Ethiopian Gedeb Coffee Beans Characteristics: Introduction to Washed Yirgacheffe Pour-Over Flavor Profile

The Gotiti Cooperative, located in the Worka production area at the southeastern end of Yirgacheffe, was originally part of the Worka Cooperative under the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU). However, as people pursued greater traceability for green coffee beans, individual "single-origin" regions were gradually discovered by coffee hunters worldwide. Therefore, in 2012, Gotiti, with approximately 300 member farmers, was established as an independent "Gotiti Cooperative."

Gotiti village was one of the first village areas to be independently established. Many small farmers were originally members of the Worka Cooperative, so their coffee production skills are unquestionable. The Gotiti Cooperative is known as the last pure land of Yirgacheffe, so it adopts very traditional processing methods (washed and natural processing).

Product Information

Product Name: FrontStreet Coffee Gotiti Cooperative Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans

Region: Ethiopia, Yirgacheffe

Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom

Flavor: Bright fruit aroma, including pineapple and strawberry flavors, with prominent acidity

In Ethiopia, located in the Worka production area at the southeastern end of Yirgacheffe, there is a mature coffee bean production team called "Gotiti Cooperative." This team has approximately 300 farmer members. It was independently established in 2012 due to its upward and bright Yirgacheffe flavor profile.

Many small farmers were also members of the original Worka Cooperative, so their coffee production skills are unquestionable. The Gotiti Cooperative coffee at FrontStreet Coffee uses traditional washed processing, which not only lacks the strong bitterness of traditional black coffee but presents fresh, bright citrus and lemon acidity, along with jasmine fragrance, making many coffee enthusiasts fall in love at first taste.

Where is Yirgacheffe?

Yirgacheffe town is one of the highest altitude origins in Ethiopia, with coffee trees mostly planted on highlands approaching two thousand meters, with the highest points reaching around 2,100 meters. As altitude increases, the growing environment for coffee trees becomes more ideal, and the flavor advantages of Arabica coffee beans become more prominent. Lakes Turkana, Abaya, and Chamo within the town bring abundant water vapor here, with year-round mist, spring-like seasons, gentle breezes, cool and humid conditions, nurturing Yirgacheffe's unique floral and fruity aroma.

Unlike many specialty coffee beans that are processed on a large scale in estate models, Ethiopian coffee is mostly grown by small individual farmers, typically on areas of about 1 hectare with small yields. Therefore, they are sent to town or nearby cooperatives for unified processing. The management of cooperatives not only improves coffee quality but also provides farmers with more stable income. When we purchase coffee beans, we often see coffee that has undergone post-processing, grade classification, and roasting, finally named after cooperatives, such as Gotiti, Worka, Konga, and Adado.

Why Does Washed Yirgacheffe Have Citrus and Lemon Acidity?

Traditionally, farmers would place harvested coffee cherries directly on terraces or spread them on the ground for direct sun-drying until the moisture content of the coffee fruit reached only about 12%, at which point they could be sent for hulling and packaging. Coffee beans processed this way are prone to earthy flavors, over-fermentation, and rotten fruit flavors.

To improve the flawed flavors caused by this sun-drying method, Ethiopia introduced washed processing technology from Central and South America. During the washing process, multiple steps can remove defective beans, presenting cleaner acidity in flavor and elevating Yirgacheffe's aroma to another level. To allow curious coffee lovers to taste the unique "Yirgacheffe flavor," FrontStreet Coffee has launched a washed Yirgacheffe as the representative of Ethiopian coffee, using medium-light roast with classic Yirgacheffe flavor notes, suitable for various brewing methods such as pour-over, cold brew, and French press. FrontStreet Coffee's daily bean series allows friends new to the coffee world to taste the basic flavors of origins at affordable prices, while small packaging designs also avoid waste from unfinished coffee.

Flavor Characteristics of Medium-Light Roasted Gotiti Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee believes that the greatest characteristic of Ethiopian coffee lies in its fruity acidity and floral aroma, praised by many coffee enthusiasts as "fruit bombs." To highlight such explosive fragrance, the roast degree naturally cannot be too deep, so FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-light roast to showcase the coffee's fruity notes.

Cupping Notes:

The dry aroma of washed Gotiti Cooperative coffee exudes fresh passion fruit, citrus, and berry acidity. The wet aroma reveals citrus and berries. Upon tasting, you'll experience citrus acidity, berry sweetness, almond, tea-like sensations, with a finish carrying honey-like sweetness. Light body, bright acidity, clean and refreshing.

How to Brew Washed Gotiti for Great Taste?

Based on previous brewing experience, FrontStreet Coffee recommends that beginners use the three-stage pouring method. Three-stage extraction helps to more fully dissolve flavor compounds during extraction, increasing mouthfeel layers while avoiding over-extraction from overly long soaking times.

For 15 grams of coffee grounds with a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio (225ml total water), the three-stage water amounts are divided into: 30ml, 95ml, 100ml, with the electronic scale showing: 30g, 125g, 225g.

Here, FrontStreet Coffee uses its own roasted washed Yirgacheffe Gotiti Cooperative coffee beans, paired with an Hario V60 dripper for brewing. The V60's spiral rib design allows coffee grounds to better degas, maximizing the volatilization and dissolution of acidic aromatic compounds. Since Yirgacheffe uses light roast, the coffee beans have a harder texture and require high-temperature water at 92℃-93℃ to activate the floral and fruity flavors in the coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee recommends a medium-fine grind size (78% pass rate through China standard #20 sieve), similar to the coarseness of fine sugar. Grinding too coarse cannot extract the mellow, rounded flavor compounds, resulting in thin coffee; grinding too fine can easily lead to over-extraction at high water temperatures, resulting in bitter coffee.

In terms of brewing ratio, FrontStreet Coffee believes that 1:15 to 1:16 are both acceptable. If you want a richer mouthfeel, use 1:15; if you want to more clearly perceive floral and sweet sensations, use 1:16 to allow the flavors to disperse more.

First, place the folded filter paper in the dripper to fit, pour 15 grams of ground coffee into the dripper, and zero the electronic scale.

For the first stage, pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. Start timing while pouring, using a small water stream from the center point outward in circles, ensuring the entire coffee bed is moistened.

After 30 seconds, begin pouring the second stage of 95g water with a slightly larger water stream, aiming to raise the entire coffee bed. The water column needs to be poured vertically and evenly, with the scale showing 125g at this point, completed around 55 seconds.

When the liquid level drops to about halfway, start pouring the third stage of 100g using a small water stream in small circles. Try to control the water stream to avoid too large circles, which can easily disperse the coffee bed and cause under-extraction. The final pour amount is 225g total, with drip completion time around 2 minutes. After removing the dripper, shake the coffee liquid in the sharing pot evenly and you can begin tasting.

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473