Brewing Guide: Flavor Profile and Pour-Over Data for Natural & Washed Yirgacheffe

When purchasing coffee beans, besides paying attention to origin and flavor, we also select coffee beans processed using different methods. Because different processing methods will bring out different flavor characteristics of coffee, even coffee from the same origin will show different tastes when processed using washed and natural methods respectively. For example, on FrontStreet Coffee's bean list, the Ethiopia Yirgacheffe - Geddin Cooperative coffee is a washed batch, while the Red Cherry coffee is natural processed. Let's take a look at the differences between these two beans.

Natural Processed Yirgacheffe Coffee

So-called "natural processing" means that ripe coffee cherries are directly dried after harvesting. During the drying process, the sugars and aromas in the pulp are well preserved and penetrate into the raw coffee beans. At the same time, the longer the natural processing time, the more complete the fermentation. Because the natural method allows coffee cherries to dry naturally, the coffee beans naturally mature within the fruit without interference from the external environment, therefore naturally processed coffee beans will amplify their own flavors, with distinct tropical fruit flavors, full fermentation notes, and sweetness.

Traditionally, Ethiopia's high altitude, low rainfall, and long sunshine hours are very suitable for natural processing of raw coffee beans. However, farmers used to dry coffee beans directly on mud floors or rooftops, where the cherries could easily absorb earthy flavors from the ground or suffer from uneven heating leading to over-fermentation, ultimately affecting coffee quality.

To improve the income of local Ethiopian farmers and the quality of coffee, the Dutch trading company Trabocca BV launched the "OPERATION CHERRY RED PROJECT" in 2007, mainly targeting high-altitude producing areas like Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe to improve processing technologies such as washed, semi-washed, and natural methods. Professional cuppers were also involved, and during the harvest season, different harvest quantities were set for different microclimate zones, requiring only 100% mature red coffee cherries to be harvested, with production approximately 1500-3000KG. The economic loan support, new hardware equipment, and production knowledge technology provided by Trabocca Company have greatly improved the quality of coffee beans in the Yirgacheffe region and even throughout Ethiopia, resulting in higher prices for coffee and thus increasing farmers' income.

Unlike in the past, today's natural processing requires more attention to manual sorting and ensuring uniform drying. Freshly harvested red coffee cherries are manually sorted, removing defective beans that are overripe or insect-damaged, leaving only good beans. They are then sent to drying locations for processing. Of course, different producing areas use different drying racks - some use waterproof tarps, raised beds, etc., but the most common are African drying beds. The drying time generally requires 27-30 days until the coffee turns dark purple and the moisture content drops to 11% to be considered complete. Natural processed Yirgacheffe has a stronger, more layered flavor, with wine-like fermentation notes and relatively high sweetness.

Washed Yirgacheffe Coffee

Ethiopia's washed processing technology was introduced from Central and South America in 1972. The washed processing process is complex and tedious, and requires a large amount of clean water, so the cost is higher than natural processing, and it is less used in water-scarce African regions.

Washed steps: After harvesting coffee cherries, they are placed in water, using the buoyancy of water to sort out insufficiently ripe cherries. Then a depulper removes the cherry's skin/pulp, and the beans are left in fermentation tanks for 18-36 hours until the mucilage layer decomposes. After fermentation is complete, the parchment beans are washed in channels for 30-60 minutes. Through specially designed channels with water flow, low-density, poor-quality beans are removed. Then the high-quality coffee beans are drained of moisture and spread on African raised racks to dry.

Because the pulp is removed before drying, Yirgacheffe's inherent aromas become clearer and more transparent, presenting citrus, lemon tones and elegant white floral notes, with overall bright and delicate flavors. After launching washed processed coffee beans, Yirgacheffe became a representative of the world's specialty coffee producing regions.

Flavor Differences in Cupping

In terms of roasting, FrontStreet Coffee considers that Yirgacheffe should present acidity as the main flavor direction, so medium-light roasting is adopted. The washed Yirgacheffe Geddin Cooperative coffee beans use light roasting to retain more bright acidity and floral notes, while the natural Yirgacheffe Red Cherry coffee beans use medium-light roasting to present full berry sweetness. FrontStreet Coffee conducts at least one cupping evaluation before launching each coffee bean. Under the same standards, cupping allows us to more objectively feel the pros and cons of coffee.

