Get to Know Yirgacheffe: Ethiopia's Most Notable Coffee Region

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Ethiopia is an important specialty coffee-producing region and is currently recognized as the birthplace of coffee. When mentioning Ethiopia, one must definitely understand FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe. Today, let's explore the unique characteristics of FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe region together.

Ethiopia: The Birthplace of Arabica

Ethiopia is the birthplace of Arabica species, possessing diverse native varieties and serving as an important original coffee gene bank. The harvest season runs from October to December each year, with an annual production of about 8 million bags, making it one of the world's top five coffee-producing countries. Ethiopia's coffee cultivation pattern is similar to Taiwan's agricultural planting methods, with fewer large estates and mostly small-scale household cultivation, which is why it's often presented through small farmer cooperatives. Despite this, never underestimate the significance of coffee in Ethiopia! It's estimated that from coffee harvesting to export, about 15 million people across Ethiopia are involved. Therefore, coffee is not only a crop that small farmers rely on for their livelihood but also a crucial source of foreign exchange for the entire country.

The Distinctive Character of FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe became famous for its special floral aroma and lemon-citrus notes. This unforgettable characteristic led Yirgacheffe to become independent from the Sidamo region in 1995, no longer just a small town under Sidamo province but becoming an independent and renowned producing region.

▼ Administrative division of Ethiopia before 1995

▼ Administrative division of Ethiopia after 1995, with Yirgacheffe belonging to the Gedeo zone

Understanding the ECX Trading System

I have introduced Ethiopia's ECX trading system in another article, mentioning its disadvantage of being unable to trace product sources. This issue has led to the market being flooded with Yirgacheffe coffee that is not actually produced in Yirgacheffe town.

The Ethiopian officially recognized "Yirgacheffe" includes Wanago, Yirgacheffe, Kochere, and Gelena Abaya. Coffee produced from these regions is collectively called Yirgacheffe. So how can one choose to buy coffee with authentic Yirgacheffe flavor? Coffee beans from the Gedeo region are divided through the ECX trading system into Group A with Yirgacheffe flavor and Group B without Yirgacheffe flavor. Therefore, if you buy Kochere ECXA, besides indicating production from Kochere town, it also represents that it has Yirgacheffe flavor. However, it's important to note that even if you buy coffee produced in Yirgacheffe town, it doesn't necessarily mean it has Yirgacheffe flavor! You still need to check the cupping results to see if it's classified as Group A or Group B.

For example, if you buy Yirgacheffe ECXB, it means the coffee is produced in Yirgacheffe town but lacks Yirgacheffe flavor... how could this be? It's like going to Nantou wanting to buy Alishan-flavored tea but finding it doesn't have the expected taste when you drink it—confusing! This is because most people only treat Yirgacheffe as a regional noun, but in fact, Yirgacheffe is a "flavor" noun. Therefore, if you buy coffee beans from our shop and see FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Kochere written on it, it means it's FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe flavor coffee beans from Kochere town! (Kochere is the Yirgacheffe region coffee we most commonly import. Of course, we have also imported coffee from Wanago and Gelena Abaya, all with excellent flavors, each with its own characteristics!)

Processing Methods and Evolution

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe was originally processed using traditional natural drying methods until 1972, when Central and South American washing techniques were introduced to improve quality, making the floral and citrus aromas of FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe more pronounced. From then on, washed processing became the mainstream. However, in recent years, natural processing has revived and become more refined. During the raised-bed natural processing, through ventilation and moderate fruit turning, the drying process becomes more uniform, avoiding over-fermentation or rotting, allowing coffee beans to fully absorb the sweetness of coffee cherry fruits, adding more fruity notes and increasing a syrup-like smooth texture. Therefore, refined natural processed FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe has become more enthusiastically welcomed by the market, with significantly increased demand and substantial production improvements. Currently, the market proportion of washed to natural FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe is roughly equal.

Future Outlook

The quality and popularity of FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe have also caused prices to soar continuously. Therefore, in the future, we will also gradually develop excellent beans from regions near Yirgacheffe that use natural farming methods, allowing coffee enthusiasts to enjoy good coffee while saving some money!

