How Much Does Yirgacheffe Washed Woka Coffee Cost? Yirgacheffe Washed Woka Coffee Price

Flavor Profile

Distinct floral notes with rich citrus aromas in both the dry and wet fragrance. The front brings lemon, kumquat, and white grape juice among other layered flavors, while the middle to back shows rich citrus sweet-and-sour notes like the sweetness of soda water-vivid, assertive, and genuinely rare.

Ethiopia's Coffee Grading System

In Ethiopia's grading system, washed Grade 2 and natural Grade 4 are the highest grades, so for years the market saw little beyond Yirgacheffe WP G2.

Note: Yirgacheffe G1 was a grade specially requested from the Ethiopian Coffee & Tea Authority by Japan's Mitsubishi. It first appeared on the market in the 2002-2003 season. G1 beans are not produced through typical screening but through strict manual selection of green beans from the Knoga area of Yirga village, which has the region's highest altitude and superb soil. The beans are nearly uniform in size, beautiful to look at, and almost free of defects; in the cup they express Yirgacheffe's unique character better than anything else. That demanding process makes G1 output scarce-averaging about 600 bags a year.

Most Yirgacheffe coffee is washed: fermented in washing tanks for about 72 hours to remove the mucilage, then dried outdoors. After manual green bean selection, the coffee passes inspection by the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority and is exported through competitive bidding. Annual production runs about 225,000 bags (60kg each), historically heading mainly to Northern Europe (Germany above all) and Japan, with North American demand growing recently.

Coffee Details

Ethiopia Washed Yirgacheffe Worka G1

Country: Ethiopia
Grade: G1
Region: Worka
Roast level: Light
Process: Washed
Variety: Local native heirloom varieties
Processing station: Worka Cooperative
Tasting notes: Lemon, kumquat, white grape juice

Yirgacheffe Region

Yirgacheffe itself is a small town of about 20,000 people. Three neighboring areas-Wenago, Kochere, and Gelena Abaya-produce coffee so similar in flavor that it is also classified under the Yirgacheffe regional category. Culturally and geographically Yirgacheffe resembles neighboring Sidamo, but it seems even more favored by nature. Top-quality Yirgacheffe shows floral notes, bright citrus acidity, lemon-toned aromatics, and a silky smooth mouthfeel.

Brewing Instructions

Hand-poured washed Worka: 15g of coffee, ground medium-fine (Fuji ghost-tooth burr grinder at setting 3.5), V60 dripper, water at 90-92°C. First pour 30g of water and bloom for 27 seconds, then pour to 105g and stop. Once the water level drops to half, resume pouring slowly up to 225g total, discarding the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Compared with the traditionally natural-processed Harar region, natural-processed Yirgacheffe is uncommon. As the home of Ethiopia's first washed processing plant, Yirgacheffe is best known to coffee lovers for its washed lots-the elegant lemon and citrus expression.

Washed coffee rarely shows wild flavors; it is pure and refreshing, and suits light roasts. This washed Ethiopian lot reaches the highest G1 grade, meaning very few defects.

Introduction

This coffee comes from a single farm in Ethiopia, processed by the Worka Cooperative. The Alemayehu Alako farm is a member of the Worka Cooperative.

The Worka Cooperative sits in the southern part of Gedeb district. Established in 2005, it joined the famous Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU) the same year and is known for high-quality Yirgacheffe. The cooperative has approximately 300 coffee farmers. YCFCU itself was founded in 2002 and, alongside Worka, includes 26 other cooperatives serving more than 45,000 coffee farmers.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Washed Yirgacheffe is the classic first step into Ethiopian coffee. The FrontStreet everyday washed Yirgacheffe is beloved for its white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and tea-like finish-at a friendly price, it is the bean most specialty drinkers start with. For an even closer match to this Worka lot, look at the neighboring cooperative FrontStreet Coffee sources from at the southeastern tip of the Worka region: it was originally part of the Worka cooperative under the YCFCU union, and in 2012, with roughly 300 member farmers, it became an independent cooperative as the world's coffee buyers chased traceable single regions. Washing strips the fruit before drying, so its character comes through clearer-citrus and lemon tones with elegant white florals, bright and delicate throughout.

Brewing suggestion for a washed Yirgacheffe on a V60: 90-91°C water, 15g dose, 1:15 ratio, grind to fine-granulated-sugar texture (80% through a #20 sieve). Pour 30g of water to bloom for 30 seconds, then pour 95g (to about 125g on the scale) finishing around 1 minute; when the bed drains to two-thirds, pour the remaining 100g (to about 225g), finishing around 1:35. Drainage completes between 2:00 and 2:10-lift, swirl, and enjoy.