Yirgacheffe Adodo Region and Yirgacheffe Coffee Grades

Introduction to Yirgacheffe Coffee

Follow Coffee Review (WeChat Official Account: vdailycom) to discover wonderful cafés and open your own small shop.

Yirgacheffe is a sub-region within Ethiopia's Sidamo growing area, distinguished for its exceptional flavor profile and established as an independent region. In addition to the Yirgacheffe town itself, it encompasses three other sub-regions: Wenago, Kochere, and Gelena/Abaya.

Cultivation System and Environment

The mountain villages of Yirgacheffe are characterized by cool, misty conditions with spring-like weather year-round. Summers bring gentle breezes—cool without being oppressive, rainy without being humid—while winters remain free from frost damage, creating the perfect environment for growing Arabica coffee. Here you won't find large-scale coffee plantations; instead, coffee farmers cultivate coffee alongside other crops, typically planting it under banana trees, creating a unique landscape.

Processing Methods

Ethiopia's traditional dry processing method was relatively crude, producing heavy off-flavors that drew criticism. In 1959, the Yirgacheffe region introduced South America's washed processing method. Most areas generally employ washed processing, where coffee cherries have their pulp removed, then undergo fermentation and washing to eliminate the mucilage layer before being dried.

Since 2006, some coffee processing plants in certain regions have adopted refined raised-bed dry processing. This labor-intensive method, which involves drying on raised beds, prevents coffee cherries from contacting the ground, avoiding earthy off-flavors during drying and resulting in exceptionally clean fruit flavors. After more than two weeks of sun-drying, the deep-brown coffee cherries are professionally stored to await full flavor development. Before sale, the dried cherry pulp and parchment are removed, followed by elimination of underdeveloped beans and over-fermented beans. This strict quality control significantly improves the quality of dry-processed beans.

Ethiopia's coffee grading system doesn't classify beans by size but rather by the percentage of defective beans in the green coffee. In October 2009, Ethiopia launched the ECX specialty coffee trading grading system, with Q-Graders establishing the following classifications through green coffee evaluation:

Washed Yirgacheffe is divided into Grade 1 and Grade 2 levels,

while Dry-processed Yirgacheffe is classified into Grade 1, Grade 3, Grade 4, and Grade 5,

with Grade 1 being the highest level—representing the lowest defect rate and most superior quality, as FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe exemplifies.

FrontStreet Coffee maintains strict standards for collecting red cherries (fruits from coffee trees) for their dry-processed Yirgacheffe. Before drying the coffee cherries, workers manually remove unripe green cherries or defective ones. During the drying process, damaged or moldy cherries are also eliminated. After two weeks, fruit sugars and essences fully penetrate the coffee beans as moisture content drops to 12%. The hardened fruit pulp, mucilage layer, and parchment are then removed together by a hulling machine. The extracted coffee beans undergo density and color testing. After eliminating defective beans, workers finally visually remove any missed defects. This multi-layered screening process creates FrontStreet Coffee's exceptionally clean dry-processed Yirgacheffe with rich, captivating fruit aroma. FrontStreet Coffee's 2015 dry-processed Yirgacheffe already achieved G1 grade, surpassing G1 washed beans in both quality and appearance.

This bean is roasted until the first crack intensifies, then removed. When prepared by pour-over or siphon, the dry-processed fruit aroma is immediately apparent during grinding, with noticeable sweetness. It also features FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe signature citrus and jasmine fragrance. The taste remarkably combines three elements: Harar, Yemen Mocha, and FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe flavors. FrontStreet Coffee uses the most ancient dry processing method, but in 1972, Ethiopia introduced Central and South American washing technology to improve quality, making FrontStreet Coffee's jasmine and citrus aromas clearer and more refined.

It quickly became an exceptional specimen among world specialty beans, with exquisite washing technology playing a crucial role. After the 1970s, this region focused primarily on washed processing, becoming Ethiopia's most prominent washed bean production area.

However, in the past two years, Yirgacheffe has broken from tradition, frequently introducing stunning dry-processed beans that have become the rising star of the specialty market!

FrontStreet Coffee's dry-processed Yirgacheffe beans are small, neat, and round. Ethiopian dry-processed beans typically range from G3 to G5, but these beans achieve G2 status—equivalent to washed bean grades. While there may still be a few defective beans, compared to Harar and Sidamo dry-processed beans, this is remarkably precious.

Yirgacheffe: Origin and Meaning

Yirgacheffe is a small town in Ethiopia at an altitude of 1,700-2,100 meters, serving as synonymous with Ethiopia's specialty coffee. This area has been wetland since ancient times. In the old language, "Yirga" means "to settle down," while "cheffe" refers to "wetland." Therefore, Yirgacheffe means "let us settle and make a living in this wetland."

