Yirgacheffe Region | Gelana Abaya | Washed Yirgacheffe G1

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Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gelana Abaya Homa Co-op Washed G1

Ethiopia Washed Yirgacheffe G1 Gelana Abaya

Flavor Description:

Aromas of lemon, citrus, and coffee flowers, with notes of honey and peach, along with a sweet and tangy citrus sensation. The mouthfeel is fresh, clean, and balanced, with overall delicate balance. The aftertaste is long-lasting, carrying floral and bergamot aromas.

Yirgacheffe is a renowned name in the specialty coffee world. It is a town in the southern highlands of Ethiopia that serves as a collection center for nearby coffee, and it has also become synonymous with the specialty coffee produced in the surrounding region, characterized by rich citrus and lemon tones and floral notes.

In the current ECX classification, Yirgacheffe is further divided into four sub-regions: Kochere, Gelana Abaya, Yirgacheffe, and Wenago. Generally speaking, though, Yirgacheffe refers to the collective term for coffee produced within the Gedeo administrative region.

This batch of Yirgacheffe was produced at the Kebel Aricha processing plant, with approximately 650-700 small coffee farmers in the vicinity. Farmers deliver ripe coffee cherries here for processing in exchange for cash. After the processing plant screens and washes the usable cherries, the beans are placed on raised drying beds for sun exposure. During the first few days of drying, they are turned every 2-3 hours to prevent over-fermentation.

After four to six weeks of drying, workers use machines to remove the parchment, depending on weather and temperature conditions, and then transport the beans to Addis Ababa for storage. The beans are typically stored in parchment form until just before export, when they are hulled, to protect green-bean quality.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

The clean, floral, and citrus-driven profile of this Gelana Abaya lot is the essence of washed Yirgacheffe, and it is exactly what FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe range is built around. The FrontStreet washed Yirgacheffe daily coffee is the classic introduction to the region, known for white jasmine florals, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a clean, tea-like body, and the FrontStreet Gedeb cooperative coffee, a washed single-origin from the Worka area, refines that style with citrus and lemon notes, elegant white florals, and a bright, delicate cup.

If you would like to taste how the same region changes with a natural process, FrontStreet Coffee's natural Red Cherry Yirgacheffe is made from 100% fully ripe red cherries dried on raised beds, keeping the floral lift of Yirgacheffe while adding berry juiciness, honeyed sweetness, and a creamy smoothness.