Ethiopia Washed Yirgacheffe Aricha G1 Specialty Coffee Bean Variety Origin Market Price Overview

Coffee Information

Variety: Heirloom

Producer: Kebel Aricha

Flavor: Sweet orange, cherry, honey-like sweetness

This lot of Yirgacheffe was produced at the Kebel Aricha washing station, where roughly 650–700 smallholder farmers from the surrounding area deliver their ripe coffee cherries for processing and are paid in cash.

About Project Origin

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

The project also aims to strengthen the connection between roasters and farmers and to guide growers toward producing higher-quality coffee. To date, Sasa has built relationships with coffee growers in eight countries, including Brazil, Panama, India, Ethiopia, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.

Flavor Profile

Sweet orange, green berries, peach, longan and red date aromatics, honey-like sweetness, cocoa with a hint of spice, full body, and a long-lasting aftertaste.

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Aricha G1 Washed

Country: Ethiopia

Grade: G1

Region: Yirgacheffe, Gedeo

Altitude: 1900–2100 meters

Processing Method: Washed

The Washing Process

First, farmers pick the coffee cherries from the trees and pour them into water-filled pools. Because ripeness changes density, overripe and underripe cherries—along with stray leaves and twigs—float to the surface, while fully ripe cherries sink. The floating material is skimmed off, so this step naturally screens out the cherries that pass the first round of selection.

The selected ripe cherries then move into a depulping machine, which strips away the skin and pulp.

Next, the beans, still coated in sticky mucilage, enter fermentation, where microorganisms in water or air break the mucilage down. Once fermentation is complete, the beans—in parchment—travel along washing channels to be rinsed thoroughly clean. They then go to the drying stage, where their moisture content is held at around 12%. The dried beans are packed into jute bags and rested for about 2–3 months to stabilize the green coffee, before the parchment is finally hulled off and the beans are ready for sale.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To get to know the Yirgacheffe region, start with FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe everyday lot—beloved for its white jasmine florals, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and tea-like finish, all at an approachable price that makes it a classic first specialty bean. For a step up within the same region, FrontStreet's washed Worka (Guodingding) Cooperative lot, from a village in Yirgacheffe's southeast, delivers crisp citrus and lemon acidity with jasmine fragrance and none of the traditional bitterness; and if you're curious how the same terroir tastes sun-dried, FrontStreet's natural Red Cherry lot adds tropical fruit, berry juiciness, and a creamy smoothness on top of the classic Yirgacheffe character.