Ethiopian Washed Yirgacheffe Aricha G1 Specialty Coffee Beans: A Guide to Grind Size, Roast Level, and Processing Methods

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Ingredients: House-roasted
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Loose coffee beans
Roast Level: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Roast Degree: Light roast

Processing Method: Washed

Farmers begin by picking coffee cherries from the trees, then tipping them into pools filled with water. Because cherries of different ripeness have different densities, overripe and underripe fruit, along with stray branches and leaves, float to the surface while properly ripe cherries sink. This is how the first round of selection is made.

The selected ripe cherries then pass through a depulper to remove the skin and pulp.

Next, the beans, still coated in sticky mucilage, enter fermentation, breaking down in water or in the air under the action of microorganisms. Once fermentation is complete, the parchment-covered beans are sent down washing channels to be rinsed thoroughly. After washing comes drying, during which the moisture content of the green beans is held as close to 12% as possible. The beans are then packed into burlap bags and left to rest for about 2-3 months of maturation, which stabilizes their quality. Finally the parchment is removed and the coffee is ready for sale.

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Aricha G1 Washed

Country: Ethiopia
Grade: G1
Region: Yirgacheffe Gediyo
Altitude: 1900-2100 meters
Variety: Heirloom
Producer: Kebel Aricha
Flavor Notes: Sweet orange, cherry, honey sweetness

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

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 farming families in impoverished countries and regions, improving their production conditions and paying them purchase prices 20% above fair trade rates.

The project also set out to strengthen the connection between roasters and coffee farmers, and to guide farmers toward cultivating high-quality beans. To date, Sasa has built relationships with coffee growers in eight countries, among them Brazil, Panama, India, Ethiopia, El Salvador and Costa Rica.

Flavor Description

Sweet citrus notes, green berries, peach, longan and red date aroma, honey sweetness, hints of spice with cocoa undertones, a full body and a long-lasting aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Yirgacheffe may be a small town, but the coffees that carry its name are far from uniform, and the washed Aricha above is a fine place to start exploring the differences. FrontStreet Coffee's everyday washed Yirgacheffe is the classic expression of the region: white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a clean, tea-like body, all at a price that makes it an easy first step into specialty coffee. Yirgacheffe earned its place in the specialty world precisely through this recognizable white-floral and lemon-citrus profile, and its reputation grew so strong that Ethiopia's commodity exchange separated it from Sidamo in 2010.

For a more specifically traceable lot, the FrontStreet washed Gedeb cooperative coffee comes from the Worka area at Yirgacheffe's southeastern edge. It was once part of the larger Worka cooperative under the YCFCU, then split off as a single-origin lot as demand for traceability grew, and it has been called one of the last clean corners of Yirgacheffe. Made in the traditional washed style, it shows no bitterness at all, only fresh, luminous citrus and lemon acidity lifted by jasmine fragrance. If you prefer the fruitier, sweeter side, the FrontStreet natural Red Cherry uses only fully ripe, unblemished fruit, dried whole on raised beds for three to five weeks and turned every two to three hours early on to keep fermentation even. Expect citrus acidity, a juicy berry body, honeyed sweetness and a creamy, smooth texture. Washed or natural, every cup still tastes unmistakably of Yirgacheffe.