Characteristics and Flavor Profile of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee

Coffee first originated from Ethiopia in Africa, where this ancient land nurtured the magical fruit that continues to influence the world today. While people in many parts of the world were still unaware of what coffee was, the Agao people of Ethiopia were already cultivating and drinking it. If you're a specialty coffee enthusiast, you've undoubtedly heard of Yirgacheffe coffee, whose fresh and lively floral and fruit flavors are unforgettable. FrontStreet Coffee is one of its most devoted fans.

Ethiopian Coffee Cultivation Models

We all know that coffee, as a tropical crop, needs to be grown in cool, comfortable places without frost. Coffee trees are primarily cultivated between 25° south latitude and 25° north latitude, centered around the equator. This region is known as the "Coffee Belt." Approximately 70 coffee-producing countries are located within this belt, which can be broadly divided into three major coffee-growing regions: Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

As the birthplace of coffee, Africa holds a pivotal position in the entire coffee industry. Coffees from this region typically possess rich aromas and captivating fruit acidity, with Ethiopia and Kenya being the most renowned representatives. Ethiopian coffee cultivation is concentrated in the western and southern regions, where smallholder families account for 90% of total cultivation, with nearly 1.2 million smallholder families relying on coffee cultivation for their livelihood. The local coffee production system is divided into four types: forest coffee, semi-forest coffee, garden coffee, and large-scale plantations, with garden coffee being the most common. Due to the small coffee production volumes of smallholders, there are numerous coffee cooperatives and processing stations of various sizes in the region, primarily responsible for processing green coffee beans from their respective areas. Farmers deliver their harvested coffee beans to nearby processing stations established near water sources for unified processing, and the beans are subsequently sold under the processing station's name. The Yirgacheffe growing region is one of these.

Yirgacheffe: The Jewel of Ethiopian Coffee

"Yirgacheffe" refers to a small town in the northwestern part of Ethiopia's Sidamo province. Nestled beside mountains and lakes, with elevations ranging from 1,700 to 2,100 meters, it is one of Ethiopia's highest-altitude coffee-growing regions. Originally part of Sidamo, it later gained independence from this larger growing region due to its unique flavor profile and growing reputation, becoming an exclusive Yirgacheffe growing region. The town is shrouded in mist, enjoying spring-like weather year-round with gentle breezes that are cool but not cold, rainy but not humid, and free from winter frost damage. These conditions make it exceptionally suitable for growing coffee as an agricultural crop, producing coffee with unique citrus and floral notes.

Due to the numerous and complex varieties of Ethiopian coffee beans, completely organizing and categorizing them is extremely challenging. Additionally,出于对各种野生品种的保护，当地政府决定将不同的咖啡豆种混合采摘处理，统一命名为"Ethiopia Heirloom." This is also why we often see Ethiopian beans that are not as uniform and consistent as coffee beans from certain other growing regions, but rather "varying in size and shape, some plump and some slender."

Washed Processing Enhances Yirgacheffe's Flavor Profile

Ethiopia generally has high altitudes and abundant sunshine, making it quite suitable for natural drying of coffee cherries. Traditional natural processing was rather crude, with each coffee farmer able to perform it in their own small courtyard, directly spreading the cherries on rooftops or ground surfaces to dry. These rough methods introduced many unpleasant flavors and resulted in inconsistent coffee quality.

In 1972, the Ethiopian government introduced more advanced washed processing technology and related equipment from Central and South America. Farms using the washed method must construct washing pools and have access to a continuous supply of fresh water, resulting in higher production costs. During processing, the fermented beans are placed in the pool and moved back and forth, utilizing the friction between beans and the power of flowing water to wash the coffee beans until they are smooth and clean. Each step removes impurities and defective beans, resulting in more uniform green bean quality, and the final transaction price is also higher than that of naturally processed coffee.

Washed processing not only significantly reduces the defect rate of coffee but also gives Yirgacheffe its fresh citrus notes and elegant white floral aromas, with an overall flavor that is bright, delicate, and clean. Although washed coffee once became popular, natural processing still occupies the majority of Ethiopian coffee production. Unlike the past, today's natural processing involves more attention to manual selection and ensuring even drying. The Gedeb cooperative coffee beans on FrontStreet Coffee's menu are Yirgacheffe processed using classic washed methods, while another Red Cherry coffee bean is Yirgacheffe processed using refined natural methods, offering more pronounced fermentation notes and tropical fruit flavors.

Light-Medium Roasting Preserves More Floral and Fruit Notes in Yirgacheffe

In terms of roasting, FrontStreet Coffee considers that Yirgacheffe should present acidity as its primary flavor direction, therefore adopting a light-medium roast. The washed Gedeb cooperative coffee beans are lightly roasted to preserve more bright acidity and white floral aromas, while the natural Red Cherry coffee beans are roasted to a light-medium level to present full berry sweetness and acidity. Before launching any coffee bean, FrontStreet Coffee conducts at least one cupping session. Under the same standards, cupping allows us to more objectively perceive the strengths and weaknesses of the coffee.

Washed Gedeb Cooperative Coffee Cupping Profile:

Dry aroma reveals fresh passion fruit, citrus, and berry fragrance. Wet aroma shows citrus and berries. Upon tasting, citrus acidity, berry sweetness, almond, tea-like notes, with a honey-sweet finish in the aftertaste. Light body, bright acidity, clean and refreshing.

Natural Red Cherry Coffee Cupping Profile:

Dry aroma expresses full berry sweetness and acidity. When slurped at different temperatures, soft berry sweetness and acidity, ripe fruit fermentation notes, obvious honey sweetness, and black tea finish, with a smooth mouthfeel.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Recommendations

Some customers who have purchased FrontStreet Coffee's beans ask FrontStreet Coffee for brewing recommendations. Actually, FrontStreet Coffee provides brewing parameters on the label of every coffee bean package. Here, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss the extraction approach for Yirgacheffe based on their café's standards.

Since Yirgacheffe is lightly roasted, the coffee beans have a hard texture and require high-temperature water at 92-93°C to unlock the floral and fruit notes within the coffee. FrontStreet Coffee recommends a medium-fine grind size (78% pass-through rate on Chinese standard #20 sieve). Too coarse and you won't extract the body-forming compounds, resulting in thin coffee. Too fine and you risk over-extraction at high water temperatures, leading to bitter and astringent coffee.

During cupping, FrontStreet Coffee noticed that this bean exhibits different flavors at different temperatures, so the brewing method employs three-stage extraction to allow different flavor compounds to better express themselves as the coffee bed gradually heats up. To highlight the fresh and captivating aromas of washed Yirgacheffe, FrontStreet Coffee uses a V60 dripper for brewing. The spiral rib design of the dripper allows the coffee grounds to degas better, maximizing the volatilization and dissolution of aromatic compounds.

In terms of brewing ratio, FrontStreet Coffee believes 1:15 to 1:16 are both acceptable. If you want a richer mouthfeel, use 1:15. If you want to more clearly perceive the floral and sweet notes, you can use 1:16 to allow the flavors to open up more.

• Dripper: V60
• Water temperature: 92-93°C
• Dose: 15g
• Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
• Grind size: Fine sugar consistency (78% retained on #20 sieve)

Three-stage pouring: Wet the coffee bed with twice the amount of water as the coffee dose, forming a dome for a 30-second bloom. Then use a small water stream to pour in concentric circles from inside to out until reaching 125g for the first stage. Wait until the coffee bed drops to half the height of the dripper, then continue with the same fine water stream for the third stage to 225g. Remove the dripper once all the coffee liquid has filtered through, with a total time of approximately 2 minutes.

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Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

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