What Roast Level is Suitable for Yirgacheffe Coffee? Introduction to Flavor Characteristics of Washed Yirgacheffe Coffee Processing

Perhaps many people are not unfamiliar with "Yirgacheffe Coffee." It is a "signature" offering that permanently resides in many specialty coffee shops. I believe that when you visit coffee shops, you will occasionally see this popular coffee bean. Some friends might not be familiar with this particular coffee bean, so let FrontStreet Coffee briefly introduce you to the story behind this coffee bean that graces countless coffee shops.

The Origin of Yirgacheffe

Among all coffee-producing countries, Ethiopia is likely the most attention-grabbing one. Ethiopia is universally recognized as the birthplace of coffee and one of the largest Arabica cultivation areas. Yirgacheffe is one of the most important coffee-growing regions in Ethiopia. It is a small town located in southwestern Ethiopia, originally belonging to the Gedeo zone. This small town has been a natural wetland since ancient times, with abundant water resources, an average annual temperature between 15 to 25 degrees Celsius, and an altitude of 1,700-2,100 meters. Due to the temperature difference between day and night caused by high altitude, and the warm winters and cool summers, this small town possesses the conditions needed for growing Arabica coffee beans.

Yirgacheffe town originally belonged to another important coffee-producing region in Ethiopia—Sidamo. Because coffee from the Yirgacheffe region possesses delicate floral aromas that other regions don't have, and as the specialty coffee market's demand for coffee beans that can express fresh flavors grows, Yirgacheffe became independent from the Sidamo region and quickly became one of Ethiopia's most important coffee-producing regions.

Coffee Processing Methods

The processing methods for Yirgacheffe green beans are generally divided into two major categories: natural processing and washed processing.

In the earliest days, coffee beans produced in the Yirgacheffe region were mainly processed using the natural method. The natural processing method can also be called the drying method, which is the most ancient green bean refinement method. Coffee cherries are spread evenly on brick patios or raised drying tables specifically designed for sun drying, allowing the cherries to receive more air convection, resulting in more uniform drying effects.

In the 1970s, the Ethiopian government intended to improve the quality of green coffee beans and introduced the advanced washed processing method from Central and South America. The washed processing method removes the sticky flesh layer from the coffee beans before the drying procedure, greatly reducing variables that might occur during the drying process. After multiple washings of the mucilage layer on the cherry's surface, they are finally spread on brick patios or raised beds for sun drying.

Under these two green bean refinement methods, Yirgacheffe's flavor characteristics are exceptionally clean and rich in fruit and floral aromas. Yirgacheffe processed using the natural method possesses explosive berry aromas, richer flavor, and distinct fruit-like smooth acidity. Meanwhile, Yirgacheffe processed using the washed method carries clear floral aromas, bright and fresh citrus flavors, relatively softer mouthfeel, and a warm tea-like finish.

Optimal Roast Level for Yirgacheffe

Having discussed the green bean refinement methods, let's now move to today's topic: What roast level is suitable for Yirgacheffe?

Simply put, coffee roasting refers to how dark the final color of the coffee beans is roasted to (light roast vs. dark roast) and how long it takes (fast roast vs. slow roast). Briefly describing a certain coffee as light roast is incomplete, as this coffee could also be fast-roasted or slow-roasted, and different roasting speeds bring completely different flavor expressions. During the roasting process, three elements that determine the final flavor of coffee must be properly controlled: acidity, sweetness, and bitterness. Generally, the longer the overall roasting time, the less acidity remains, while bitterness increases with longer roasting times, with darker roasted coffee becoming more bitter.

The flavors of Yirgacheffe processed using different methods vary slightly after roasting.

Washed processed Yirgacheffe, when roasted to light and medium levels, presents rich floral aromas, berry aromas, and abundant fruit acidity. When roasted to medium and dark levels, it reduces the floral and fruit aromas as well as fruit acidity, while sweetness increases with the deepening of roast level.

Taking FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe [Goddint] as an example, we chose a medium-light roast that excellently highlights this bean's berry and citrus flavors while preserving its certain tea-like quality and full floral aromas.

Due to high altitude (2,000-2,100 meters), this bean has a denser texture (harder consistency), plus most roasters choose medium-light roast when roasting Yirgacheffe coffee beans to preserve its clean and bright acidity characteristics.

Brewing Recommendations

Therefore, during extraction, the release of soluble substances in the coffee will be relatively slow, so you can use medium-fine grinding (size of fine sugar, 80% pass-through rate with China No. 20 standard sieve) and pair it with 90-92°C water temperature for brewing extraction.

FrontStreet Coffee recommends a brewing ratio of 1:15, using a three-stage pouring technique: Start timing, first pour to 30g water and let it bloom for 30 seconds; then begin the second stage with small water flow in circular pouring to 125g, wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half before continuing to pour, then continue with small water flow circular pouring to 225g. After complete drip filtration, the total extraction time is approximately 2 minutes 00 seconds to 2 minutes 10 seconds.

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