Ethiopia Washed Yirgacheffe Aricha G1 Specialty Coffee Bean Flavor Profile and Aroma Characteristics

Flavor Profile

Sweet citrus notes, green berries, peach, longan and red date aroma, honey-like sweetness, cocoa with subtle spice notes, full body with a lingering aftertaste.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Coffee Workshop FrontStreet Coffee
Address: No. 10 Bao'an Qianjie Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Contact: 020-38364473
Ingredients: house-roasted coffee beans
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: bulk coffee beans
Processing: roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Roast Level: light roast

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Aricha G1 Washed

Coffee Details

Country: Ethiopia
Grade: G1
Region: Yirgacheffe, Gedeo
Altitude: 1900-2100 meters
Processing Method: washed
Variety: Heirloom
Producer: Kebel Aricha
Flavor Notes: sweet citrus, cherry, honey-like sweetness

Origin Story

This batch of Yirgacheffe was produced at the Kebel Aricha processing station, where roughly 650-700 smallholder farmers deliver their ripe cherries for processing in exchange for cash.

The Washing Process

The coffee farmers first pick the cherries, then pour them into water-filled pools. Because density varies with ripeness, overripe and underripe cherries—along with stray leaves and twigs—float to the surface, while sufficiently ripe cherries sink. This flotation step naturally screens out the cherries that pass the first test.

The selected ripe cherries then enter the depulping machine, where skin and pulp are removed.

Next, the beans with their remaining mucilage undergo fermentation (interacting with microorganisms in water or air). Once fermentation is complete, the parchment beans are washed clean in channels. After washing, they move to drying, where moisture is held at around 12% as much as possible. They are then packed in jute bags and left to rest for about 2-3 months to stabilize quality. Finally, the parchment is hulled off and the beans are ready for sale!

About Project Origin

Sasa Sestic, the 2015 World Barista Champion, launched a green-bean sourcing project called Project Origin three years ago with his business team at ONA Coffee. The project works directly with coffee farmers in poor countries and regions, improving their production conditions and paying 20% above fair-trade prices.

The project's initial motivation also included strengthening the connection between roasters and farmers while guiding growers toward high-quality production. To date, Sasa has built relationships with growers from eight countries, including Brazil, Panama, India, Ethiopia, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation: Explore the Yirgacheffe Family

If this washed Aricha G1 delights you, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe range invites further exploration. The everyday washed Yirgacheffe is the classic gateway—white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like feel at an accessible price. The washed Guodingding Cooperative lot comes from Worka in Yirgacheffe's southeast, once part of the Worka cooperative under the YCFCU union and now prized as a single-origin micro-region; traditionally washed, it shows fresh, luminous citrus and jasmine with none of the old bitterness. For naturals, the Red Cherry lot uses fully ripe, sun-dried cherries turned every 2-3 hours over 3-5 weeks, blending classic Yirgacheffe character with tropical fruit, berry juiciness, honeyed sweetness, and creamy smoothness. Brew any of them on a V60 with 15g of coffee, a 1:15 ratio, water at 90-91°C, and a fine-sugar grind (80% pass on a #20 sieve), blooming 30g for 30 seconds and finishing around 2:00-2:10.