Introduction to Yirgacheffe Worka Cooperative G1 Coffee Beans - Washed Yirgacheffe Pour-Over Coffee Flavor and Taste

Yirgacheffe Worka Washed G1

FrontStreet Coffee: Yirgacheffe · Washed Worka

Country: Ethiopia
Grade: G1
Region: Worka
Roast Level: Light Roast
Processing Method: Washed
Variety: Local Heirloom
Processing Station: Worka Cooperative
Flavor Notes: Lemon, Kumquat, White Grape Juice

01 | Region Introduction

Yirgacheffe is actually a small town in the southern region of Ethiopia. Originally managed by the Sidamo state, it later distinguished itself through the establishment of washing stations, which gave rise to its distinctive "Yirgacheffe flavor." Since then, it has become an independent representative region and has gained prominence throughout the coffee world.

Located in the Gedeo zone, the town of Yirgacheffe sits downstream from large lakes, with abundant springs and river channels flowing through, providing ample freshwater resources for washing stations. FrontStreet Coffee also noted that in the ancient Ethiopian language, the English "Yirgacheffe" consists of two words: Yerga (ይርጋ) meaning calm or settled, and Č̣äfe (ጨፌ) referring to marsh-like wetlands. Therefore, Yirgacheffe carries the meaning of "let us settle and thrive in this wetland."

Yirgacheffe (Specialty Region): Altitude 1,800-2,000 meters | Garden Coffee System

Originally part of the Sidamo region, Yirgacheffe was separated due to its unique flavor profile. Besides the town of Yirgacheffe itself, it includes three surrounding sub-regions: Wenago, Kochere, and Gelena Abaya.

Within Yirgacheffe, there are numerous villages, micro-regions, cooperatives, and processing stations. In most parts of Ethiopia, coffee farmers still face significant hardships and lack the capacity to build family-style processing workshops. This has led to the emergence of many processing stations that centrally purchase coffee cherries from surrounding small farmers for processing and then sell them to green bean suppliers.

Coffee trees are mostly planted in farmers' backyards or intercropped with other crops in farmland. Each household's yield is limited, making it a typical garden coffee. Award-winning Yirgacheffe beans almost always come from these coffee villages and communities. The so-called "Yirgacheffe flavor" that baristas refer to describes intense jasmine fragrance, lemon or lime acidity, along with peach, almond sweetness, or tea notes. Beyond the floral aromas, the delicate body creates a marvelous sensation, like silk massaging the palate. Today, many coffee chemists have begun studying the microclimate and soil conditions of Yirgacheffe to derive cultivation formulas for specialty coffee.

Strictly speaking, Yirgacheffe is part of Ethiopia's Sidamo province, located to the northwest of Sidamo, surrounded by mountains and lakes, making it one of Ethiopia's highest-altitude coffee-growing regions. Yirgacheffe itself is a small town with about 20,000 inhabitants. The three adjacent small regions—Wenago, Kochere, and Gelena Abaya—produce coffee with flavors virtually identical to Yirgacheffe, so they are classified under the same Yirgacheffe regional designation. However, the production methods and flavors here are so outstanding that Ethiopian coffee farmers compete to have their coffee bear the Yirgacheffe flavor as a mark of pride. Consequently, it separated from the Sidamo region to become its own distinctive entity and has become Africa's most renowned coffee region.

02 | Worka Cooperative

This bean comes from a single farm in Ethiopia, processed by the Worka Cooperative. Alemayehu Alako Farm is a member of the Worka Cooperative.

The Worka Cooperative was established in 2005 and joined the renowned Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU) that same year, becoming known for producing high-quality natural processed Yirgacheffe coffee. The Worka Cooperative has approximately 300 coffee farmers as members. YCFCU was founded in 2002 and includes 26 other cooperatives, serving over 45,000 coffee farmers.

Worka is located in the southeasternmost part of Yirgacheffe, in the Gedeb region. In earlier years, coffee produced in this area was exported under the Worka name or processed by the Worka Cooperative. However, in the past two to three years, individual single-origin sources have been discovered one by one by coffee hunters worldwide, such as Banko Gotiti, Banko Dadhato, and Halo Bariti. Gotiti village was one of the first village areas to be independently established a few years ago, with many individual small-scale farmers originally being members of the Worka Cooperative, naturally possessing excellent coffee production skills.

03 | Processing Method

The refined processing method in the Yirgacheffe region is predominantly the washed method. After being placed in washing tanks for approximately 72 hours, fermentation removes the pulp. Some of the acids produced during the mucilage fermentation process penetrate into the beans. Simultaneously, since there's no pulp or mucilage attached to the parchment during drying, it lacks the distinctive fruity notes of natural processed coffee, resulting in cleaner, brighter flavors with more prominent acidity. The drying process occurs directly outside the facility. The green beans are manually selected and, after passing quality inspection by the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority, are exported through competitive bidding.

