Introduction to Flavor Characteristics of Yirgacheffe Woka Cooperative Coffee Beans - Washed Woka Coffee Pour-Over Recipe Sharing

Introduction to Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe Coffee

Ethiopia is a country known to all specialty coffee enthusiasts, and indeed, its coffee production is exceptionally distinctive, featuring elegant floral and fruity aromas with a bright, clean taste. How could one not love the refreshing quality reminiscent of flower tea? Yirgacheffe is a coffee-producing region within this country, separated as an independent region simply because its flavor profile is so unique. Today, FrontStreet Coffee shares a Worka coffee from Yirgacheffe.

Yirgacheffe, with an altitude of nearly two thousand meters, is one of the world's highest altitude coffee-producing regions. This area has been wetland since ancient times. "Yirga" means "to settle down," while "Cheffe" means "wetland." Lakes Turkana, Abaya, and Chamo bring abundant water vapor to this region. In the rift valley, represented by the Misty Valley, fog pervades year-round, creating a spring-like climate with gentle breezes, cool and humid conditions. Thousands of coffee tree varieties thrive and multiply here, cultivating Yirgacheffe's unique regional character where floral and fruity aromas ambiguously intertwine in ever-changing patterns.

Yirgacheffe exhibits extremely complex aromas and showcases exceptional mouthfeel that is difficult to describe. Generally, the dry aroma of Yirgacheffe emits intense fruit fragrances with rich dried fruit notes of strawberry, mango, and apricot jam. The wet aroma resembles sweet syrup, like viscous apricot pulp wrapped in rustic honey or chocolate.

Upon tasting, it's not intense but has a medium body with acidity that isn't prominent yet lively and bright, much like fruit tea. Yirgacheffe is a sub-region within Ethiopia's Sidamo province, located on the northwest side of Sidamo, surrounded by mountains and lakes, making it one of Ethiopia's highest altitude coffee-producing regions. However, the production methods and flavor profile here are so outstanding that Ethiopian coffee farmers compete to pride themselves on their coffee bearing Yirgacheffe characteristics. Consequently, it separated from the Sidamo region to become its own distinctive style and has become Africa's most renowned producing region.

Worka Cooperative

The Worka Cooperative was established in 2005 and joined the famous Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU) in the same year, known for producing high-quality sun-dried Yirgacheffe coffee. The Worka Cooperative has approximately 300 coffee farmers. YCFCU was established in 2002 and includes 26 other cooperative members, serving over 45,000 coffee farmers.

Located at the southern end of Yirgacheffe town, Worka in the Gedeo Zone is one of the highest altitude coffee-producing regions in this area, with an average altitude of 1600-2300m. The Halobariti Cooperative was established in 2012 and was formerly part of the Worka Cooperative. As a relatively new cooperative in a remote and underdeveloped producing region, there are still many...

Processing Method

Yirgacheffe Worka coffee beans are all processed using the washed method.

Screened coffee cherries are placed in a pulping machine to initially remove their skin and pulp. Coffee beans with residual pulp and mucilage are placed in water to ferment for about 24 hours. After fermentation, the parchment coffee beans are placed in flowing water channels to wash away the pulp and mucilage. After washing, the coffee beans are dried either naturally or with drying machines until the moisture content reaches approximately 12%, and finally the parchment is removed from the green coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Worka Green Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Recommendations

The acidity characteristic of Yirgacheffe is its hallmark. To highlight this feature, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a light roast.

The temperature rise should be relatively gradual, with a roasting time of just over 10 minutes, providing sufficient time and temperature for dehydration and allowing chlorogenic acids to degrade. If degradation is insufficient, the coffee will taste sharp with uncomfortable acidity and a somewhat rough texture. Simultaneously, continuing to apply heat after the first crack will continue the caramelization reaction, producing sweet flavors like caramel. The sweetness becomes more substantial and weighty, while the bright fruity acidity will diminish slightly.

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Worka Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

This experiment tested different water temperatures for pour-over brewing of Yirgacheffe Worka coffee beans, selecting three temperature values: 86°C, 90°C, and 94°C. Other parameters were kept consistent as much as possible, using an Hario V60 dripper for brewing, with a water-to-coffee ratio of 1:15, 15g of coffee grounds, and a grind size of BG#6S (80% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve).

The brewing technique was also kept consistent, using a segmented extraction method. 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, followed by small circular pours to 125g, then continuing to pour to 225g when the water level drops just before exposing the coffee bed. The extraction time (starting from the bloom) was 2 minutes.

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Worka Coffee Bean Brewing

Flavor Description

86°C Pour-over Flavor

Entry reveals lemon and tea notes, with prominent acidity and a round mouthfeel. Overall flavor layers are relatively thin.

90°C Pour-over Flavor

Entry shows lemon, plum, and Tieguanyin tea notes, with caramel flavors becoming noticeable as temperature changes. The acidity is bright with a clear aftertaste.

94°C Pour-over Flavor

Entry presents lemon and berry notes, with prominent acidity and enhanced body. The tea character is rich and intense.

The experimental results found that the 90°C brewing best showcases the bright fruit acidity and refreshing tea notes of Yirgacheffe Worka coffee beans. The 88°C (equivalent to 86°C tested) brewing had weak flavor layers and insufficient prominence, while the 94°C brewing enhanced body but lacked brightness in acidity.

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