Is Starbucks Yirgacheffe Chelelektu Coffee Good? Yirgacheffe Coffee Brewing Guide

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Ethiopia is the largest Arabica-producing country in Africa. All two thousand-plus varieties under Arabica are derived from the oldest Typica from Ethiopia after being transplanted to Central and South America or Asia and then mutating. Ethiopia is a genetic treasure trove of Arabica, with an estimated at least 2,000 varieties. However, the Ethiopian authorities claim that less than 5% of the Arabica varieties within the country have been deeply studied and confirmed in terms of morphology and habits.

Chelelektu Coffee Story

Chelelektu is located in the Kochere production area of Yirgacheffe, about eighteen kilometers in a straight line southwest of Yirgacheffe town. Starting from Yirgacheffe town and heading south, the elevation continuously climbs. Upon reaching a three-way intersection, taking the right path leads toward Chelelektu, while taking the left path southeast will reach Gedeb and Woka.

Coffee berries come from approximately 500 local small-scale family coffee farmers. These small farmers have an average coffee cultivation area of less than 2 hectares, with planting altitudes ranging from approximately 1,800 to 2,050 meters. The coffee varieties are mainly a mix of Typica and Heirloom (local native varieties). Evaluated by the ECX (Ethiopian Commodity Exchange) as the highest grade G1, the green beans are excellent in appearance, consistency, freshness, dry aroma, and flavor. The aroma is remarkably rich, exhibiting the regional characteristics of Yirgacheffe, emitting elegant and captivating flower-like perfume fragrance, with floral notes, bright citrus fruit acidity, lemon, berries, and sweet and sour honey aromas emerging. (Excerpt from China Coffee Network)

Ethiopia has five specialty coffee producing regions: Yirgacheffe, Sidamo, Harar, Limu, and Lekempti (or Gimbi), as well as four general commercial bean producing regions: Djimmah, Illubabor, Teppi, and Bebeka.

Basic Information of Chelelektu

The above image shows the actual Chelelektu coffee beans without any filters; there may be some differences due to lighting issues.

Origin: Africa · Ethiopia · Yirgacheffe · Kochere

Altitude: 1800-2050 meters

Variety: Heirloom, Ethiopian native variety

Acidity: Low

Body: Medium

Flavor: Lavender-like aroma, with flavors of strawberry, orange, and caramel

Processing Method: Natural processing (Chelelektu places great emphasis on natural processing methods, which stand out impressively in cupping. The thickness of coffee berries stacked on drying racks is properly controlled. Different breathable materials are used as the base layer of the drying racks according to different drying stages. During the drying process, extensive manual labor is used to pick out defective and unripe beans. Meanwhile, the movable racks can be adjusted according to sunlight and weather conditions for sun-drying operations. Under 15-21 days of continuous careful nurturing, fascinating, uniformly colored dried berries are created, along with the clear jasmine aroma of high altitude and rich fruit flavors.)

How to Brew Yirgacheffe Coffee [Chelelektu] Well?

FrontStreet Coffee pour-over reference: Weigh 15g of [Chelelektu Yirgacheffe] coffee powder, pour it into a grinder for medium grinding. The ground particles should be slightly coarser than table salt. We use BG grinder setting 5R (standard sieve pass rate 60%), water temperature at 90 degrees, extracting with a V60 dripper.

The hot water in the pour-over kettle should be poured clockwise in circles centered on the middle of the filter cup. Start timing when brewing begins. Brew the coffee to 30g in 15 seconds, then stop pouring water. When the time reaches 1 minute, pour water for the second time. During the second pour, like the first time, pour clockwise in circles centered on the middle of the filter cup. The water stream should not hit where the coffee powder meets the filter paper to avoid channel effects.

When brewing to the outermost circle of the coffee powder, leave one circle of space, then continue brewing circle by circle toward the center. At 2 minutes and 20 seconds, the coffee should be brewed to 220g, completing the coffee brewing process.

Japanese-Style Ice Pour-Over [Chelelektu Yirgacheffe]

FrontStreet Coffee ice pour-over [Chelelektu Yirgacheffe] reference:

Yirgacheffe coffee [Chelelektu Yirgacheffe], light-medium roast, BG grinder setting 5M (standard sieve pass rate 67%)

20 grams of powder, 150 grams of ice, 150 grams of hot water. The water temperature should be 1°C higher than the recommended 91°C for normal pour-over. Normal grinding uses Fuji 3.5 setting, while ice pour-over uses slightly finer by half a notch - Fuji 3 setting.

Bloom with 40 grams of water for 30 seconds.

Pour in segments: 60 grams of water for the first segment, 40 grams for the second segment. Use a relatively fine but high water column for pouring, stirring forcefully to ensure the coffee powder rolls fully. However, be careful not to let the liquid level get too high and avoid hitting the edge filter paper.

The entire extraction time is approximately 2 and a half minutes (similar to the normal extraction time for 20 grams of powder).

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