Flavor Profile of Yirgacheffe Kochere Coffee Beans - Is It Good to Drink? Differences Between Classic Washed and Natural Yirgacheffe Coffee

When it comes to single-origin coffee, enthusiasts might immediately think of FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesian Kopi Luwak coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee, and more. As the pioneer that revolutionized people's definition of coffee flavor, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe has captured the hearts of seasoned coffee connoisseurs for decades with its bright acidity. When FrontStreet Coffee recommends coffee beans to beginners, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe coffee beans always top the recommendation list. Besides being excellent for pour-over coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe coffee beans are also used in the daily espresso drinks, where FrontStreet Coffee's Sunflower Warm Sunshine blend coffee beans contain 30% FrontStreet Coffee's sun-dried Yirgacheffe to add layers and berry notes, while the remaining 70% FrontStreet Coffee's Honduras Sherry provides body and aroma.

ETHIOPIA, YIRGACHEFFE, KOCHERE

FrontStreet Coffee · Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Kochere Coffee Beans

• Country: Ethiopia
• Region: Yirgacheffe
• Grade: G1
• Variety: Heirloom
• Altitude: 1650m~1800m
• Processing: Washed

In 1995, Ethiopia reorganized its administrative regions. The familiar Yirgacheffe area was planned as part of the Gedeo zone in the new SNNPR region. Currently, Yirgacheffe is located in central Gedeo, with Kochere situated about 25 miles north of the famous Yirgacheffe town. The production model mainly involves local smallholders delivering their batches to cooperatives for unified processing. For a long time, this area has been hailed as one of the finest origins for coffee in southern Ethiopia. Ethiopia has eight main coffee-producing regions: Nekempte(Lekempti), Gimbi, Limu, Illubabor, Djimma, Harrar, Teppi/Bebeka, Sidamo, and Yirgacheffe.

Regional Profile

Kochere is situated on a plateau at an altitude of 1650m~1800m. Ethiopia's main harvest season is November and December. Most farmers do not use modern cultivation methods; instead, they manually care for the coffee trees without using harmful pesticides or herbicides. Therefore, almost all Ethiopian coffee is organically grown by default, regardless of certification. The combination of original growing methods and precise processing has made coffee from this region world-famous. Neko farm owner mentioned: "This time, we didn't have time to prepare, but we will prepare for RFA organic certification during the next harvest."

Washed-processed coffee requires more resources (water) than natural processing, resulting in higher quality washed green coffee beans. The coffee beans are spread evenly on drying beds for proper ventilation, and to prevent over-fermentation, they are regularly turned.

Washed processing produces brighter acidity compared to natural processing, giving Yirgacheffe its "clean" taste. We prefer washed Yirgacheffe because it's clearer.

Flavor Profile: Fruity (rich fruitiness), Fresh Jasmine Aroma, Berries, Citric Acidic, Pineapple, Apple, Smooth, Clean, Long Aftertaste

Differences Between Washed and Natural FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Coffee - Part 1

Coffee beans must immediately enter processing after harvesting, or they will start fermenting and develop off-flavors. There are two processing methods: natural and washed, each creating different flavors.

Natural processed beans have complete natural richness, gentle aroma, and more mucilage; washed processing offers good richness, high aroma, and lively acidity.

Natural/Dried-in-the-Fruit Method:

The fruits begin sun-drying immediately after harvesting without any processing. This is the oldest existing processing method. The drying process typically takes about 4 weeks. The processing method must be very rigorous to ensure the coffee doesn't lose any flavor.

Fully Washed Method:

This method uses water and fermentation to remove the fruit pulp and mucilage. Farms using this method must build washing tanks and have access to continuous fresh water. During processing, the fermented beans are placed in the tank and moved back and forth, using the friction between beans and the power of flowing water to wash the coffee beans until they are smooth and clean.

After washing, the coffee beans are still encased in parchment with 50% moisture content and must be dried to reduce moisture to 12%, otherwise they will continue fermenting and become moldy and spoiled.

The better processing method is sun-drying, which takes 1-3 weeks, but the flavor is exceptional and well-loved.

Differences Between Washed and Natural FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Coffee - Part 2

Coffee Bean Appearance

Looking at two Ethiopian Yirgacheffe region beans from FrontStreet Coffee: the left is FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe Kochere, and the right is FrontStreet Coffee's natural Yirgacheffe Red Cherry.

Green beans: Generally, washed green beans are bluish-green, while natural green beans are yellowish-green.

From observing the silver skin, the washed processing method generally removes the silver skin from coffee beans during processing, presenting a special luster, while the dry processing method (natural method) only removes the coffee husk, leaving the silver skin completely intact.