Cupping flavors of washed Geddin Cooperative coffee:

Dry aroma emits fresh passion fruit, citrus, and berry sour fragrance. Wet aroma is citrus and berries. Upon entry, there's citrus acidity, berry sweetness, almond, tea-like notes, with a finish carrying honey sweetness. Low body, bright acidity, clean and refreshing.

Cupping flavors of natural Red Cherry coffee:

Dry aroma shows full berry sweetness. When slurping at different temperatures, there are soft berry sweet and sour notes, fermented flavors of ripe fruits, obvious honey sweetness, and black tea finish, with smooth texture.

Through comparison, FrontStreet Coffee tasted that both natural and washed Yirgacheffe carry citrus and berry acidity. The washed version has higher acidity, brighter and more uplifting taste, with honey aromatics in the finish; while the natural version emphasizes tropical fruit roundness, creamy smooth texture, and heavier fermentation notes.

Pour-over Suggestions

Many friends consult FrontStreet Coffee for brewing suggestions after purchasing coffee beans. In fact, each bag of FrontStreet Coffee's coffee beans has brewing reference on the label. Here, FrontStreet Coffee takes the washed Geddin Cooperative as an example to explain the extraction thinking according to shop production standards.

Since Yirgacheffe coffee beans grow at high altitudes and have relatively hard texture, to bring out more floral and fruit flavors in the coffee, FrontStreet Coffee uses high-temperature water at 92℃-93℃ for extraction. FrontStreet Coffee recommends medium-fine grind size (78% pass rate through China standard #20 sieve). Too coarse cannot extract body substances, making the brewed coffee appear thin. Too fine can easily lead to over-extraction at high water temperatures, making the brewed coffee prone to bitterness and astringency.

During cupping, FrontStreet Coffee noticed that this bean shows different flavors at different temperatures, so the brewing technique uses three-stage extraction, allowing different flavor compounds to better express themselves when the coffee bed temperature rises in stages. To highlight the fresh and charming aroma of washed Yirgacheffe, FrontStreet Coffee uses a V60 dripper for brewing.

Compared to other drippers, the conical shape and 60° angle design mean that when using V60, water must flow to the center before dripping into the lower pot, extending the contact area between water and coffee grounds, thus allowing full extraction of aroma and flavor. Its signature single large aperture allows water flow without any obstruction, and the liquid flow rate largely depends on the brewer's flow control ability and directly reflects in the coffee flavor. If your pouring habit is larger or faster, delicious substances may not have time to release from the coffee before extraction ends, making the brewed coffee taste quite thin and bland.

Furthermore, the side walls of the V60 dripper have multiple raised spiral ribs, some long and short, running throughout the entire dripper. Firstly, they prevent the filter paper from fitting tightly with the dripper, creating enough space for air circulation to maximize the water absorption and expansion of coffee particles. Secondly, the spiral groove design also allows the flushing downward water flow to compress the coffee bed, creating richer layering while also extending the water flow path, avoiding under-extraction caused by the large aperture.

In terms of brewing ratio, FrontStreet Coffee believes that 1:15~1:16 are both acceptable. If you want a richer taste, use 1:15; if you want to more clearly experience floral and honey sweetness, you can use 1:16 to let the flavors disperse more.

Dripper: V60
Water temperature: 92-93℃
Coffee dose: 15g
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Grind size: Fine sugar size (20 sieve bowl filtered to 78%)

Three-stage pouring: Use twice the amount of water to wet the coffee bed, forming a dome and bloom for 30s. Then use a small water flow to pour from inside to outside in circles until 125g, wait until the coffee bed drops to half the height of the dripper, continue with the same fine water flow to inject the third stage to 225g, until all coffee liquid is filtered out and the dripper is removed, taking about 2 minutes. After the coffee from the dripper flows into the lower pot, remove the dripper, then shake the coffee liquid in the sharing pot evenly, and you can start tasting Yirgacheffe's flavors from high temperature.

Pour-over Washed Yirgacheffe Flavor Description

After grinding washed Yirgacheffe coffee beans into powder, you can smell the fresh fragrance of honey and jasmine. When FrontStreet Coffee pours hot water, it begins to emit a hint of berry flavor. The pour-over black coffee entry has bright lemon, citrus, and green tea notes. As the temperature changes, there are berry, cream, and sugarcane notes in the finish, with obvious aftertaste, and the taste is clean and sweet.

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