How to Describe the Flavor of Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans: A Guide to Taste Characteristics and Pricing

Introduction to Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans

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When it comes to Yirgacheffe coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee believes everyone is familiar with them. They have secured a place in the specialty coffee market with their unique citrus and lemon flavors. Therefore, Yirgacheffe not only represents a coffee-producing region but also embodies citrus and lemon acidity flavors. Whenever people talk about coffee beans renowned for their acidity, they subconsciously think of Yirgacheffe. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will provide an introduction to the flavor characteristics and taste profile of Yirgacheffe coffee beans.

How to Describe the Taste of Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, Yirgacheffe coffee beans are renowned for their citrus and lemon flavors. The formation of a coffee bean's flavor is inseparable from its growing environment,也就是, the producing region. Secondly, the coffee variety and processing method also play significant roles. After all, coffee beans are agricultural products, and their flavors change with factors like climate, soil, and altitude. FrontStreet Coffee believes that the biggest contributors to Yirgacheffe coffee bean flavor formation are its processing method and regional characteristics. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will focus on these two aspects to explain how the unique citrus and lemon flavors of Yirgacheffe coffee beans are formed.

Yirgacheffe Coffee Bean Growing Conditions

According to FrontStreet Coffee's research, Yirgacheffe is a small town in Ethiopia with an altitude of 1700-2100 meters, making it one of the world's highest-altitude coffee-growing regions. Arabica coffee beans have a characteristic: the higher the growing altitude, the richer the acidity. This explains one of the reasons why Yirgacheffe coffee beans have their unique acidity.

Additionally, according to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, Yirgacheffe itself is a small sub-region within the Sidamo region. It was separated out by the EXC Coffee Association due to its unique coffee flavor. Currently, under Ethiopia's ECX system, the Yirgacheffe area has been divided into four sub-regions: Yirgacheffe, Wenago, Kochere, and Genlena Abay.

Meanwhile, the coffee flavors from these four sub-regions can be further subdivided. Due to different microclimates in the regions, coffee flavors are also affected. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee has also introduced coffee beans from these Yirgacheffe sub-regions for everyone to taste, allowing everyone to experience the charm of Yirgacheffe coffee bean flavors.

Furthermore, FrontStreet Coffee finds the name of this producing region "Yirgacheffe" quite interesting. "Yirga" means to settle down, and "cheffe" means "wetland," so its original meaning is "let us settle down and make a living in this wetland."

Yirgacheffe Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Another reason for Yirgacheffe's fame is its processing method—the washed processing method. Coffee enthusiasts who understand geography know that Ethiopia is a water-scarce country. Conventionally, Ethiopia should primarily use traditional natural processing methods, and this is indeed the case. However, as FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, Yirgacheffe is a wetland area, making it possible to use washed processing methods for coffee beans. This is also one of the reasons why Yirgacheffe coffee beans can stand out.

The washed processing method was introduced to Ethiopia in 1972 to improve coffee bean quality. Because traditionally natural-processed coffee beans have many defects and carry some faulty flavors that significantly affect the taste, the popularization of washed processing amplified the inherent citrus and lemon aromas of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans, making the taste cleaner and brighter.

Because of this, Yirgacheffe quickly became one of the world's representatives of specialty coffee. Since then, this region has primarily produced washed-processed coffee beans until the 21st century when natural processing techniques also began to improve. Technological advancements brought surprising natural-processed beans to the specialty coffee market. At this time, a Yirgacheffe coffee trader named Bagershi, missing the traditional natural-processed coffee flavor, began improving natural processing and launched several outstanding natural-processed coffee beans, thus restoring the status of natural-processed coffee beans in the Yirgacheffe region. For example, the Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry coffee beans at FrontStreet Coffee's shop are very popular among coffee enthusiasts.

What Are the Differences Between Washed and Natural Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans?

Natural Processing Method

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, the natural processing method is the oldest coffee bean processing method, also known as the "natural drying method." Natural processing doesn't require high-end equipment—only consecutive sunny days are needed for sun-drying operations, which require 27-30 days of exposure. Therefore, it has strict climate requirements and is suitable for arid countries.

