Yirgacheffe Coffee Roasting Curve Analysis & Step-by-Step Guide

FrontStreet Coffee — Yirgacheffe Roasting Curve

We roasted Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Red Cherry and dropped it at a 10–12 degree rise after first crack, with development time held between 70 and 90 seconds. The exact timing depends on how the beans behave, but unlike a washed coffee the first-crack temperature rise curve is flattened somewhat so it does not fall away too early, allowing the development phase to run its course and coaxing out the aftertaste that natural processed beans can give in the later stage.

With that approach in mind, we began to experiment: at the same drop temperature we ran one curve with more heat and one with less, to see which roasting style suits this bean better.

Roasting Parameters

Roaster: Yangjia 800N

Batch size: 550 grams

Drum speed: 70 rpm

Indoor temperature: 30°C

Humidity: 70% on the day

Natural processed Yirgacheffe Red Cherry: 550 grams

The Roasting Curve

The method uses high heat for dehydration in the early stage, with the damper starting at 30%. As roasting progresses, heat is gradually reduced while the damper is opened step by step, reaching fully open at the start of first crack.

Drop temperature: 185°C

1'30" — heat increased to 2pa

Yellowing point: 155°C at 5 minutes 10 seconds

First crack: 194°C at 8 minutes 40 seconds

Drop point: 205°C at 9 minutes 58 seconds

Cupping Results

We cupped the two curves the next day and found the aroma more pronounced, with relatively mild fruit acidity. As the coffee cools, the aftertaste carries floral notes and a little sugarcane sweetness, while the finish brings out a tea-like sensation with flavors similar to orange peel.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Yirgacheffe rewards careful roasting, and FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe lots let you taste the difference that process and roast level make.

FrontStreet Natural Red Cherry — the very bean described above, and the best way to taste what this curve is chasing. It uses a full red-cherry natural process: only fully ripe, sound fruit is picked, screened a first time at the processing station and dried directly on raised beds. In the first days the cherries are turned every 2–3 hours to prevent uneven heating and over-fermentation. After three to five weeks of drying, the outer pulp is machine-stripped according to weather and temperature and the beans are moved into storage. Because the fruit dries with the pulp attached, it keeps the typical Yirgacheffe profile while gaining tropical fruit from the natural process: citrus-like acidity, berry juice, honeyed sweetness and a creamy, smooth texture.

FrontStreet Gedingding Cooperative — the washed counterpoint. Yirgacheffe town divides into many smaller zones and villages, and several host experienced cooperatives whose coffee reaches a higher level. The best-known is FrontStreet's washed Gedingding Cooperative in the Worka area at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe. Once part of the Worka cooperative under the YCFCU union, it was uncovered by coffee hunters as a single-origin lot as demand for traceability grew. Traditional washed processing leaves it without classic bitterness, showing fresh, bright citrus and lemon acidity and jasmine fragrance.

FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe Daily Bean — the classic introduction to the region, known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity and a tea-like body. Its accessible price makes it the first specialty bean for many drinkers. Yirgacheffe is a small town in southern Ethiopia within the Sidama zone at roughly 1,700–2,100 meters, with trees planted above 1,800 meters, making it one of the highest coffee regions in the world.