What do Yirgacheffe G1 and G2 Mean? Yirgacheffe Origin Information and Processing Methods

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In recent years, many newly emerging small producing areas or cooperatives in Ethiopia's Sidamo and Yirgacheffe regions have been marketing themselves under their own cooperative or farm names in the international market. This demonstrates confidence in their coffee production and their desire to establish brand recognition and loyalty in the international coffee market. Coffee farmers insist on harvesting mature coffee beans and meticulously handling every process. Whether using natural washed or natural sun-dried methods, both show outstanding performance, delivering unexpectedly fragrant aromas and excellent mouthfeel. I believe this is why coffee enthusiasts look forward to Ethiopian coffee every year. For example, the Operation Cherry Red program assisted by the Dutch government—Koret from 2008 and Carmbella Estate from 2009—both emitted magnificent strawberry cookie aromas that left a deep impression on the world. In recent years, Ethiopian sun-dried beans have further strengthened this characteristic.

Ethiopian coffee is graded as G1, G2 for washed beans, with G1 being the highest grade of washed beans. G3, G4 are for sun-dried beans, with G3 being the highest grade of sun-dried beans. Ethiopian green coffee beans are divided into five grades, based on the number of defective beans in a 300-gram sample:

Grade 1: 0-3 defective beans

Grade 2: 4-12 defective beans

Grade 3: 13-25 defective beans

Grade 4: 26-45 defective beans

Grade 5: 46-90 defective beans

So what exactly are the differences between G1 and G2? FrontStreet Coffee has compared their flavors as follows:

Cupping

[Washed Yirgacheffe G1] Jasmine, ginger flower, lemon, pomelo, plum, Tieguanyin

[Washed Yirgacheffe G2] Jasmine, lemon, citrus, tea sensation

Pour-over

Parameters: Water temperature 91°C, grind size BG 5R (China standard #20 sieve pass rate 58%), powder-to-water ratio 1:15.

Method: Segmented extraction. 35g water for 30-second bloom, then pour with small water flow to 130g in segments. When water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the filter cup.

[Washed Yirgacheffe G1] Smells of jasmine, lemon freshness, and caramel sweetness. The entry shows soft citrus acidity and creamy aroma, with mid-notes emerging lemon acidity, sugarcane sweetness, and oolong tea aftertaste.

[Washed Yirgacheffe G2] Smells of jasmine fragrance and citrus acidity. The entry has lemon, grapefruit acidity, and black tea sensation, with some cocoa flavor in the finish and caramel sweetness.

FrontStreet Coffee compared these two washed Yirgacheffe coffees and could clearly see from both green and roasted beans that [G1] beans have relatively uniform particle sizes, while [G2] beans show obvious unevenness with more defective beans. During the roasting process, [G1] beans emit noticeable aroma, while [G2] beans are somewhat inferior in this regard.

In terms of flavor, [G1] and [G2] are actually quite similar, both mainly featuring lemon, citrus, and jasmine notes. However, by comparison, [G1] has rich and clear flavor layers, while [G2] has fewer and less clear flavor layers, with some off-flavors.

About Yirgacheffe

Yirgacheffe grows in the Sidamo region of southwestern Ethiopia. The coffee beans are small to medium-sized, with green beans showing a light yellow-green color. The beans are complete and beautiful, holding a representative position among specialty coffees in East Africa.

The name Yirgacheffe means "single ethnic settlement." The producing area is located in the Sidamo growing region of south-central Ethiopia, on mountains over 2000 meters above sea level, and is the homeland of the Gedegna people. It is one of the few Arabica coffee beans in Ethiopia that undergo washed processing. After medium roasting, it perfectly presents fruit acidity with a unique aroma similar to flower tea and lemon peel.

Under the current ECX system, the Yirgacheffe area has been divided into four sub-regions: Yirgachefe, Wenago, Kochere, and Genlena Abay. The soil here is fertile, with an average altitude of over 1800 meters, making it a high-altitude region with significant day-night temperature differences. The production methods of each region, combined with local unique native tree coffee gardens, make each batch of coffee beans have different flavors, quite distinctive and unique.

Originally, Yirgacheffe was famous and predominantly produced using washed processing, but now sun-dried processed Yirgacheffe has also gained enthusiastic market acceptance due to its rich berry sweetness. Because of the significant increase in demand, sun-dried Yirgacheffe production has also increased substantially.

About Misty Valley

Growing in the Misty Valley, this coffee bean earned its beautiful name. In the town of Yirgacheffe in Ethiopia's Sidamo province, many coffee trees are planted. Abandoning the sun-dried processing method used in Sidamo ten years ago, Misty Valley farmers switched to washed processing for coffee beans, and this washed processing method made Yirgacheffe famous. Now, Yirgacheffe is not just a place name but has become a well-known synonym for coffee beans.

According to local elders, although Misty Valley's Yirgacheffe is world-famous for washed processing, the area still primarily uses traditional sun-dried processing because local residents believe sun-dried processing can create an indescribably wonderful flavor in coffee beans. Due to Yirgacheffe's great fame, the country has incorporated the coffee brewing ceremony into feasts for foreign guests. They don't care whether the beans are complete and full, directly roasting coffee beans in iron pans. As for the serious roasting taboo of over-roasting, at this moment, no strict requirements are needed. Under this traditional and wonderful ceremony, even if the beans have inconsistent colors, they can still brew an unforgettable and wonderful taste.

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