhances the layering of the coffee's flavor, gives it richer fruity notes, and makes it smoother than ordinary beans.

In China, whenever Sidamo coffee is mentioned, most people first think of the recently famous Hambela Hualkui, a strawberry-scented coffee bean using the natural processing method, suitable for many mainstream extraction methods such as pour-over, cold brew, ice drip, and SOE. The resulting coffee has a clear mouthfeel and pleasant sweet acidity.

Sidamo Green Bean Grading (graded according to the number of defects per 300g of green beans)

Before the emergence of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX), Ethiopia's coffee export grades were set by the CLU department (Cupping and Liquoring Unit) under the Ministry of Agriculture, mainly grading green coffee beans by the number of defective beans contained in 300g, with the grading standards shown in the table below. Generally, washed coffees were G1-G2. Due to technical issues with natural processing at the time, naturally processed green beans had a relatively high number of defects, generally G3-G5. With improvements in natural processing technology, naturally processed beans can now also reach G1-G2 grades. Among these, specialty and commercial are for the export international market. ECX divides green coffee beans into nine grades according to the total score of physical attribute characteristics and cupping flavor characteristics, among which physical characteristics account for 40% and cupping quality score accounts for 60%.

Physical characteristics (40%): Washed processing: number of defects (20%), appearance size (10%), color (5%), odor (5%) Unwashed processing: number of defects (30%), odor (10%)

Then G1-G3 are cupped again according to SCAA standards to assess their flavor attributes in greater detail. Among them, G1 and G2 scoring no less than 85 are rated as Q1; G1, G2, and G3 scoring between 80 and 85 are rated as Q2; and all G1, G2, and G3 scoring below 80 are rated as G3; Q1 and Q2 are classified as specialty grade for export. G4-G9 remain unchanged in their original grading and, together with G3, are classified as commercial grade for export.

Sidamo Coffee Processing Methods

Washed Method Washed coffee consists of the following steps: bean selection, removal of pulp, fermentation, washing, drying, hulling, sorting, and grading. Ripe coffee cherries are selected through soaking and screening. After mechanical pulping, they are either left to ferment statically in fermentation tanks, using bacteria's ability to decompose mucilage to remove pectin, or a stronger machine is used to scrub all the mucilage off the surface of the green coffee beans. After washing, the coffee beans are sun-dried or dried with a dryer to reduce the moisture content to about 12%. Washed coffee has a clear flavor, relatively obvious acidity, good cleanliness, medium mouthfeel, and the most consistent green bean quality.

Natural Method The natural processing method is the oldest processing method for coffee beans. It is also called the "dry method." This processing method places coffee beans directly under the sun to dry, with the drying period lasting as long as 27-30 days. In the process of sun-drying coffee, it is worth noting that excessive sun exposure can cause the coffee beans to crack, leading to the appearance of defective beans. Although the operation process is relatively simple, naturally processed coffee beans do not look attractive, so they are not favored. Unlike the clean profile of washed coffee, the fruit flavors of naturally processed coffee beans are more complex, and the overall taste is also more prominent. The biggest difference between the two is that natural processing lacks the two steps of using a large water tank to remove floating beans and a pulping machine to remove unripe cherries, so the proportion of defective beans in natural processing is higher.

Next, let's take a look at the pour-over flavor of Sidamo Hualkui 8.0 coffee beans!

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee): Ethiopia · Sidamo Hualkui 8.0 coffee beans Region: Guji; Sidamo

Processing plant: Buku Abel Altitude: 2250-2350m Variety: Heirloom Processing: Natural Brewing flavor: jasmine aroma, fermented wine aroma, cream strawberry, jackfruit

Besides pour-over, what other coffee can Sidamo Hualkui 8.0 coffee beans make?

For the fruit-forward Hualkui 8.0 coffee beans, Front Street believes that all current mainstream extraction methods are suitable, such as pour-over, cold brew, ice drip, mocha, and the very popular SOE Flat White of recent years. In order to express the unique aroma of Hualkui 8.0, Front Street focuses on a small cup size, thin milk foam, and a ristretto espresso base when making Flat White to present the unique mouthfeel of SOE.

For the coffee base, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) chooses a double ristretto. A 20g dose of coffee grounds extracts 30g of coffee liquid, with an extraction time of 22-26 seconds. The extracted coffee liquid is poured into a pre-prepared cup, and 150ml of milk is poured into a milk pitcher to steam.

The milk should be steamed with less air introduction than when making a latte, so that the foam layer is thinner and denser. The temperature is best controlled at 50-60°C, making it easier to drink.

Finally, the steamed milk is evenly integrated with the coffee. Latte art is optional. Because the thin milk foam does not bring the liquid surface level with the coffee cup, its appearance looks relatively flat, hence the name "Flat White."

After tasting this cup of Sidamo Hualkui SOE Flat White, Front Street perceived the upper layer of coffee crema as having rich buttery cookie, plum, and almond flavors, accompanied by the aroma of red berries and the rich mouthfeel of chocolate biscuits.

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