Sun-Dried Yirgacheffe Aricha | The Formerly Global Sensation "Fruit Bomb" Coffee Still Shines Today

For professional barista exchanges, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

ETHIOPIA, YIRGACHEFFE, Aricha

FrontStreet Coffee · Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Aricha G1

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Yirgacheffe, Gediyo

Processing Station: Aricha Processing Station

Altitude: 1900-2100 meters

Variety: Heirloom local native varieties

Processing Method: Natural

01 | Region Introduction

Unique Geographical Environment

Yirgacheffe is a small town in Ethiopia with an altitude of 1700-2100 meters, making it one of the highest altitude coffee-growing regions in the world and synonymous with Ethiopian specialty coffee. Lakes Turkana, Abaya, and Chamo bring abundant water vapor to this area. The Rift Valley, represented by Misty Valley, is filled with year-round mist, spring-like seasons, gentle breezes, and cool, humid conditions. Thousands of coffee tree varieties thrive and multiply here, cultivating the unique terroir of FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe, where floral and fruit aromas intertwine ambiguously and change unpredictably.

In the Yirgacheffe region, there are many high-quality coffee processing stations. Many coffees have become hundred times more valuable due to being processed at these stations. The natural processed Yirgacheffe from Kebel Aricha Mill is one of them. This FrontStreet Coffee natural processed Yirgacheffe coffee, which we often call ARICHA beans, is processed by Kebel Aricha Processing Station using refined natural methods and classified as Gr.1 or G1 (the highest grade of Ethiopian coffee) by ECX, earning it the title "King of Fruits."

Kebel Aricha Processing Station is located in the Gedeo region of southern Ethiopia, which governs the well-known areas of Yirgacheffe and Kochere. Aricha Processing Station is situated in the Yirgacheffe urban area, with a small place called Guji located four kilometers to the west—precisely the most popular Sidamo-Guji sub-region in recent years. Aricha Processing Station is owned by Mr. Surafel Birhanu, with approximately 650-750 small coffee farmers nearby who deliver ripe coffee cherries for processing in exchange for cash.

Aricha Processing Station produces approximately 5 containers (18.2 metric tons/20') of specialty coffee annually, divided into 10 commercial grades and sold to global coffee markets. Aricha Processing Station is located in Misty Valley, the most famous micro-region of Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. Originally the most well-known washed processing station locally, in recent years, due to its excellent natural processing techniques, Yirgacheffe Aricha's reputation has spread even further. With charming flavors and rich tropical fruit tastes, it's no wonder that numerous coffee enthusiasts are captivated by it! The microclimate and terroir of the Yirgacheffe region have become the optimal formula for studying specialty coffee bean cultivation. Natural organic farming methods, suitable climate, and fertile humus soil all provide superior conditions for coffee fruit growth, making it quite unique.

The Misty Valley region has an altitude of approximately 1900-2000 meters. Aricha was originally named Idido, owned at that time by the renowned Abdullah Bagersh. Coffee produced by Bagersh was labeled as Idido Misty Valley (IMV), with burlap bags prominently marked with the Bagersh name, almost guaranteeing top-quality Ethiopian coffee. Well-known representative works include extremely limited batch beans collaborated with America's Ninety Plus - Aricha, Beloya, and even general washed and natural Yirgacheffe series have received excellent reviews.

Although today's Aricha/Idido washed processing station is no longer owned by Abdullah Bagersh, according to Sweet Maria's visits, since most local employees were retained, Bagersh's processing procedures and standards are largely preserved, maintaining quality.

This batch of FrontStreet Coffee natural processed Yirgacheffe is produced at Kebel Aricha Processing Station, with approximately 650-700 small coffee farmers nearby who deliver ripe coffee cherries for processing in exchange for cash. After the processing station selects usable cherries, they are placed directly on racks for sun-drying. For the first few days of drying, cherries are turned every 2-3 hours to prevent over-fermentation. After four to six weeks of natural processing, workers remove the outer fruit pulp by machine depending on weather and temperature conditions, then transport to Addis for storage. Usually, natural processed beans are stored in parchment form until dehulling before export to ensure green bean quality. This batch of FrontStreet Coffee natural processed Aricha is classified as G1 highest grade by ECX, with excellent appearance, consistency, freshness, dry aroma, and flavor. If you love bright acidity and rich berry flavors, you absolutely cannot miss this!