Silver Skin/Chaff: Inside the parchment, there's an even thinner film wrapping the coffee beans. Due to its lustrous color with silver sheen, people习惯 call it "silver skin."

Green bean differences: Generally, washed green beans are bluish-green, natural green beans are yellowish-green.

Roasted beans: FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe has more silver skin, FrontStreet Coffee's natural Yirgacheffe has less silver skin.

Natural processed beans have relatively more outer silver skin, which is removed more thoroughly during roasting, so there's relatively less during grinding. Washed beans have more inner silver skin, which remains quite a bit after roasting, appearing more during grinding. Of course, this is directly related to roast degree - the darker the roast, the cleaner the silver skin removal.

To explore the taste of silver skin, FrontStreet Coffee's barista specially brewed a cup of silver skin to try, discovering it didn't have the heavy bitterness everyone mentioned. However, when silver skin is excessive, it can cause astringency, but if green beans are over-processed to remove silver skin, it can lead to flavor reduction. Moreover, washed beans definitely have silver skin in their center lines, but the question is whether that part necessarily produces obvious astringency - don't pick out all the silver skin completely.

Dry Aroma Differences:

FrontStreet Coffee's natural Yirgacheffe coffee: Light fermented wine aroma, spicy fragrance

FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe coffee: Jasmine floral aroma, lemon or lime acidic fragrance

Cupping

FrontStreet Coffee has a deep appreciation for Ethiopian coffee - the creamy berry notes of FrontStreet Coffee's Sidamo Hambela花魁 coffee, the citrus acidic fragrance of FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe coffee... the rich and diverse flavor profiles make Ethiopia a treasure trove in everyone's eyes.

FrontStreet Coffee's natural Yirgacheffe coffee: Natural processing is somewhat complex, with light fermented wine aroma, much richer fruitiness, honey sweetness, cocoa notes with hints of spice, full body and persistent aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe coffee: Washed processing produces brighter acidity, like citric acid, with cleaner taste, more prominent citrus aroma, and some black tea sensation in the finish.

Similarities: Both have fruit acidity, similar to lemon and citrus fruits.

Roasting Analysis

When FrontStreet Coffee's roasters roast FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe coffee beans, they generally choose light roast. This is because light roasting makes the tropical-grown Yirgacheffe's fruit aroma more obvious and rich, with entry-level acidity like apple's acidic fragrance. This acidity actually enhances the coffee's body, making the bitterness aromatic and memorable. Essentially, coffee is a fruit, and being able to maintain fruity sweet and sour flavors after high-temperature roasting is precisely the characteristic of FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe. This is also what FrontStreet Coffee's roasters believe - every coffee bean should be able to express the flavor of its origin region.

Roaster: Yangjia 600g Semi-direct flame

Using quick-roasting mode, enter beans at 200°C, air damper at 3. After 1 minute, adjust heat to 160°C, air damper unchanged. At 4'50'', temperature reaches 150°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy smell completely disappears, dehydration complete. Adjust heat to 130°C, air damper to 4. At 8 minutes, bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, toast aroma clearly transforms to coffee aroma - this can be defined as the prelude to first crack. Listen carefully for first crack sounds - at 8'20 first crack begins, reduce heat to 70°C, air damper fully open (adjust heat very carefully, not too small to stop crack sounds). Remove beans at 192°C.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe daily bean uses washed processing and medium-light roast, featuring classic Yirgacheffe flavor notes, suitable for pour-over, cold brew, French press, and other brewing methods. FrontStreet Coffee's daily bean series allows friends new to the coffee world to experience basic regional flavors at affordable prices, with small packaging design avoiding waste from unfinished coffee. If you want to taste the classic aroma of FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe, FrontStreet Coffee believes hand-brewed extracted black coffee is most suitable.

• Filter: V60
• Water Temperature: 92-93°C
• Dose: 15g
• Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
• Grind Size: Fine sugar size (78% retention in #20 sieve)

Three-pour method: Use twice the coffee weight of water to wet the coffee bed, forming a dome for 30s bloom. Then use small water flow to pour from inside to outside until 125g for the first pour. Wait until the coffee bed drops to half the filter cup level, continue with the same fine water flow for the third pour to 225g. Remove the filter cup when all coffee liquid has filtered through, taking about 2 minutes total.

When FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe daily bean coffee is 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 hand-brewed black coffee enters with bright lemon, citrus, and green tea notes. As the temperature changes, there are berry, cream, and sugarcane aftertastes, with obvious sweetness and clean, sweet taste.

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473