Ethiopia Aricha Anaerobic Natural 2019 TOP Competition Natural Group Introduction

FrontStreet Coffee — Ethiopia Aricha Anaerobic Natural, 2019 TOP Competition Natural Group

Origin: Ethiopia

Altitude: 1,950–2,150 meters

Processing Station: Adorsi

Processing Method: Anaerobic Natural

This coffee is processed at the Adorsi processing station, which belongs to Testi Company and sits in the Aricha area within the familiar Yirgacheffe town. The coffee is grown by more than 30 smallholder farmers from the Geisi community living around the station. Most of these families have 8 or more children, and coffee is their main source of income, handed down through generations.

Adorsi chose anaerobic fermentation processing because it allows precise, multi-dimensional control. Carbon dioxide is injected into sealed stainless steel fermentation tanks to expel oxygen, so fermentation and decomposition take place without oxygen. This effectively manages pH, gas composition, humidity, temperature and even the types and quantities of bacteria involved, preserving more of the fruit's sweetness and developing a cleaner, more balanced flavor.

Anaerobic fermentation adds nothing to the coffee fruit. Through precise control it simply preserves and develops what is already there:

Stainless steel tanks keep flavors cleaner.

Sealed fermentation barrels stop aromatic compounds from volatilizing easily, preserving the bean's flavors to the fullest.

In pressurized sealed containers, the seeds absorb more sugars and flavor compounds from the mucilage, showing better sweetness and richer flavor.

Anaerobic fermentation is lactic acid fermentation, where conventional aerobic fermentation is acetic acid fermentation. Beans produced through lactic acid fermentation have rounder acidity with cheese and cream notes, without the dryness or sharp acetic edge.

In an oxygen-free environment the breakdown of mucilage slows and pH falls more gradually, extending fermentation time and producing a fuller body and wine-like aromas.

As for results, this championship batch scored 91 points. Last year's Peony scored 88 points in the same competition, making this year's Adorsi batch 3 points higher.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Ethiopia is where citrus, florals and juicy fruit reach their purest expression, and FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe lots show both the natural and washed sides of that character.

FrontStreet Natural Red Cherry — like the Aricha lot, this is a natural processed Yirgacheffe, using a full red-cherry process: only fully ripe, sound fruit is picked, screened a first time at the processing station, then 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 go into storage. Because the fruit dries with the pulp still on, the cup 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 — Yirgacheffe town divides into many smaller zones and even individual villages, several of which have experienced cooperatives whose coffee reaches another level. The best-known is FrontStreet's washed Gedingding Cooperative, in the Worka area at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe. It began as part of the Worka cooperative under the YCFCU union, and as the pursuit of traceability grew it was uncovered by coffee hunters as a single-origin lot. Gedingding follows traditional washed processing and has been called Yirgacheffe's last clean corner. It carries no classic bitterness, only fresh, bright citrus and lemon acidity with jasmine fragrance.

FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe Daily Bean — the classic introduction to the Ethiopia region, known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity and a tea-like body. Its friendly 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 the trees planted above 1,800 meters, making it one of the highest coffee regions in the world.

FrontStreet's brewing suggestion for Yirgacheffe: a V60 dripper, 90–91°C water, 15g of coffee, a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio and a grind of 10 on an EK43s (fine sugar size, 80% passing a #20 sieve). Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds, then pour to 95g (about 125g on the scale) over roughly one minute; when the water level falls to two-thirds of the bed, add the remaining 100g (about 225g on the scale) over about 1 minute 35 seconds. Drawdown finishes at 2:00–2:10, then remove the dripper.