02 | Processing Method

Every coffee from this processing station can be considered high-quality refined processed coffee, exhibiting characteristics superior to other coffees. Regardless of the processing method used, coffee beans from here can be considered the best coffee in the Yirgacheffe region.

Traditional Ethiopian natural processing methods are rather crude with heavy impurities, which has been criticized. In 1959, the Yirgacheffe region introduced South American washed processing methods. Most regions generally use washed processing—coffee cherries are peeled, then fermented and washed to remove the mucilage layer, followed by drying.

Some coffee processing stations in the region use refined raised-bed natural processing. This labor-intensive raised-bed drying method prevents coffee cherries from contact with the ground, avoiding earthy impurities during natural processing and creating exceptionally clean fruit flavors. After more than two weeks of natural processing, dark brown coffee cherries are professionally stored, awaiting full flavor maturation. Before sales, the dried cherry pulp and parchment are removed, followed by elimination of unripe and over-fermented beans. Strict quality control significantly improves the quality of natural processed beans.

03 | Green Bean Analysis

This natural processed FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe coffee has slightly larger particles, with slightly lower density and moisture content.

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Aricha G1 (Yirgacheffe Aricha Grade 1) green beans have a yellow-green color, typical of natural processed coffee, with uniform and full particles and few defective beans.

Exported in regular burlap packaging printed with basic coffee information (processing station, exporter, ICO code, processing method, region). Inside the burlap bags are agricultural packaging plastic bags. This FrontStreet Coffee natural processed Yirgacheffe coffee best exhibits its characteristics using light slow roasting methods.

04 | Roasting Analysis

Beans with such splendid flavors are naturally not suitable for medium-dark roasting. Therefore, this FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe natural processed Aricha coffee is best roasted using light slow roasting methods to showcase its rounded and sweet characteristics with rich floral and fruit aromas.

Hard bean coffee grows at relatively high altitudes, while coffee growing at lower altitudes is generally considered soft bean coffee. Higher altitudes and lower temperatures cause fruits to mature more slowly, forming harder, less porous coffee beans. Coffee beans growing above 1200 meters altitude are called hard beans.

Hard beans have better heat absorption capacity (response to heat) than soft beans, resulting in more complete flavor development. On the other hand, hard beans have high density and moisture content, which also hinders heat transfer. (During roasting, higher heat and higher drop temperatures are needed).

Roasting Method: Extend the roasting time longer, so adjust heat once when dehydration is complete, open the air damper to maximum when first crack begins, and drop after 1'48'' development.

Roaster: Yangjia 600g semi-direct heat

Using fast frying mode, preheat to 200°C, air damper set to 3.5. After 1 minute, adjust heat to 160°C, air damper unchanged. At 148°C, adjust heat down to 130°C, roast to 5'03", temperature 151°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, dehydration complete. Adjust heat to 105°C, air damper to 4.

At the 8th minute, bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, toast aroma clearly transitions to coffee aroma, definable as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for first crack sounds. At 9'07" first crack begins, adjust heat down to 70°C, air damper fully open (adjust heat very carefully, not so low as to stop cracking sounds), drop at 194°C.

Roast: Light roast

Cupping:

Roast one: strawberry, raspberry, vanilla, honeydew, juicy

Strawberry, raspberry, vanilla, honey, fruit juice

Rounded and sweet, with rich floral and fruit aromas, prominent after-sweetness, weaker acidity, overall presenting a gentle, red wine character.

Wet Aroma: Ripe berries, fermented fruit wine aroma

From the extremely smooth entry to the delicate body thickness, the emergence of ripe fruit's sweet and sour flavors is truly amazing. The sweetness exceeds any FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe previously tasted. The aftertaste performance is also excellent, worthy of being called "fruit bomb." Basically guaranteed to feel sweetness in the mouth for half an hour after drinking.

04 | Brewing Analysis

FrontStreet Coffee Natural Processed Yirgacheffe Brewing Method

Regarding brewing methods, pour-over and siphon brewing are optimal. During grinding, you can smell the overwhelming natural processed fruit aroma with distinct sweetness.

Gentle and elegant, sweet and lovely. FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Natural Processed Aricha emits extremely complex aromas, displaying exceptionally excellent mouthfeel that is difficult to describe.