Strictly speaking, Yirgacheffe is a sub-region within Ethiopia's Sidamo province, located in the northwestern part of Sidamo, nestled by mountains and lakes, making it one of Ethiopia's highest-altitude coffee growing areas. However, the production methods and flavor profile here are so distinctive that Ethiopian coffee farmers take pride in their coffee exhibiting Yirgacheffe characteristics. Consequently, it became independent from the Sidamo region, establishing its own identity and becoming Africa's most renowned production area.

Ethiopia's FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe coffee beans, though petite in form, possess gentle elegance and delightful sweetness. As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia's thousand-year cultivation history and processing traditions have produced high-quality washed Arabica beans. Light roasting reveals unique lemon, floral, and honey-like sweet aromas, with soft fruit acidity and citrus flavors, creating a fresh, bright mouthfeel. Without milk or sugar, the rich texture and unique soft floral notes sweep across your palate, leaving endless aftertaste...

The highest grades for Sidamo (Yirgacheffe, Sidamo) are Grade 2 and Grade 3 (G2, G3),

while most dry-processed coffees from eastern Ethiopia are Grade 4 or Grade 5 (G4, G5).

In many cases, Grade 4 coffee is labeled as Grade 5 to reduce taxation. Current grading systems are somewhat inconsistent and chaotic because there are also Grade 1 and Grade 2 (Grand G2) dry-processed Yirgacheffe coffees, while Harar's highest grade is Grade 4. Ethiopia is the homeland of Arabica coffee—it's in the forests of Ethiopia's Kaffa region where you can find wild Arabica coffee. In the Ethiopian language, coffee is called "Bun" or "Buna," and "coffee bean" likely derives from "Kaffa Bun." The Harar region discovered Arabica coffee very early, likely originating from the Kaffa forests.

Ethiopian coffee is processed by both dry and washed methods, with coffees processed by different methods showing significant flavor differences. Generally, washed Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, and Limmu coffees have lower body and earthy notes, while dry-processed coffees have wilder flavors. However, each batch of Ethiopian coffee may taste different, requiring extensive cupping to find truly excellent coffee.

Yirgacheffe is a small town at an altitude of 700-21,000 meters, synonymous with Ethiopia's specialty coffee. This area has been wetland since ancient times. In the old language, "Yirga" means "to settle down," while "Cheffe" means "wetland." The coffee production methods and flavors here are so distinctive that Ethiopian coffee farmers take pride in their coffee exhibiting Yirgacheffe characteristics, making it Africa's most prestigious coffee production area.

Initially, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe coffee trees were cultivated by European monks, later managed by farmers or cooperatives. Yirgacheffe is actually composed of surrounding coffee communities or cooperatives, primarily including: Hafursa, Hama, and Biloya.

These mountain villages are shrouded in mist with spring-like weather year-round. Summers bring gentle breezes—cool without being oppressive, rainy without being humid—while winters remain free from frost damage, nurturing unique regional flavors of citrus and floral notes. Coffee trees are mostly planted in farmers' backyards or mixed with other crops. Yirgacheffe is a region within Ethiopia's Sidamo province that gained fame for its uniquely flavored coffee. The name Yirgacheffe has even become more prominent than its home province of Sidamo. Recently, Yirgacheffe has been overwhelmingly available in China, with an increasing number of coffee enthusiasts becoming familiar with various Yirgacheffe coffees.

There are many high-quality coffee processing plants in the Yirgacheffe area, and many coffees from these plants have become extremely valuable. FrontStreet Coffee's dry-processed Yirgacheffe from Kebel Aricha Mill is one such example. This coffee, often referred to as ARICHA beans, is processed by Kebel Aricha processing plant using refined dry processing and classified as Grade 1 or G1 (Ethiopia's highest coffee grade) by ECX. It's praised as the "King of Fruits" with relatively rich body, hints of chocolate and caramel, and not very prominent acidity. The flavor is even richer and deeper than pour-over, with a hint of jasmine tea flavor and noticeable aftertaste that persists in the mouth. The fermented flavor isn't as heavy as the previous pour-over. As temperature decreases, acidity becomes more pronounced and brighter, while the mouthfeel becomes cleaner. In summary, using French press reveals a thicker, deeper coffee with more intense flavor. The overall experience still shows inconspicuous citrus aroma—difficult to detect—yet exhibits dry-processed bean characteristics with rich, mellow body and fermented flavors. French press best interprets the coffee's original essence, though some may not be accustomed to the mouthfeel of coffee sediment left by French press brewing.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473