Sidamo, Ethiopia

Sidamo (now officially the Sidama region, which gained statehood within Ethiopia in 2020) is one of the country's largest and most important coffee origins, spanning highlands from about 1,550 to 2,200 metres around towns like Bensa, Bona Zuria, and Chire. As with most Ethiopian coffee, production comes overwhelmingly from smallholders cultivating thousands of local heirloom selections rather than named varieties. Washed Sidamo coffees are clean and citric with floral top notes, while naturals — increasingly the region's calling card through micro-lots from Bensa stations — deliver intense blueberry, strawberry, and tropical fruit. Its sheer genetic diversity and range of microclimates make Sidamo a perennial source of competition-winning lots.

At a glance

• Altitude: 1550–2200 masl
• Typical varieties: Heirloom
• Common processes: Washed, Natural
• Harvest: 10, 11, 12, 1

Climate

Highland tropical climate with reliable rains and large diurnal temperature swings.

Soil & terroir

Fertile volcanic loams over the Sidama plateau.