Which Coffee Beans Are Suitable for Pour-Over Brewing: How to Extract Bright Lemon Acidity from Yirgacheffe

FrontStreet Coffee - Pour-Over Coffee Bean Recommendation - Yirgacheffe Washed Belony Introduction

Chelelektu is located in the Kochere region of Yirgacheffe, approximately 18 kilometers southwest of Yirgacheffe town. Starting from Yirgacheffe town and heading south, the elevation climbs continuously. At a three-way intersection, taking the right path leads toward Chelelektu, while taking the left path southeast will reach Gedeb and Waka.

The coffee berries come from approximately 500 local smallholder farming families in the vicinity. These small farmers average less than 2 hectares of coffee cultivation each, with planting altitudes ranging from 1,800 to 2,050 meters. The coffee varieties are mainly a mix of Typica and Heirloom (local indigenous varieties). Rated Grade G1 by the ECX (Ethiopian Commodity Exchange), these beans are excellent in appearance, consistency, freshness, dry aroma, and flavor. They exhibit the rich aromatic characteristics typical of the Yirgacheffe origin, giving off a delicate and charming floral perfume fragrance, with notes of flowers, bright citrus acidity, lemon, berries, and the sweet-tart aroma of honey.

Yirgacheffe coffee, as a standout among specialty coffees, is naturally an essential choice. FrontStreet Coffee periodically introduces new coffee sample beans from different countries for tasting, and new arrivals typically come with promotional prices. This time, let's try this special one available for sale!

Yirgacheffe Belony Washed

Region: Chelelektu

Altitude: 1800-2000m

Variety: Heirloom

Processing: Washed

Pour-over parameters: 15g of coffee grounds, V60 dripper, water temperature 91°C, powder-to-water ratio 1:15, grind size BG 6S (58% pass rate through China standard #20 sieve).

Technique: Bloom with 30g of water for 40 seconds (longer time for fresh beans), then pour evenly with a small water flow in stages to 125g. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the bed is about to be exposed again, remove the dripper, avoiding the last 5g of water. Start timing from the bloom, with extraction time around 2 minutes.

Flavor: Jasmine flower aroma, lemon, honey, citrus, and lime acidity.

Knowledge expansion: Natural processed beans have complete natural mellow flavors, gentle aromas, and more body/gelatinous texture.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

This washed Belony is a wonderful showcase of why Yirgacheffe is the go-to region for pour-over. Yirgacheffe itself is a town in the Sidamo zone of southern Ethiopia, running about 1700-2100 meters, with coffee trees planted above 1800 meters, making it one of the highest coffee regions in the world; the area was once a wetland, and its unmistakable white florals and lemon-citrus acidity turned the name into shorthand for Ethiopian specialty coffee — so famous that in 2010 the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange separated it from the Sidamo district as its own name. FrontStreet's washed Yirgacheffe, the everyday staple, shows white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a clean tea-like body at an easy price, which is exactly why it becomes so many people's first specialty coffee.

If you enjoy this kind of clarity, it is worth exploring the cooperatives of Yirgacheffe, where each small village runs its own washing station. FrontStreet's washed Gutiti cooperative coffee comes from Worka, on the southeastern edge of the district; it began as part of the Worka cooperative under the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers' Cooperative Union (YCFCU) and was later pulled out as a single origin as buyers chased traceability, and it delivers clean, bright citrus and lemon acidity with jasmine perfume. For a fruitier cup, FrontStreet's Red Cherry is a full-red-cherry natural: only fully ripe, sound cherries are picked, sorted once at the mill, then spread on raised beds to sun-dry, turned every 2-3 hours for the first few days to prevent uneven heat and over-fermentation, and hulled after three to five weeks. Because the fruit dries on the bean, it keeps the classic Yirgacheffe character while adding tropical fruit — citrus acidity, a berry-juice feel, honey sweetness, and a creamy body.

FrontStreet brews Yirgacheffe in a V60 with water at 90-91°C, 15g of coffee, and a 1:15 ratio. Grind to about fine-sugar size (setting 10 on an EK43s, or roughly 80% passing a No. 20 sieve). Pour in three stages: bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds, then pour 95g to reach about 125g on the scale over roughly a minute; when the water drops to two-thirds of the bed, pour the remaining 100g to reach about 225g, finishing in about 1 minute 35 seconds. Total drawdown should land between 2 minutes and 2 minutes 10 seconds, then lift the dripper and the brew is done.