Sun-Dried Yirgacheffe Coffee Aricha Latest Harvest Period Pour-Over Brewing Guide

Many coffee enthusiasts, when first exploring specialty coffee, find themselves drawn in by a cup of Yirgacheffe coffee with its jasmine floral notes and lemon-citrus acidity, opening the door to a new world of coffee.

The Yirgacheffe Region of Ethiopia

The renowned Yirgacheffe is a small town in Ethiopia, situated at an altitude of approximately 1,700-2,200 meters. The lower temperatures cause coffee to grow relatively slowly, allowing sufficient time to accumulate more nutritional components and flavor compounds. Due to the unique flavor and high quality of the coffee beans produced, Ethiopian farmers take pride in their coffee bearing Yirgacheffe characteristics.

Originally, the Yirgacheffe region was under the administration of Ethiopia's Sidamo region. Later, due to its distinctive flavor and growing reputation, it became independent from the larger Sidamo region, establishing itself as the exclusive Yirgacheffe region. The town is shrouded in mist, spring-like throughout the four seasons, with gentle breezes that are cool but not cold, rainy but not damp, and winter brings no frost damage, making it exceptionally suitable for growing coffee crops.

Aricha Coffee's Championship Victory

Not far to the east of Yirgacheffe lies a village called Aricha kebele. Aricha is located approximately 8 kilometers from the center of Yirgacheffe town. Kebele is Ethiopia's smallest administrative unit, comprising about 500 households (equivalent to 3,500-4,000 people). Most of the coffee here comes from wild varieties in the local forests. Therefore, coffee varieties in this region are numerous, often containing 20-30 different varieties in a single batch. Since these are harvested from native forests above 1,850 meters altitude, they cannot be named after specific estates, so they are named after the harvesting area, Aricha. Due to the vast number of Ethiopian coffee varieties that cannot be individually identified and categorized, and for conservation reasons, the local government collectively refers to these varieties as "Heirloom native varieties."

The full name of the TOH competition is Taste of Harvest, a harvest season cupping competition initiated by the African Fine Coffee Association (AFCA). Similar to the Cup of Excellence (COE) competition, eight countries participate: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The competition is held annually during the African Fine Coffee Conference and Exhibition. TOH selects the highest quality green beans from each region, which are cupped and scored by domestic and international judges based on Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) standards.

Aricha coffee beans produced by the Adorsi processing station won the 2019 TOH natural process championship with a score of 91 points. The Adorsi processing station is owned by Testi Coffee, a coffee export company operated by the Yonis family, founded in 2009 by Faysel A. Yonis.

FrontStreet Coffee, through cupping the 2019 harvest Aricha coffee beans, found its rich flavors resembled a "fruit bomb." Upon entry, it presents soft citrus aromas with notes of berries and peaches, a smooth mouthfeel with milky notes, while also enveloping lemon and grape acidity. The aftertaste offers rich variations, with floral notes being the ultimate expression of this bean!

Coffee Varieties and Processing Methods

Aricha coffee beans are of the Heirloom variety, a name given to most Ethiopian coffee varieties. It is estimated that Ethiopia currently has approximately 10,000 to 15,000 heirloom varieties, most of which have not undergone formal genetic identification. Due to the numerous and complex nature of Ethiopian coffee bean varieties, complete categorization is extremely difficult. Additionally, for the conservation of various wild varieties, the local government decided to harvest and process different coffee bean varieties together, collectively naming them "Ethiopia Heirloom." This is also why Ethiopian beans, unlike those from some other regions, appear less uniform in size and shape, showing "varying sizes and different plumpness."

Natural processing is one of Ethiopia's oldest methods for processing green beans. Coffee cherries are immediately dried in the sun after harvesting, commonly found in areas with abundant sunlight or scarce water resources. Nearly 70% of Ethiopian coffee is processed using the natural method.

Natural processing steps: Freshly harvested red coffee cherries are manually sorted to remove defective beans and those that are overripe or insect-damaged, leaving only good beans. They are then transported to drying areas for processing. Different regions use different drying racks—some use waterproof tarps, raised beds, etc., but the most common is African drying beds. The drying process generally takes 27-30 days until the coffee turns dark purple and the moisture content drops to 11%. FrontStreet Coffee believes that natural processed coffee has higher sweetness and produces more berry-like flavor notes with a richer aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Natural Aricha Coffee Beans

Region: Yirgacheffe Aricha
Processing Station: Adorsi
Altitude: 1900-2000m
Processing Method: Natural
Grade: G1
Variety: Heirloom
Flavor: Dried fruit, strawberry, mango, apricot, lemon

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Reference

Light roast allows coffee beans to retain more floral and fruit aromas. Compared to medium-dark roast, lightly roasted coffee beans have a more compact internal structure, requiring higher water temperature and finer grinding to better extract the coffee's flavor compounds. FrontStreet Coffee uses hot water at 92-93°C for extraction. For grind size, FrontStreet Coffee uses a #20 standard sieve with 80% pass-through rate.

Since the precision, usage frequency, and maintenance level of each grinding device vary, even the same machine and setting may not produce coffee powder of the same consistency. FrontStreet Coffee suggests everyone equip themselves with a sieve. FrontStreet Coffee uses a Chinese #20 standard sieve, which not only determines the coffee powder's fineness but also helps adjust the grinder's setting standards.

FrontStreet Coffee's flavor descriptions for each coffee are based on freshly roasted beans. If coffee beans have been stored for over a month, some aroma may have been lost, making it difficult to achieve the original flavor profile during brewing. FrontStreet Coffee deeply understands the importance of freshness and therefore ensures only coffee beans roasted within 5 days are shipped, allowing everyone to enjoy the complete flavor window upon receipt.

For filter cup selection, FrontStreet Coffee believes that natural processed Aricha coffee should present rich flavor layers. FrontStreet Coffee's baristas use resin V60 filter cups. The V60 filter cup features flow ribs connecting the top and bottom and a large central hole, which accelerates water flow. The spiral-shaped air vent design extends the water flow path, increasing contact time between coffee grounds and hot water. Each water stream converges along the grooves toward the filter cup's center point, concentrating pressure on the coffee grounds and resulting in more layered extracted coffee.

Brewing Parameters and Steps

Below, FrontStreet Coffee demonstrates the brewing steps used in-store for Emerald Red Label Natural Geisha, which everyone can reference and compare with their own brewing approach.

Filter cup: V60
Water temperature: 91-92°C
Dose: 15g
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:16
Grind size: Fine sugar consistency (80% pass-through with #20 sieve)
Three-stage extraction: First, pour 15g of coffee powder into the filter cup and zero the scale. The first stage injects 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, starting the timer simultaneously. Use a small water stream, starting from the center point and spiraling outward, ensuring the entire coffee bed is moistened.

For the second stage, use a slightly larger water stream to inject 120g of water, aiming to raise the entire coffee bed. The water column needs to be poured vertically and evenly, with the scale showing 150g at this point, completed in approximately 55 seconds.

When the liquid level drops to halfway, begin the third stage by injecting 90g of water with a small stream in small circles, trying to control the water stream to avoid creating large circles that could disrupt the coffee bed and cause under-extraction. The final water injection totals 240g, with the dripping completion time around 2 minutes and 10 seconds. After removing the filter cup, shake the coffee liquid in the serving pot evenly before tasting.

When brewing this Aricha coffee, you can smell the full aroma of ripe fruits. Upon entry, there are distinct fermented notes and green grapes. As the temperature slightly decreases, lemon acidity and creamy smoothness emerge, with the finish featuring the juicy sensation of ripe grapes.

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

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Important Notice :

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