Yirgacheffe Kochere-Biloa/Biloya Pour-Over Brewing Tips Sharing_How to Brew Biloya Coffee

Yirgacheffe - The Natural Process Renaissance

"Yirgacheffe" is a small town situated at an elevation of 1,700-2,100 meters, and it has become synonymous with premium Ethiopian coffee. Since ancient times this area has been wetland: in the local language, "Yirga" means "settle down" and "Cheffe" means "wetland," so "Yirgacheffe" signifies "let us settle and thrive in this wetland."

Strictly speaking, Yirgacheffe is a sub-region within Sidamo, located in its northwestern part and surrounded by mountains and lakes, making it one of Ethiopia's highest-altitude coffee-growing areas. But its production methods and flavor profile stand out so distinctly that Ethiopian farmers take pride in producing coffee with Yirgacheffe character - so much so that it became independent from Sidamo, developed its own style, and grew into Africa's most renowned coffee region.

In reality, Yirgacheffe is composed of surrounding coffee communities and cooperatives. These mountain villages sit shrouded in mist, spring-like all year round: summers bring gentle breezes - cool but not hot, rainy but not damp - while winters escape frost damage, nurturing a unique terroir of citrus and floral notes. Each household's production is modest, making it typical pastoral coffee.

The trader Baghi has successfully selected and developed three natural-process coffees from Yirgacheffe and Sidamo: Adido, Biloya, and Aricha (also spelled Arecha). The secret lies in exquisite natural processing technique. Without meticulous, layer-by-layer screening, even the finest varieties would struggle to guarantee freedom from off-flavors.

Baghi sets strict standards for harvesting red cherries. Before sun-drying, underripe green or defective cherries are removed by hand; during drying, damaged or moldy cherries are sorted out again. After about two weeks, the fruit's sugars and essence have fully penetrated the beans and moisture content falls to 12%. The hardened pulp, mucilage layer, and parchment are then scraped clean together in a hulling machine, and the beans undergo polishing and color sorting. After eliminating defective beans by machine, any remaining flaws are finally removed by manual visual inspection. This layer-by-layer screening is what creates the clean, refined character and rich, captivating fruit aroma of Yirgacheffe and Sidamo naturals. The Yirgacheffe natural-process renaissance pursues clarity, purity, and abundant fruitiness - the essence of sun-kissed flavor.

Beloya - A Yirgacheffe Coffee That Resembles Floral Tea

Beloya - a coffee that never makes the standard menu, brewed beautifully with a siphon. It arrives wrapped in gorgeous fruit aromas, and your thoughts drift back to a breezy morning with warm sunshine, sipping coffee while composing a small poem.

There is a story behind this coffee, too. Only when the government opened access did coffee merchants enter the region to obtain these beans; since then quantities have been limited, making it increasingly hard to find. Like a hidden noble lady - rare and precious, a glimpse leaves you longing for more, yet a meeting remains elusive.

Yirgacheffe coffee is divided into natural and washed lots. The flavors from 4,000 feet are fresh and bright, with prominent yet balanced floral and fruity notes - some describe the fruitiness transforming into subtle strawberry upon tasting, a magnificent charm that even coffee beginners find stunning. Yirgacheffe is already outstanding for its florals, and after natural processing the beans' inherent fragrance becomes particularly pronounced. "Beloya" will let you experience what it feels like to wander through flower gardens.

"Beloya," an Ethiopian high-altitude coffee, opens with blueberry acidity and tropical fruit sweetness, with hints of cocoa bitterness that turn into a sweet aftertaste. The sweetness is as smooth and gentle as premium cream - without the floating coffee aroma, you might mistake it for a floral tea.

Geography

Yirgacheffe is similar to neighboring Sidamo in both culture and geography, but it seems to enjoy even more favorable conditions. High-quality Yirgacheffe coffee features floral notes, bright citrus acidity, lemon-toned aromas, and silky texture that firmly capture enthusiasts' attention. Amid the growth wave of the imported coffee industry, production from this region has always been a focal point for buyers.

Beloya Profile

• Estate/Exporter: Primrose estate
• Region: Yirgacheffe
• Grade: G1
• Processing: Natural
• Variety: Heirloom
• Altitude: 1850-2000m
• Harvest Season: November-January
• Cupping Notes: Lemongrass, dried red dates, longan, strawberry, juice
• Recommended Roast Level: City

How to Brew Yirgacheffe Coffee [Biloya/Beloya] Well?

FrontStreet Coffee Pour-Over Reference: Weigh 15g of [Biloya/Beloya] coffee, grind to medium - the particles should be slightly coarser than table salt. We use BG grinder setting 5R (standard sieve pass rate 60%), water temperature 90°C, extracted with a V60 dripper.

Using hot water from the pour-over kettle, draw clockwise circles centered on the middle of the filter cup. Start timing when brewing begins. Within 15 seconds, pour to 30g, then stop. At 1 minute, begin the second pour - again clockwise circles from the center, avoiding the area where the grounds meet the filter paper to prevent channeling.

Leave a ring of space when pouring to the outermost edge of the coffee bed, then gradually pour in circles toward the center. At 2 minutes 20 seconds the coffee should reach 220g, completing the brew.

Japanese Iced Pour-Over [Biloya/Beloya]

FrontStreet Coffee Iced Pour-Over [Biloya/Beloya] Reference:

Yirgacheffe [Biloya/Beloya], light to medium roast, BG grinder setting 5M (standard sieve pass rate 67%).

Use 20g of coffee, 150g of ice cubes, and 150g of hot water. The water temperature should be 1°C higher than the normal pour-over recommendation of 91°C. Normal grinding uses Fuji setting 3.5; for iced pour-over, grind slightly finer - Fuji 3.

Bloom with 40g of water for 30 seconds.

Segmented pouring: first segment 60g of water, second segment 40g of water. Use a relatively fine but high water column to stir and agitate the grounds thoroughly, but take care not to let the liquid level rise too high or pour onto the filter-paper edge.

Total extraction time is approximately 2.5 minutes (similar to the normal extraction time for 20g of coffee).

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Newcomers to Ethiopian coffee should start with FrontStreet's washed Yirgacheffe everyday lot, known for its white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and tea-like finish - and, at a friendly price, it's the ideal first specialty bean. Washed Yirgacheffe carries none of the traditional bitterness: just fresh, clean citrus-lemon acidity and jasmine fragrance.

Within Yirgacheffe, the Gedeb (Dingding) Cooperative at the region's southeastern edge in the Worka area - once part of a YCFCU cooperative and now celebrated as a single-origin source - follows traditional washed processing and is often called "the last pure land of Yirgacheffe." For a bolder expression, FrontStreet's natural Red Cherry lot uses only fully ripe cherries sun-dried three to five weeks with regular turning, showing citrus acidity, berry juiciness, honeyed sweetness, and creamy smoothness.

Brewing tip from FrontStreet: V60 dripper, 15g of coffee, 1:15 ratio, water at 90-91°C, grind at fine-granulated-sugar texture (80% pass on the #20 sieve). Pour 30g to bloom for 30 seconds, then pour to 125g by about 1 minute; when the water level drops to two-thirds of the bed, pour the remaining 100g to 225g by about 1:35. Extraction finishes at 2:00-2:10.