How to Select Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans? Aroma and Flavor Characteristics of Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans

The Surprising Acidity of Coffee: Discovering Yirgacheffe

Unlike classic premium coffee bean flavors, the older generation of coffee enthusiasts preferred coffee beans with nutty notes and subdued acidity. Young people who have developed the stereotype that coffee is "bitter" are often amazed when they first try specialty coffee, exclaiming: "So coffee can be acidic, and even carries some very fresh flavors."

FrontStreet Coffee has encountered some novice coffee enthusiasts who don't know the names of coffee beans but can always describe them as having light white floral aromas, being acidic, with a clean and bright mouthfeel. Hearing these important characteristics, FrontStreet Coffee's barista can quickly identify that this describes the characteristics of washed Yirgacheffe coffee beans.

While it's true that if you want to taste floral notes in coffee, Panama Geisha coffee shouldn't be missed. However, compared to Panama Geisha's three-digit price tag, Yirgacheffe coffee, which also carries floral notes, is undoubtedly the king of value for money.

Ethiopia: The Birthplace of Coffee

As the recognized birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia occupies an important position on the bean list blackboard at FrontStreet Coffee stores. Many coffee beans such as Dorothy, Gedeb, Red Cherry, Worka, and Konga all belong to the Yirgacheffe region, showing how significant the Yirgacheffe region is in Ethiopia's grand coffee landscape.

Today, the Yirgacheffe coffee region is one of the core Arabica coffee bean producing regions in Ethiopia. This region was formerly part of the Sidamo region. Because the coffee beans produced near the Yirgacheffe town area carry elegant and unique floral and citrus notes, farmers throughout the entire Sidamo region and even Ethiopia's coffee-growing areas began claiming their coffee beans were Yirgacheffe coffee beans. Consequently, the Yirgacheffe region was separated and became its own coffee-producing region. Today, more and more people distinguish between the Yirgacheffe and Sidamo regions.

In multiple articles about Ethiopia by FrontStreet Coffee, it's mentioned that the classic Yirgacheffe flavor is "unique floral notes, citrus tones." Even Taiwanese specialty coffee master Han Huaizong describes it in his book "Specialty Coffee Studies": "When the coffee enters the mouth, a hundred flowers bloom."

Understanding Yirgacheffe Processing Methods

Interestingly, many coffee enthusiasts find themselves confused when looking at the words "Yirgacheffe" on the bean shelves at FrontStreet Coffee stores. The dazzling array of processing station names and processing methods leaves many people feeling dizzy and unsure how to proceed.

In the 1970s, the local government introduced the washed processing method from Central and South America to improve the quality of raw coffee beans. After removing the skin and pulp from ripe coffee cherries, clean water is used to wash away the mucilage layer on the outside of the parchment beans.

This approach improved the quality of raw coffee beans, making the coffee flavors fresher and the mouthfeel cleaner and brighter. Without the fermentation and penetration of excessive sugars from the fruit pulp into the raw coffee beans, the unique basic flavor characteristics of the region become clear and distinct. The inherent elegant and unique floral notes in Yirgacheffe coffee beans become easily recognizable.

FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Selection

As a globally renowned and distinctive specialty coffee-producing region, Yirgacheffe has one representative in FrontStreet Coffee's seven classic producing regions' daily bean series. Often, people trying specialty coffee for the first time don't know what flavor of coffee beans they like. FrontStreet Coffee's daily bean series allows more coffee enthusiasts to quickly understand the basic characteristics of each region at affordable prices.

Many Ethiopia enthusiasts deeply love Yirgacheffe coffee beans, but they find themselves contemplating again when faced with processing methods. The introduction of washed processing indeed greatly improved the quality of raw coffee beans in the Yirgacheffe region. Due to the unique flavor of washed Yirgacheffe, the entire Yirgacheffe region sparked a trend toward washed beans. It wasn't until a local coffee merchant missed the traditional natural coffee bean flavor and improved the natural processing method that the trend for natural processing blew through the Yirgacheffe region again.

FrontStreet Coffee's bean shelves feature both natural and washed processed Yirgacheffe coffee beans. Among them, washed Gedeb and natural Red Cherry attract many coffee enthusiasts.

Gedeb is the name of a coffee-growing village within the Yirgacheffe region, as well as a coffee processing station. The Gedeb Cooperative was established in 2012, and many members of this cooperative were formerly members of the Worka Cooperative. Given that the Worka Cooperative is large-scale and well-known locally, this speaks volumes about the Gedeb Cooperative's technical expertise in processing raw coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee's washed Gedeb coffee beans offer elegant white floral aromas, citrus acidity, with a green tea-like sensation that is fresh and delightful.

Special Processing Methods

In recent years, special processing methods have become popular, and this trend has also reached Ethiopia. FrontStreet Coffee offers a coffee bean from the Ansorola processing station in the Yirgacheffe region that uses enzyme-washed processing. Dorothy's rich fruit tea flavor instantly captured many coffee enthusiasts seeking fruit flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee's Dorothy presents intense peach oolong tea flavors upon entry, followed by emerging citrus acidity and subtle white floral notes, with honey-like sweetness appearing at the finish. This coffee bean receives positive feedback whether brewed cold or hot.

Brewing and Roasting Approach

Since Ethiopian coffee is famous for its bright citrus acidity, FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-light roasting when roasting Yirgacheffe coffee beans to preserve their bright acidity and elegant floral notes.

When FrontStreet Coffee prepares Yirgacheffe coffee, the brewing parameters are as follows:

Filter: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 90°C
Dose: 15g
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: 80% passing through China standard #20 sieve

FrontStreet Coffee ships coffee beans roasted within 5 days. Many people receive their beans when the coffee beans have just undergone a 4-7 day degassing period, right at their peak flavor window. However, at this time, the coffee beans still contain rich carbon dioxide gas. FrontStreet Coffee recommends performing a blooming step during brewing to promote the release of carbon dioxide. The blooming time is typically around 30 seconds, specifically observing the expansion of the coffee bed.

Pour 30g of hot water for blooming for 30 seconds. Starting from the center, pour in a fine stream and slowly spiral outward to 125g. When the water level in the filter cup drops to just about to expose the coffee bed, continue spiraling to 225g. Total extraction time is approximately 2 minutes.

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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