Yirgacheffe Coffee Growing Region Gedeo Zone Coffee Cultivation Regional Story Flavor Characteristics

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What is Yirgacheffe Coffee?

Yirgacheffe coffee beans were originally defined as coffee beans produced in a town called Yirgacheffe within Ethiopia.

Most coffee enthusiasts are probably no stranger to Ethiopia. It is the birthplace of Arabica and one of the world's most important native/wild coffee gene banks. Most of the production within the country is presented in the form of small farmer cooperatives, with the harvest season from October to December each year.

Yirgacheffe is Ethiopia's most famous producing region, located in the Gedeo region of southern Ethiopia as a small producing area. The harvested coffee beans all come from local small coffee farmers, which can be said to gather the efforts of many small coffee farmers. Initially, Yirgacheffe coffee beans were not impressive because the beans were small and did not conform to the public concept that "bigger is better." However, coffee lovers who have tasted Yirgacheffe were amazed—coffee could actually have such obvious floral aroma and lemon-citrus notes, leaving a deep impression. For this reason, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe became increasingly famous, becoming world-renowned along with the third wave of specialty coffee.

Traditional Processing Methods

Yirgacheffe is not only the most popular in specialty coffee. Lot 1 Natural, Ethiopian traditional refined natural sun-drying processing method. After the processing plant selects usable coffee cherries, the coffee cherries with complete pulp and skin are placed on elevated racks for sun-drying treatment. It is precisely this high-intensity labor-intensive rack-drying method that isolates contact with the ground, prevents earthy off-flavors during the sun-drying process, and creates exceptionally clean fruit flavors. After more than two weeks of sun-drying, the dark brown coffee cherries are professionally stored, waiting for the full maturation of flavors. Before shipment, the processing plant only then removes the coffee beans from the coffee cherries—the sweetness可想而知 (can be imagined).

Green Bean Analysis

Yirgacheffe Grading System

Green bean grading levels: Q1 is the highest level, followed by Q2.

Commonly available domestically are only G1-G4 classifications. Whether washed or natural beans, choosing G1 should result in fewer defects and delicious coffee beans.

The grade quality of the beans themselves has even further classification methods by ECX. Not the familiar "Yirgacheffe G1" or "Yirgacheffe G2" that you know. Freshly harvested coffee beans must first undergo primary grading. Coffee beans receiving G1-G3 ratings will then be further divided into Q1 and Q2 grades based on SCAA cupping quality assessment.

Red Cherry Project

Brief Introduction:

The Red Cherry Project is a local small-scale quality improvement project that encourages local coffee farmers to produce high-quality coffee beans.

Before the harvest period, OLP (Local Producer Organization) invites local coffee farmers to participate in producing 100% fully mature coffee beans that have undergone multiple manual selections in micro-batches.

OLP also maintains coffee bean quality through safe and stable transportation processes and timely, appropriate processing procedures.

Natural processing is a quite typical coffee refining process in the local area.

In the Konga area, there are many farmer associations and private processing plants. Additionally, due to the Konga River flowing through, everyone calls it Konga Station.

To differentiate and clarify this specific region, the name 'Wotte Konga Washing Station' is used.

The Gedeo Region

The Gedeo people (commonly known as Darasa people) are classified as a culturally and linguistically distinct ethnic group. They border Sidama to the east, Alaba to the north, Burji to the west, and Guji to the south. All ethnic groups here belong to the Eastern African Cushitic language family and have historically used the upper cliff walls of the northern Sidamo Great Rift Valley graben as their main area of activity. To this day, the Gedeo region remains one of Ethiopia's most densely populated areas.

The Gedeo region has world-famous Yirgacheffe and Sidamo coffee beans. The Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU), established in 2002, has 24 primary cooperatives and over 50,000 farmers. The Adado cooperative with 1,250 members is one of them. This farm is situated in lush mountainous areas, with coffee gardens distributed at high altitudes between 2,000 and 2,400 meters. Gedeo traditional agriculture involves intercropping coffee and enset (Ethiopian banana), keeping the soil fertile.

About FrontStreet Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online shop services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473