For example, as FrontStreet Coffee just mentioned, Ethiopia itself is a coffee-producing country that widely uses natural processing methods because Ethiopia has high altitude, dry climate, and scarce water resources. The reason why the Yirgacheffe region widely uses washed processing is because the local area is a wetland, the most water-rich area in Ethiopia.

However, it's worth noting that although natural processing is relatively simple, precisely because of this, coffee beans processed naturally don't look attractive and may have some cracks, making them less appealing.

Washed Processing Method

The second common coffee processing method is the washed processing method. Most of Frontsteet's coffee beans from different regions are also washed-processed, especially Frontsteet's daily beans, because washed-processed coffee beans are cleaner and their flavor expression is more thorough, representing the most original taste of coffee fruit. Therefore, Frontsteet often says that the flavor of washed-processed coffee beans is a guiding light for understanding a region's flavor profile.

Differences Between Washed and Natural Processing

The most fundamental difference between natural and washed processing methods is that natural processing retains the pulp's flavor, while washing removes the pulp's flavor, representing the most essential flavor of coffee beans. There are clear differences in taste—washed processing is cleaner and brighter, while natural processing has richer flavor profiles. FrontStreet Coffee prioritizes washed-processed coffee beans when recommending coffee beans because washed processing can reflect the most essential flavor of coffee beans. If customers are tasting coffee beans from a region for the first time, FrontStreet Coffee will recommend washed-processed coffee beans first, allowing people to more clearly understand the flavor characteristics of that region.

The above is FrontStreet Coffee's summary of the differences and characteristics between washed and natural processing of Yirgacheffe coffee beans. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will compare the flavor differences between Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry coffee beans and Yirgacheffe Wet-processed Gedeb coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Gedeb Coffee Beans

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Yirgacheffe

Altitude: 1900-2300m

Variety: Local Landrace

Processing: Washed

Flavor: Tropical Fruit, Cream, Honey, Berries, Citrus

According to FrontStreet Coffee's research, the Gedeb cooperative was originally part of the Wenago cooperative under the Yirgacheffe Union (YCFCU) and became independent as the Gedeb cooperative in 2012. It currently has about 300+ small farmer members. At the same time, because Gedeb village was one of the first village areas to become independent, and many small farmers were originally members of the Wenango cooperative, their coffee production skills are unquestionable. The coffee beans they produce naturally have excellent flavor.

Frontsteet's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Yirgacheffe

Altitude: 2300m

Variety: Local Landrace

Processing: Natural

Flavor: Berries, Lemon, Strawberry, Fermented Wine Aroma

FrontStreet Coffee's Natural Red Cherry coffee beans are made from 100% mature coffee beans using natural processing, so they have abundant aroma, rich sweetness, and fermented notes.

The origin of this coffee bean comes from the "Red Cherry Project" jointly initiated by local Ethiopian coffee farmers and Dutch trader Trabocca. It aims to improve the quality of coffee from small-scale farms and increase farmers' income. Harvesting fully mature coffee fruits requires not only picking fully red, ripe fruits but also manual harvesting—but this is just the most basic requirement. Additionally, there are corresponding requirements for coffee bean processing methods.

Next, FrontStreet Coffee will share the flavor characteristics of brewing these two Yirgacheffe natural and washed coffee beans using pour-over methods.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Parameters

Dripper: V60 #01

Water Temperature: 90-91°C

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: BG6M/Medium-fine (80% through #20 sieve)

Brewing Method: Three-stage extraction

First stage: Pour 30g of water for 30-second bloom, then pour 95g (scale shows around 125g), completing in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (scale shows around 225g), completing in about 1 minute 35 seconds. Complete extraction at 2'00"-2'10", remove the dripper.

Natural Red Cherry Brewing Flavor: Lemon, licorice, citrus, berries, sweet orange, with overall high sweetness, caramel and cream notes in the aftertaste, and black tea aroma in the finish.

Washed Gedeb Brewing Flavor: Citrus and black tea on entry, with cream, caramel, and almond notes appearing as temperature changes, with a clean, sweet aftertaste.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat: ID: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473