What Is the Sidra Coffee Variety That WBC Champions Chose?

Sidra entered wider attention after selection by World Barista Championship winners. It originates from Pichincha Province in Ecuador, where it is called Sydra, and genetic research links it to Ethiopian native varieties. Cultivation today centers on Ecuador and Colombia, with Anthony Douglas of the 2022 WBC picking a Sidra lot from Finca El Diviso in Huila, Colombia.

Two championship appearances drive interest in this variety. The 2019 WBC champion Jooyeon Jeon also used Sidra, produced in Ecuador. Finca El Diviso sits at roughly 2,100 meters across 14 hectares in Huila, a well-known Colombian region. Front Street Coffee brought in beans from the estate and offers brewing suggestions for home preparation.

The rare Sidra variety entered the public eye thanks to its selection by two World Barista Championship winners. It originally comes from Pichincha Province, Ecuador, and genetic research shows it is related to Ethiopian native varieties. It is currently grown mainly in Ecuador and Colombia. The anaerobic fermentation Sidra lot from Finca El Diviso in the Huila region of Colombia, selected by 2022 WBC champion Anthony Douglas, has further boosted the popularity of both the estate and the variety. This article will sort out Sidra's origins, plant characteristics, and flavor performance, and introduce the Sidra coffee beans from Finca El Diviso brought in by Front Street Coffee, along with brewing suggestions, providing a complete reference for coffee lovers.

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The title of 2022 World Barista Champion was won by Anthony Douglas, who chose Sidra coffee beans from Colombia in the competition. Coincidentally, the 2019 World Barista Champion Jooyeon Jeon also used Sidra coffee, except that those beans were produced in Ecuador. These two championship experiences have led more and more people to ask: what kind of variety is Sidra coffee?

After reviewing relevant information, Front Street Coffee learned that Sidra coffee originates from Pichincha Province, Ecuador, where it is called Sydra. Some materials indicate that Sidra is a laboratory-cultivated variety, developed by crossing Typica and Red Bourbon. Later, through genetic comparison, researchers found that Sidra has similarities with Ethiopian native varieties at the genetic level, so some scholars speculated that Sidra may be the product of a cross between an experimental research variety exported from Ethiopia and a local Bourbon coffee variety in Ecuador. At present, Sidra cultivation is mainly concentrated in Ecuador and Colombia.

Anthony Douglas's exposure in the competition led many coffee lovers to start searching for the beans used by the champion barista. The Sidra coffee beans Anthony selected came from Finca El Diviso in the Huila region of Colombia.

Where is Finca El Diviso located?

Finca El Diviso is located in Huila, one of Colombia's most prestigious coffee-producing regions, at an altitude of about 2,100 meters and covering 14 hectares. This is a family-run coffee estate founded by Jose Uribe Lasso in 1996 and has now accumulated more than 25 years of coffee-growing experience.

The estate is currently mainly managed by Nestor Lasso. He is young and full of drive. His grandfather brought him into the vast world of coffee, and his father inherited the farm and showed even more outstanding ability in coffee cultivation. Influenced by the family atmosphere, Nestor continues to pursue improvement in coffee cultivation and processing. The estate grows twelve bean varieties, including Caturra, Colombia, Sidra, Castillo, Geisha, and Bourbon.

Nestor's family manages the estate together, and coffee bean quality has steadily improved, bringing Nestor more substantial returns as well. They successfully opened a larger new farm for growing and producing higher-quality coffee beans, and continue working hard in the hope of building the estate into a great family estate.

For Nestor, Finca El Diviso is a fortunate new starting point. He believes the land in Huila is extremely fertile, and anyone willing to work hard can escape poverty by growing coffee in this nutrient-rich soil.

Sidra's "Highlight Moment"

Sidra's rapid rise to fame is largely due to the "endorsement" of two World Barista Champions. The signature coffee of 2019 World Barista Championship (WBC) champion Jooyeon Jeon from South Korea was Sidra coffee from La Palma y El Tucan in Colombia. Cole Torode, the third-place winner in the same competition, also chose a Sidra lot from that estate.

Anthony Douglas from Australia, the World Barista Champion just announced last year, took the crown with an anaerobic fermentation Sidra lot from Finca El Diviso in Colombia. With Anthony's victory, the popularity of Finca El Diviso and the Sidra variety in the specialty coffee circle has continued to rise.

What are the characteristics of Sidra coffee?

Although genetic testing shows that Sidra has a genetic connection with Ethiopian coffee varieties, it is currently grown mainly in Colombia and Ecuador, distributed at altitudes of 1,650 to 1,800 meters. In addition, some producing areas also plant a small amount of Sidra on a small scale for experimental purposes.

The Sidra plant has a relatively thick trunk and can grow up to 4 meters tall. It needs appropriate shade when planted. It is resistant to many pests but susceptible to leaf rust and coffee berry disease. The leaves are slender, and the flowers have five petals. The fruit set is dense, so yields are relatively high, and the fruit is larger and rounder than most Arabica varieties; the green beans are slender and elongated, somewhat similar to Geisha.

Because Sidra is still planted in relatively small quantities, and because it has floral and fruity characteristics comparable to Geisha, showing flavors such as peach, citrus, grape, and honey, with moderate acidity and a rounded mouthfeel, its price is also relatively high.

Front Street Coffee has also brought in Sidra coffee beans from Finca El Diviso. This bean uses a double anaerobic washed process, highlighting the coffee's rich acidity. Front Street Coffee uses a medium-light roast, and the flavor performance in cupping shows rich fruity notes such as apricot, citrus, and grape.

Front Street Coffee Brewing Suggestions

Dripper: Hario V60 Water temperature: 90°C Dose: 15 g Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 Grind size: EK43s setting 10 (80% passing through a Chinese standard No. 20 sieve)

Front Street Coffee brewing method: Use 30 g of water for a 30-second bloom, pour in a slow circular stream until 125 g for a staged pour, and when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225 g and stop. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Start timing at the beginning of the bloom.) Extraction time is 2'00".

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