V60 dripper, 15g coffee, water temperature 87°C, grind setting 4, water-to-coffee ratio close to 1:15

31g water for bloom, bloom time 29s

Segments: Pour water to 99ml, pause, slowly pour to 230ml

That is 31-99-100

Mouthfeel: Obvious strawberry fruit acidity, tea-like sensation in the finish

I've always felt that natural processed bean roasting and brewing techniques are very challenging, but their unique rich fruit fermentation flavors also fascinate many enthusiasts. This FrontStreet Coffee Natural Processed Yirgacheffe Aricha, after V60 pour-over extraction, presents a unique translucent orange-red color with sweet and sour fruit flavors. From hot to cold, different levels of drinking experience emerge. After drinking, the residual aroma in the empty cup should reveal wine-like fruit aromas.

To learn coffee brewing, one must also learn coffee tasting and try different types of coffee. Yes, different types of coffee.

Today let's discuss, as complete beginners who know nothing about coffee, how we can gradually step-by-step taste a cup of FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe coffee.

How to properly taste FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe?

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe has a characteristic—citrus flavors, but this is very general, a regional characteristic. Coffee beans also have different tastes due to different processing methods.

Coffee beans must immediately enter processing after harvest, otherwise they will start fermenting and produce off-flavors. There are two processing methods: "natural method" and "washed method," which create different flavors.

Natural method beans have complete natural mellow flavors, gentle aromas, and more body; washed method has good mellow flavors, high aromatics, and lively acidity.

Tasting single-origin FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe is divided into seven steps:

1. Smell the dry aroma of coffee

FrontStreet Coffee washed Yirgacheffe often has floral and fruit-type dry aromas, lemon fragrance; FrontStreet Coffee natural processed Yirgacheffe often has wine aroma, floral aroma, fruit aroma and other rich smells.

2. Perceive the mouthfeel

When coffee liquid enters the mouth, stimulating taste buds, use the tongue to feel the coffee liquid, experiencing the sensation of the mouth being impacted.

In professional coffee tasting, this indicator is also called mouthfeel, visually explained as water versus syrup or milk. Syrup and milk have thicker texture than water. If it's FrontStreet Coffee washed Yirgacheffe (light roast), it tastes very watery. FrontStreet Coffee natural processed Yirgacheffe, due to the fullness and richness of the body, can also be understood as a viscous sensation.

Smoothness refers to the silky feeling, similar to drinking milk. Usually very smooth coffee, when entering the mouth for a moment, feels rounded and natural when passing through the throat, effortless. Poor quality coffee feels unsmooth when swallowing, giving the throat a tight and rough sensation.

Coffee smoothness has a certain relationship with thickness, sometimes collectively called "thickness and smoothness." The more mellow the coffee, the more obvious the corresponding smoothness.

3. Understand cleanliness

If coffee has some astringency, powdery feeling, or earthy notes, such coffee is considered unclean in cupping. High cleanliness can make tasting easy and pleasant. FrontStreet Coffee washed Yirgacheffe's mouthfeel will be clean and clear.

4. Understand acidity

Sweet and acidic substances in coffee are the material components of coffee flavor complexity. Although FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe carries acidity, it's a very comfortable and rounded acidity that comes with sweetness. FrontStreet Coffee washed Yirgacheffe contains rich acidic flavors like citrus, berries, etc.

5. Feel sweetness

Sweetness is perhaps the simplest and most intuitive aspect of coffee tasting. A good single-origin coffee has almost no bitterness, making sweetness more obvious.

Sweetness is liked and accepted by everyone. Pleasant and lively sweetness pairs well with acidity. When we drink coffee with excellent sweetness paired with lively acidity, achieving sweet-sour balance and sweet-sour transformation.

FrontStreet Coffee natural processed Yirgacheffe with sweetness is like a fruit, containing fructose in the coffee beans, sweet like sucrose, brown sugar, caramel, creating a mouth-watering sensation.

6. Taste the Flavor

When coffee enters the mouth, you can feel its flavors, usually distinguishing the coffee's sweet, salty, sour, and bitter notes.

7. Perceive the aftertaste

Coffee always has a flavor that returns from the throat after drinking, called "aftertaste" or "return sweetness." If it makes the mouth feel dry, it's generally called "dry throat."

FrontStreet Coffee natural processed Yirgacheffe's aftertaste is very persistent and clear. A coffee with good aftertaste allows the aroma to linger longer in the mouth, with a more extended finish.

FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Natural Processed Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans Aricha G1 Imported Specialty Single-Origin Roasted

Purchase link: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.5-c-s.w4002-15673140460.47.74ad26dbYsFCgG&id=523032432719

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473