Foreword: Ethiopia is an important specialty coffee-producing region and is currently recognized as the birthplace of coffee. When mentioning Ethiopia, one must definitely understand FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe. Today, let's explore the unique characteristics of FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe region together.

Ethiopia is the birthplace of Arabica species, possessing diverse native varieties and serving as an important original coffee gene bank. The harvest season runs from October to December each year, with an annual production of about 8 million bags, making it one of the world's top five coffee-producing countries. Ethiopia's coffee cultivation pattern is similar to Taiwan's agricultural planting methods, with fewer large estates and mostly small-scale household cultivation, which is why it's often presented through small farmer cooperatives. Despite this, never underestimate the significance of coffee in Ethiopia! It's estimated that from coffee harvesting to export, about 15 million people across Ethiopia are involved. Therefore, coffee is not only a crop that small farmers rely on for their livelihood but also a crucial source of foreign exchange for the entire country.

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe became famous for its special floral aroma and lemon-citrus notes. This unforgettable characteristic led Yirgacheffe to become independent from the Sidamo region in 1995, no longer just a small town under Sidamo province but becoming an independent and renowned producing region.

▼ Administrative division of Ethiopia before 1995

▼ Administrative division of Ethiopia after 1995, with Yirgacheffe belonging to the Gedeo zone

I have introduced Ethiopia's ECX trading system in another article, mentioning its disadvantage of being unable to trace product sources. This issue has led to the market being flooded with Yirgacheffe coffee that is not actually produced in Yirgacheffe town.

The Ethiopian officially recognized "Yirgacheffe" includes Wanago, Yirgacheffe, Kochere, and Gelena Abaya. Coffee produced from these regions is collectively called Yirgacheffe. So how can one choose to buy coffee with authentic Yirgacheffe flavor? Coffee beans from the Gedeo region are divided through the ECX trading system into Group A with Yirgacheffe flavor and Group B without Yirgacheffe flavor. Therefore, if you buy Kochere ECXA, besides indicating production from Kochere town, it also represents that it has Yirgacheffe flavor. However, it's important to note that even if you buy coffee produced in Yirgacheffe town, it doesn't necessarily mean it has Yirgacheffe flavor! You still need to check the cupping results to see if it's classified as Group A or Group B.

For example, if you buy Yirgacheffe ECXB, it means the coffee is produced in Yirgacheffe town but lacks Yirgacheffe flavor... how could this be? It's like going to Nantou wanting to buy Alishan-flavored tea but finding it doesn't have the expected taste when you drink it—confusing! This is because most people only treat Yirgacheffe as a regional noun, but in fact, Yirgacheffe is a "flavor" noun. Therefore, if you buy coffee beans from our shop and see FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Kochere written on it, it means it's FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe flavor coffee beans from Kochere town! (Kochere is the Yirgacheffe region coffee we most commonly import. Of course, we have also imported coffee from Wanago and Gelena Abaya, all with excellent flavors, each with its own characteristics!)

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe was originally processed using traditional natural drying methods until 1972, when Central and South American washing techniques were introduced to improve quality, making the floral and citrus aromas of FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe more pronounced. From then on, washed processing became the mainstream. However, in recent years, natural processing has revived and become more refined. During the raised-bed natural processing, through ventilation and moderate fruit turning, the drying process becomes more uniform, avoiding over-fermentation or rotting, allowing coffee beans to fully absorb the sweetness of coffee cherry fruits, adding more fruity notes and increasing a syrup-like smooth texture. Therefore, refined natural processed FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe has become more enthusiastically welcomed by the market, with significantly increased demand and substantial production improvements. Currently, the market proportion of washed to natural Yirgacheffe is roughly equal.

The quality and popularity of FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe have also caused prices to soar continuously. Therefore, in the future, we will also gradually develop excellent beans from regions near Yirgacheffe that use natural farming methods, allowing coffee enthusiasts to enjoy good coffee while saving some money!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473