Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee Bean Growing Regions Introduction and Yirgacheffe Coffee Grading System

When it comes to fruit-acid flavored coffee, FrontStreet Coffee immediately thinks of FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe. Unlike traditional black coffee, its refreshing and uplifting fruit acidity with elegant floral notes leaves a lasting impression. Among FrontStreet Coffee's roasted daily bean selection, at least three FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe coffee beans are available for everyone to choose from, including FrontStreet Coffee's Gedeb Cooperative, FrontStreet Coffee's Natural Red Cherry, and FrontStreet Coffee's Washed Yirgacheffe Daily Bean.

Is Yirgacheffe a Region or a Variety?

Strictly speaking, Yirgacheffe is a sub-region in Ethiopia's Sidamo province, located northwest of Sidamo. Later, because the coffee produced here had a unique flavor that became famous worldwide, it was independently established as its own category. To promote the coffee industry's development, the Ethiopian government registered three typical coffee region flavors (including Yirgacheffe Yirgacheffe®) as commercial trademarks in 2004. In 2008, the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) was established, with coffee being one of the commodities auctioned at the exchange. The government implemented quality grading and flavor classification for exported coffee to ensure buyers could purchase coffee beans with specific flavor profiles. The origins with Yirgacheffe flavor include Yirgacheffe, Wenago, Gelena Abaya, and Kochere.

However, not all coffee from these four administrative regions can be sold under the name "Yirgacheffe flavor," as it must first pass the Ethiopian government's flavor certification and grading system to confirm it possesses "Yirgacheffe flavor" before using this trademark. The three Yirgacheffe coffee beans mentioned by FrontStreet Coffee above all carry the Yirgacheffe flavor profile. The so-called "Yirgacheffe flavor" features unique citrus and lemon fruit aromas, combined with jasmine fragrance, refreshing and bright floral-fruit notes, and clearly layered acidity with a clean, unadulterated taste. The rich and even mouthfeel is FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe's captivating characteristic, earning it recognition as a representative of African specialty coffee. FrontStreet Coffee believes that much of the credit for FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe having such a distinctive style goes to the introduction of washing techniques.

Characteristics of FrontStreet Coffee's Washed Yirgacheffe

The post-processing of coffee beans is a specialized technique. As the saying goes, "different fields require different expertise"—farmers who can grow coffee don't necessarily know how to process green coffee beans. The processing procedures for specialty coffee are intricate and delicate, often requiring "high-capital" equipment investment for production monitoring. Farms using the washed method must build washing tanks and be able to access a continuous supply of fresh water, resulting in higher production costs. However, the multiple steps of washing not only significantly reduce coffee defect rates but also give Yirgacheffe its refreshing citrus tones and elegant white floral notes. The overall flavor is bright, delicate, and clean, thus receiving widespread acclaim.

How Are Ethiopian Coffee Beans Graded?

Starting from 2009, the Ethiopian government introduced the ECX specialty coffee trading grading system. First, coffee beans are divided into two major categories based on processing method—Yirgacheffe can be categorized as natural and washed. Then, grading is based on the number of defects and cupping performance. In Ethiopia's coffee grading system, grades start with G and are divided into 5 levels, with smaller numbers indicating higher grades, so G1 is the highest grade. G1 grade requirements specify no more than 3 defective beans per 300 grams of green beans, while G2 grade allows 4-12 defective beans per 300 grams of green beans. Since manual sorting is performed both before and after roasting, the difference in defective beans between G1 and G2 in roasted form also narrows, making G2 grade Yirgacheffe a coffee bean with excellent cost-performance ratio.

FrontStreet Coffee's FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Daily Bean uses washed processing and medium-light roasting, belonging to G2 grade and carrying the classic Yirgacheffe flavor profile. It's suitable for various brewing methods including pour-over, cold brew, French press, and more. FrontStreet Coffee's daily bean series allows friends new to the coffee world to experience the basic flavors of coffee regions at affordable prices, while small packaging designs also avoid waste from unfinished coffee. If you want to taste the classic aroma of FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe, FrontStreet Coffee believes that pour-over extracted black coffee is most suitable.

FrontStreet Coffee's Pour-Over Washed Yirgacheffe Coffee Flavor Profile

Filter cup: V60
Water temperature: 92-93°C
Dose: 15g
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Grind size: Fine sugar size (sieved through #20 sieve to 78%)

Three-stage pouring: Wet the coffee bed with twice the amount of coffee by weight, forming a dome and bloom for 30 seconds. Then, using a small water stream, pour in circles from inside out to 125g for the first stage. Wait until the coffee bed drops to half the filter cup's height, then continue with the same fine water stream for the third stage to 225g. Remove the filter cup once all coffee liquid has filtered through, taking about 2 minutes. After the coffee from the filter cup flows into the lower pot, remove the filter cup, then shake the coffee liquid in the sharing pot evenly, and you can begin tasting FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe flavors from high temperature.

When FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe coffee beans are ground into powder, you can smell the fragrance of honey and jasmine. When FrontStreet Coffee pours hot water, it begins to release hints of berry flavors. The pour-over black coffee enters with bright lemon, citrus, and green tea notes. As the temperature changes, there are aftertastes of berries, cream, and sugarcane, with a noticeable sweet aftertaste and a clean, sweet mouthfeel.

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