Red Cherry Project Roasting Curve Guide Red Cherry Project Different Processing Methods Taste Flavor Description

FrontStreet Coffee's Guide to the Red Cherry Project: Roasting Curve and Flavor Notes

In the coffee world, "Operation Cherry Red" (ORC) is a project dedicated to raising quality across small-scale farms—designed to reward coffee farmers and surprise roasters. Trabocca, the largest coffee merchant in the Netherlands, invites Ethiopian farms to produce small lots of approximately 1500-3000 kilograms (25-50 bags) ahead of the harvest season. Only fully ripe, 100% red cherries may be picked, and that single requirement makes a dramatic difference in the brewed flavor of Operation Cherry Red coffee. Meticulous, sharp-eyed, hardworking Ethiopian women are the driving force behind the project.

FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Natural Operation Cherry Red

Coffee Characteristics

Variety: Heirloom — local traditional varieties

Processing: Unwashed — natural drying on African raised beds

International Jury Score: Above 88 points

Lot Size: 1500-3000 kilograms (25-50 bags)

Appearance: Screen 16

Jury Cupping Note: Cupped at a roast level 60 seconds after the start of first crack (Cinnamon roast)

Aroma/Flavor: Strawberry, nuts, biscuits, fermented notes, grapes, mango, banana, vanilla, chrysanthemum tea, ripe black tea, chocolate, honey

Acidity: Plum, grape, sweet orange, and red apple acidity; moderate, with a single-malt tartaric character

Complexity and Other Characteristics: Complex and multi-layered, very clean and fresh, lively with good elasticity, heavier mouthfeel as it cools, distinct fermented brandy notes, persistent aftertaste

Overall Style Attributes: Strawberry biscuits, high intensity, fermented fruit-wine aroma

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

The Red Cherry Project's obsession with picking only perfectly ripe red cherries is exactly what natural-process Ethiopian coffee is all about. FrontStreet Coffee's Natural Red Cherry from Yirgacheffe follows the same discipline: only fully ripe, defect-free cherries are harvested, sorted once at the station, then laid out on raised beds to dry—turned every 2-3 hours during the first days to prevent uneven heating and over-fermentation. After three to five weeks of sun-drying, the outer pulp is mechanically stripped and the beans move to storage. Because the cherries dry with their fruit intact, the cup combines classic Yirgacheffe character with natural-process tropical fruit: citrus-like acidity, a berry juice feel, honeyed sweetness, and cream-smooth body. Flavor notes: peach, cocoa, honey, lemon.

For an even more indulgent natural, FrontStreet Coffee's Natural Blossom (Huakui) from the Hambella region of Guji, Sidamo dries its cherries on raised beds for 21 days, turned constantly and hand-sorted every three to five days, then hulled and sorted one final time. After a medium-light roast you'll find a faint fermented wine note, florals, citrus, and mango, with thick honeyed sweetness, cocoa, a hint of spice, and a long finish—proof that meticulous hand-picking and patient drying are what turn great cherries into a great cup.