How to Properly Enjoy Yirgacheffe Washed Kochere Coffee and Kochere Coffee Bean Prices

Coffee Information

Country: Ethiopia

Grade: G1

Region: Yirgacheffe

Roast Level: Light Roast

Processing Method: Washed

Variety: Local Landrace

The Kochere Region

Kochere lies about 25 kilometers southeast of Yirgacheffe in Ethiopia — a small coffee-producing area and one of Yirgacheffe's three famous micro-regions. Its population of roughly 100,000 people relies on coffee as their main source of income, and the region's processing equipment is exceptionally advanced. Kochere washed lots have earned a high score of 94 points from the renowned review site Coffee Review.

Brewing Method

To brew this Yirgacheffe by hand: use 15g of coffee, ground medium-fine (setting 3.5 on a Fuji ghost-tooth burr grinder), a V60 dripper, and water at 91–93°C. Pour 30g of water first and bloom for 27 seconds. Pour up to 105g and stop; once the level in the coffee bed drops to about half, continue pouring slowly up to 225g. Skip the tail end of the drawdown. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15; total extraction time 2:00.

Ethiopian Coffee Regions

Ethiopia's main coffee-growing regions include Nekempte (Lekempti), Gimbi, Limu, Illubabor, Djimma, Harrar, Teppi/Bebeka, Sidamo, and Yirgacheffe. The best-known specialty regions are Nekempte (Lekempti), Limu, Harrar, Sidamo, and Yirgacheffe. Yirgacheffe sits within Ethiopia's Sidama administrative region — a smaller area nested inside it.

Yirgacheffe itself is a small town of about 20,000 people. Three neighboring areas — Wenago, Kochere, and Gelena Abaya — produce coffee whose flavor is nearly identical to Yirgacheffe's, so they are classified under the Yirgacheffe appellation as well. Yirgacheffe and Sidamo share a similar cultural and geographical environment, but Yirgacheffe seems especially blessed: top-quality Yirgacheffe offers floral notes, bright citrus acidity, lemony aromatics, and a silky-smooth mouthfeel.

Kochere is in southwestern Ethiopia, about 25 miles from the famous Yirgacheffe town. Production is dominated by smallholder farmers who deliver their harvests to cooperatives for centralized processing. The local Chelbesa (Chalalacktu) village has about 100,000 people who depend on coffee for their livelihood, and income from coffee has made their standard of living markedly better than that of many Ethiopian villages, with well-established health facilities, schools, and other amenities. Thanks to advanced processing equipment, Kochere coffee consistently performs at a high level through washed processing, delivering clean sweetness with complex notes of molasses and citrus.

Flavor Profile

Jasmine florals, lemon, bergamot, honey, black tea

Product Information

Ingredients: Freshly roasted, house-roasted
Shelf Life: 30 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste Profile: Acidity-forward
Bean State: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Coffee Type: Yirgacheffe coffee
Roast Level: Light roast

The Yirgacheffe Grading System

Yirgacheffe's grading is not based on bean size but on the proportion of defective beans in the green lot. Washed G2 and natural G3 lots are the most common, with G1 as the highest grade. Only Yirgacheffe with the lowest defect rate and the finest quality, after hand sorting, can earn a Grade 1 designation.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you want to get to know Ethiopian coffee, start with FrontStreet Coffee's everyday washed Yirgacheffe — famous for its white jasmine florals, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and tea-like finish, and priced for daily drinking. It is the classic gateway to specialty coffee. For a step up, the washed Guodingding cooperative lot from the Worka area is a favorite: a traditional washed process with no trace of classic bitterness, just crisp citrus and lemon acidity wrapped in jasmine fragrance.

On the natural side, FrontStreet Coffee's Red Cherry Yirgacheffe is worth seeking out. Only fully ripe, defect-free cherries are harvested, given a first sort at the mill, and dried on raised beds — turned every 2–3 hours in the early days to avoid uneven heating and over-fermentation — for three to five weeks. Drying with the fruit intact keeps the classic Yirgacheffe character while layering in tropical fruit: citrus-like acidity, berry-juice juiciness, honey sweetness, and a creamy smoothness. To brew, use a V60 with water at 90–91°C, 15g of coffee at 1:15, and a fine-granulated-sugar grind (80% pass on a #20 sieve): bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds, pour to 125g by about the 1-minute mark, finish to 225g around 1'35", with drawdown complete in 2:00–2:10.