Ethiopian Coffee | Chelbesa Washing Station | Yirgacheffe Kochere | Single Origin Coffee Bean Recommendation

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Kochere Chelbesa Washed G1

Flavor Description:

Floral notes, citrus, grape, peach, Earl Grey tea

A clean, balanced mouthfeel, smooth and easy to drink, with an excellent sweet aftertaste.

Coffee Details:

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Yirgacheffe Kochere

Grade: ECX highest grade G1

Altitude: 1,900 - 2,000 meters

Variety: Local heirloom varieties

Producer: Local smallholder cooperatives

Processing Method: Washed

Yirgacheffe Region

Situated in the Sidama region, Yirgacheffe has earned recognition for coffee with a distinctive, representative flavor that is known the world over. That singular profile has secured it a special place in the market, complete with its own separate classification.

Yirgacheffe itself is a small town of roughly 20,000 residents. The three neighboring sub-regions — Wenago, Kochere and Gelena Abaya — produce coffee whose flavor is nearly identical to Yirgacheffe's, which is why they too are classified under the Yirgacheffe regional designation.

Yirgacheffe shares its culture and geography with neighboring Sidamo, but it appears especially blessed with superior natural conditions. The finest Yirgacheffe coffees carry floral notes, bright citrus acidity, lemon-like character and a silky mouthfeel that consistently win over coffee lovers. As the specialty coffee industry has grown, coffee from this region has remained a focal point for international buyers.

Kochere Sub-Region

Kochere lies in southwestern Ethiopia, approximately 25 miles north of the famous town of Yirgacheffe. Production here centers on small local farmers delivering their harvest batches to cooperatives for unified processing.

The local village of Chalalacktu has about 100,000 residents who depend on coffee for their livelihood, and coffee-related work forms their main source of income. Thanks to that income, the local standard of living is markedly better than in many Ethiopian villages, with well-established health facilities, higher education institutions and other infrastructure.

Advanced processing equipment has allowed the Kochere region to perform consistently well in washed processing. Its clean, sweet profile, with complex notes of molasses and citrus, is widely praised by coffee connoisseurs.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this descriptor sounds like your kind of cup, FrontStreet has two Yirgacheffe lots worth trying. FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe is the classic entry point: white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity and a clear tea note, all at an accessible price. FrontStreet Gedingding Cooperative, from the Gedingding village in the Woka area at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe, follows the traditional washed method and shows the same clean citrus and lemon acidity with a jasmine fragrance but no bitterness. Brew either on a V60 with 15g of coffee, water at 90-91°C and a 1:15 ratio; grind to an EK43s setting of 10, a fine-sugar consistency with about 80% passing a #20 sieve. Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds, pour to roughly 125g over about a minute, then add the remaining 100g to about 225g, finishing the drawdown in 2:00-2:10.