Sidamo Coffee: The Ethiopian Bean Behind Torero and Cinco Jalisco
Sidamo is a coffee-growing region in southern Ethiopia, and it’s one of the origins we lean on most heavily at Dreambeans. It shows up in two of our most decorated blends, Torero and Cinco Jalisco, prized for its bright citrus notes, floral aroma, and clean, lively acidity.
If you’ve ever tasted a spike of lemon or a lift of berry in your coffee and wondered where that comes from, there’s a good chance it’s the Sidamo doing the work.
Where Sidamo comes from
Sidamo sits in the southern highlands of Ethiopia, part of the country widely regarded as the birthplace of coffee itself. The beans grow at high altitude, and that slow, cool growth is a big part of what gives Sidamo its complexity, the cherries take longer to ripen, which lets them develop more sugars and a more layered flavour before they’re ever picked.
Almost all Sidamo coffee comes from smallholder farms, usually organised into cooperatives, using traditional growing methods that haven’t changed much in generations. It’s a slower, more painstaking way to grow coffee, but it’s exactly why the region produces some of the most sought-after coffee beans in the world.
| Region | Southern Ethiopia |
| Altitude | High-grown, slow-maturing cherries |
| Farming | Smallholder farms and cooperatives |
| Signature notes | Citrus, berry, floral, cane sugar sweetness |
| Acidity | Bright, lively |
| Body | Light to medium, smooth |
What Sidamo tastes like
Sidamo is known for a bright, almost tea-like clarity in the cup, floral on the nose, with citrus and berry notes up front and a clean, sweet finish. It’s the kind of coffee that wakes up a blend rather than weighing it down, adding lift and freshness rather than heaviness.
That’s exactly the role it plays for us.
Sidamo in Torero
Torero is our boldest, darkest roast, built around Ethiopian and Tanzanian beans, and it’s a serious coffee. It’s the only Irish coffee blend ever nominated for a Great Taste Golden Fork, and the judges described it as “fruity with cherries and a basketful of red fruits that fill the mouth in a glorious fashion.”
That fruit-forward character comes directly from the Ethiopian side of the blend. Sidamo’s berry and citrus brightness cuts through Torero’s dark roast and big caffeine hit, giving it balance instead of letting it tip into pure bitterness or ash. It’s why Torero holds together at strength, whether you’re drinking it black or with milk.
Sidamo in Cinco Jalisco
Cinco Jalisco takes its name from having five distinct origins, and Sidamo is one of them. In our blend, we describe its role simply: lovely bright, slow-growing Sidamo beans from Ethiopia add citrus and a little spike, right where the coffee’s strength starts to kick in.
Alongside a high-grown Pacamara from Mexico, a chocolatey Rwandan Yellow Bourbon, Brazilian Daterra, and a couple of other carefully chosen origins, Sidamo is the beans responsible for that acidic lift the Great Taste judges picked up on, describing the coffee as having “an acidic bright character upfront” with real complexity across the blend. Cinco Jalisco went on to win two Gold Stars at the 2025 Great Taste Awards, and Sidamo’s citrus spark is a big part of why it works.
Why we roast Sidamo the way we do
Like every bean we use, Sidamo is roasted separately before it goes into a blend, never all together at the same time and temperature. Every origin has its own sweet spot, and Sidamo’s delicate floral and citrus notes need a gentler touch than a heavier bean like a Brazilian or a Mandheling. Roast it too hard and you lose the brightness that makes it worth using in the first place.
That’s the whole philosophy behind how Torero and Cinco Jalisco come together: each origin roasted to bring out its best, then blended so those individual characters support each other rather than cancel each other out.
FAQ
Is Sidamo the same as Yirgacheffe? Not quite. Yirgacheffe is technically part of the wider Sidamo growing region, but it’s been recognised as its own micro-region because of its distinct, especially delicate flavour. Sidamo more broadly tends to have a bit more body and sweetness alongside that floral, citrus character.
Is Sidamo good with milk? Yes. Both Torero and Cinco Jalisco are built to work black or white. Milk rounds out Sidamo’s brightness and, in Cinco Jalisco especially, pulls through extra sweetness and body.
What’s the difference between the Sidamo in Torero and in Cinco Jalisco? Same origin, different job. In Torero, it balances a darker, bolder roast. In Cinco Jalisco, it’s one of five origins working together, adding the citrus spike that sits alongside Pacamara, Yellow Bourbon, Daterra, and Mandheling.