Coffee processed using the washed method is less likely to exhibit wild flavors, possessing pure and refreshing characteristics suitable for light roast levels. This washed Ethiopian coffee achieves the highest G1 grade, indicating a grade with very few defects.

04 | Green Bean Analysis

Heirlooms (local indigenous varieties) are a unique designation in Ethiopia, encompassing a vast diversity of varieties. As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia has hundreds to thousands of varieties. Farmers typically don't specifically identify or classify the coffee plants in their backyards or wild forests, making almost no distinction between them. Various coffee trees are intercropped with other economic crops on the land, harvested only when ripe, and then exported as "Heirloom" varieties after processing. Coffee harvested in this manner combines the concurrent harvests of multiple small farmers, with a single batch potentially covering dozens or even hundreds of undifferentiated varieties.

African coffee beans adopt this grading method based on the proportion of defective beans, while Indonesian beans are mainly classified into 6 levels, namely G1-G6. The highest grades for washed coffee are G1 and G2; for natural processed coffee, the highest grades are G1 and G3.

What does this represent? As follows:

Washed: Grade-1; Grade-2 (G1 > G2)
Natural: Grade-1 and Grade-3-Grade-5 (G1 > G3 > G4 > G5)

Several points to note:

a) Both washed and natural coffees can be Gr-1, with the condition being "zero" defects and Premium Cup. Whether washed or natural, Gr-1 is a rating for the best of the best in specialty coffee or Cup of Excellence coffee.

b) The lowest grade for natural processed Yirgacheffe and Sidamo is Gr-4.

c) Coffee beans of the same grade, such as Limu Gr-2, can be either good or bad, depending on the exporter's sorting standards and investment.

d) Given the current "zero" defect requirement, Gr-1 beans (whether washed or natural) are extremely rare because processing costs are very high, and very few suppliers undertake this level of quality control.

05 | Roasting Analysis

The bean density is quite hard. Roasting begins with high heat, with yellowing occurring around 5 minutes and 30 seconds, then reducing heat and opening the air damper to enter the Maillard reaction. At 160°C, heat is reduced again to extend the Maillard reaction time. First crack occurs around 186.3°C. For this washed coffee, heat needs to be reduced before first crack to prevent excessive temperature rise that would cause bitterness. The beans are dropped at 194.2°C after 1 minute and 40 seconds.

Roaster: Yangjia 600g Semi-direct Flame

The roaster is preheated to 200°C for loading, with the air damper set to 3. After 30 seconds, heat is applied and adjusted to 160. The temperature return point is at 1:32, with yellowing at 5:30 minutes, when grassy aromas disappear and the dehydration phase begins. Heat is reduced to 120, and the air damper is opened to 4. At 170°C, heat is reduced again to 50.

After eight minutes, dehydration is complete, with wrinkling and black spots appearing on the bean surface. Toasty aromas transform into coffee fragrance, signaling the prelude to first crack. At this point, heat is reduced to 40, and attention is paid to listening for first crack sounds. First crack begins at 9:00, with heat adjusted to 40 and air damper fully opened to 5. The development time after first crack is 1 minute and 40 seconds, with beans dropped at 194.2°C.

Flavor: This meticulously washed coffee bean features more prominent and delicate acidity, presenting yellow lemon notes with caramel sweetness, cream and lemon tea flavors, and a floral aftertaste.

06 | Brewing Analysis

The medium-light roast preserves more of the coffee's floral and fruity aromas. Compared to medium-dark roasts, high-altitude 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, with a grind size achieving 80% pass-through rate on a #20 standard sieve.

Friends who frequently read FrontStreet Coffee articles should know that FrontStreet Coffee's baristas all use the classic three-stage pouring technique because it allows for richer coffee layers while clearly defining the front, middle, and back-end flavors. The method involves increasing water volume after each pour, typically pouring when the coffee level drops to near the coffee bed surface, using small, medium, and large water flows for three-stage extraction:

Recommended Brewing Methods: Siphon, Pour-over

Grind Size: Fine sugar consistency (EK43s setting 10)

V60 dripper, 15g coffee, water temperature 91°C, grind size with 80% pass-through rate on #20 sieve, water-to-coffee ratio 1:15

First pour 30g of water for 30-second bloom, then pour 95g (electronic scale shows approximately 125g), completing in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (electronic scale shows approximately 225g), completing in about 1 minute and 35 seconds. Drip completes at 2'10", remove the dripper to complete extraction.

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