Introduction:Dive deep into the Candleberry coffee from the Ninety Plus LevelUp series — a naturally processed Ethiopian Yirgacheffe bean renowned for its distinctive flavors and premium processing. This article offers a comprehensive guide, from the origin background and roasting recommendations to grind size and concentration tests for pour over brewing, exploring how to extract its optimal flavors. It also explains the flavor classification logic behind Ninety Plus beans, making it a practical reference for pour over enthusiasts.
Candleberry (Drima Zede) is a naturally processed Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee from the Ninety Plus (Ninety Plus) LevelUp series, named after its flavor profile — in the local language, it means “the best path.” This bean is celebrated for its bright fruity aromas and rich layered complexity, making it ideal for coffee lovers seeking to explore high-quality natural-processed coffees. This article will explore the regional characteristics of Candleberry, key roasting points, and through hands-on pour over grind experiments, analyze how different grind sizes affect extraction, helping you dial in the best brewing recipe.
Founded in 2006, Ninety Plus has quickly risen to prominence in the global specialty coffee scene with its pursuit of extreme flavor excellence. The brand name "90+" reflects that its cupping scores often reach 90 points or above — an exceptionally rare achievement in specialty coffee — indicating beans with near-perfect potential. In 2007, its first product, Aricha Selection 7, earned a remarkable 95-point review from Coffee Review. Subsequently, multiple beans have helped contestants win international competitions and consistently received high scores, solidifying its status as a top-tier specialty brand.
LevelUp is a sub-brand launched by Ninety Plus in collaboration with BodhiLeaf, focusing on Ethiopian green beans. Its naming approach breaks away from traditional regional thinking, instead using flavor profiles as the basis, labeled in the local Ethiopian languages so that consumers can sense the unique character of each bean just from its name. Compared to the parent brand, LevelUp offers more affordable pricing while maintaining the same high flavor standards of Ninety Plus.
Candleberry originates from Yirgacheffe, located in the southern highlands of Ethiopia at elevations of about 1750–2000 meters. The region is known for its variable climate and fertile soils, often producing coffees with pronounced sweetness and diverse flavor notes. The volcanic soil here is nutrient-rich, well-drained, and enriched through organic cycles, fostering many distinctive coffee varieties. These geographical and microclimatic conditions result in Yirgacheffe coffees with richly layered and highly recognizable flavor profiles.
Named in the local language as “Drima Zede,” meaning “the best path,” this bean symbolizes an ideal choice for experiencing the natural-processed flavors of Yirgacheffe. It undergoes traditional natural processing, where only fully ripe coffee cherries are selected and frequently turned during drying to ensure evenness — highlighting clean, pure fruit and floral aromas. The resulting flavor profile includes tropical fruits, nectarine, blueberry, plum, along with soft notes of cream and spices, performing especially well when served cold.
For this bright, sweet, and fruit-forward natural-processed bean, a light roast is recommended to preserve its delicate acidity and aromatic layers. Practical experience shows that using a Yangjia 600g semi-direct-fire roaster with a slow and steady roasting strategy better highlights citrus, vanilla, and tropical fruit notes. During roasting, attention should be paid to moisture control and Maillard reaction management before first crack, while flame and air dam adjustments need to be carefully managed after first crack to stabilize flavor development.
Grind coarseness for pour over is one of the key factors affecting the flavor expression of Candleberry. To examine how different grind sizes influence extraction, the experiment fixed the water temperature at 90°C and the brew ratio at 1:15, adjusting only the grind size. Two settings on the Baratza Vario Home grinder were used: 5G (finer) and 5F (coarser), with both extractions maintaining a 2-minute brew time.
Experiment one, using the 5G fine grind, measured a TDS (total dissolved solids) of 1.36%, with flavors leaning intense — bright fruit acidity but with slight bitterness. Experiment two switched to the 5F coarse grind, yielding a TDS of 1.29%, resulting in a cleaner, smoother mouthfeel with more pronounced citrus notes, and after cooling, displayed the classic extended fruity aroma typical of Ethiopian naturals. Both results fall within the ideal range of the Golden Cup extraction theory (1.2%–1.45%), though personal taste preferences may vary.
If you don’t have a coffee grinder with a built-in sieve, you can also adjust to your preferred flavor balance through actual tasting. As a general guideline, if the coffee tastes too sharp or bitter, try a slightly coarser grind; if the flavors seem dull or under-extracted, a slightly finer grind may help.
Ninety Plus beans follow a different naming logic from most specialty beans — they do not emphasize origin or processing method, but center around flavor profiles, categorized under three labels: N2, H2, and W2, which indicate flavor tendencies. Among them, W2 indicates low fruitiness, with a cleaner, brighter profile where acidity and floral notes stand out; H2 represents medium fruitiness, with noticeable sweetness and tea-like qualities; N2 denotes high fruitiness, featuring bold, intense flavors often with jammy notes, dried fruits, and strong sweet-acid contrasts. Candleberry falls under the high fruitiness category (close to N2), making it ideal for those who prefer vibrant and bold fruit aromas.
In summary, Candleberry is a premium coffee bean that fully showcases the potential of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe naturals. With the right light roast approach, appropriate grind size, and consistent brewing technique, you can enjoy its multi-layered fruitiness and rich body. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned enthusiast, this bean is a rewarding choice worth exploring.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
