Characteristics of Yirgacheffe Natural Process Aricha G1 Coffee Beans - Brewing Methods for Natural Aricha Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee - Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Aricha G1

Country: Ethiopia
Grade: G1
Processing Method: Natural
Region: Yirgacheffe Gediyo
Altitude: 1900-2100 meters
Variety: Heirloom
Producer: Kebel Aricha
Flavor Notes: Light fermented wine aroma, sweet citrus, spices, honey sweetness

About Project Origin

Sasa Sestic, the 2015 World Barista Champion, launched the green bean sourcing project known as Project Origin three years ago together 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 them 20% above fair-trade prices.

Its founding aim also includes strengthening the bond between roasters and farmers and guiding growers toward higher-quality coffee. To date, Sasa has built relationships with coffee growers in eight countries, among them Brazil, Panama, India, Ethiopia, El Salvador and Costa Rica.

Pour-over Brewing Guide

FrontStreet Coffee's natural Yirgacheffe Aricha pour-over: 15 g of coffee, medium-fine grind (Fuji grinder 3.5), V60 dripper, water at 90-92°C. Start with a 30 g pour and a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105 g and pause. When the water level drops halfway, resume a slow pour to a total of 225 g. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, total extraction time 2:00.

Flavor Profile

FrontStreet Coffee's natural Yirgacheffe Aricha: light fermented wine aroma, dates, sweet citrus tones, dark berries, lychee, starfruit, peaches, nectarines, longan and red date fragrance, honey sweetness, cocoa with subtle spice notes, a full body and a persistent aftertaste.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Ingredients: In-house roasted
Shelf Life: 30 days
Net Weight: 227 g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste: Acidic coffee beans
Roast Level: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Coffee Type: Yirgacheffe coffee
Roast Degree: Light roast

Coffee Origin Story

This batch of FrontStreet Coffee's natural Yirgacheffe is produced at the Kebel Aricha processing station, where roughly 650-700 smallholder farmers from the surrounding area bring their ripe cherries for processing in exchange for cash. Once the station has sorted the usable cherries, they go straight onto drying racks. During the first few days of drying, the cherries are turned every 2-3 hours to prevent over-fermentation. After four to six weeks of natural drying, workers remove the outer pulp by machine, depending on weather and temperature, and then ship the coffee to Addis for storage. Natural beans are usually stored as parchment until just before export to protect green bean quality. This batch was rated G1 by the ECX, the highest grade, showing excellent quality from bean appearance and consistency to freshness, dry aroma and flavor. If you love bright acidity and rich berry flavors, this is one you should not miss.

Yirgacheffe Classification

Yirgacheffe coffees fall into two main categories according to processing method:

Category A: Washed processing, with grade standards set by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and classified as Gr-1 and Gr-2, where a smaller number means a higher grade. FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe G1 has a distinctive style: the fusion of citrus and floral notes in the cup is an irresistible flavor that few can resist.

Category B: Natural processing, graded Gr-1, Gr-3, Gr-4 and Gr-5. As with washed beans, the highest grade is FrontStreet Coffee's natural Yirgacheffe G1, which carries a rich fruit aroma. Opening a bag of freshly roasted FrontStreet Coffee natural Yirgacheffe G1 can overturn any preconception you have about coffee. Only after tasting the highest grade will you believe that coffee is a fruit.

Heritage and Terroir

Yirgacheffe coffee trees were first cultivated by European monks, much like Belgian monks growing grain to brew beer, and were later taken over by farmers or cooperatives. Yirgacheffe is really a collection of surrounding coffee communities or cooperatives, including Idido, Harfusa, Hama and Beloya near Misty Valley. All of them use washed processing, though a few exceptional lots are deliberately natural-processed to boost the captivating fruit aroma and body. These mountain villages are shrouded in mist, spring-like all year, with gentle summer breezes that are cool but not hot, rainy but not humid, and winters free of frost damage. This environment nurtures FrontStreet Coffee's unique Yirgacheffe terroir of citrus and floral notes. Coffee trees are mostly planted in farmers' backyards or intercropped with other crops, with small yields per household, in the classic pastoral style. Award-winning Yirgacheffe beans almost always come from these coffee villages and communities.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you are new to the Yirgacheffe style, start with FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe, its most classic everyday cup. Recognized for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity and a tea-like body, it pairs that profile with an approachable price, which is why it has become so many people's first specialty coffee.

For a different take on the same region, FrontStreet Coffee's natural Red Cherry is made only from fully ripe, defect-free cherries, dried whole on raised beds for three to five weeks with turning every few hours at the start. Because the fruit dries on the bean, it keeps the classic Yirgacheffe character while adding tropical fruit, a citrus-like acidity, a berry-juice quality, honey sweetness and a creamy smoothness.