A Sidamo coffee bean is marked with three identifiers: a grade, a geographical letter designation and an indication of whether it was washed or unwashed. Additional markings may be added to convey quality and other information.

Although coffee production methods in Sidamo have changed little since they were first introduced, smallholders often practice intercropping to maximize the land of their farms and provide food for their families.

The strengths of Sidamo coffee come from the variety of flavours found in different regions. The many microclimates and varying soil types result in striking differences between towns.

However, one thing that all Sidamo coffees have in common is the profound complexity of flavour. Many people attribute this to the diversity of local landrace varieties; when these different cultivars are grown together and then blended at the local cooperative—as they would be by traditional farmers harvesting their own beans—the resulting blend expresses not only each variety’s unique character but also some sort of overall “taste map” or genetic fingerprint for coffee varietals within that area.