2020 Pour-Over Coffee Bean Selection Recommendations & Yirgacheffe Brewing Methods

FrontStreet Coffee: Pour-Over Coffee Beans - Yirgacheffe Washed Hafursa Introduction

About Hafursa

Hafursa village lies within the Yirgacheffe town area—in fact, it borders the town's bustling district directly to the west. Step out of the town's western road and you are immediately in Hafursa village. The Hafursa cooperative's processing plant is extremely close to town, less than 500 meters away! The Hafursa Cooperative joined the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU) in 2002 and holds both Fair Trade and Organic certifications.

The cooperative was established in 1975, a pioneer of Ethiopia's first wave of cooperative movements. Members grow coffee under shade on land near their homes, intercropping with bananas and other nitrogen-fixing crops. All cultivation is done by hand with organic fertilization, using ecological and natural methods for pest control.

The cherries processed at the Hafursa plant come mainly from the western slopes of Hafursa village at 1900-2100 meters, with a portion also coming from the southern slopes near Konga village. Both areas offer excellent altitude and slope orientation—the fundamental condition behind the cooperative's outstanding coffee.

This washed Yirgacheffe is one FrontStreet Coffee particularly enjoys. With its bright acidity and lemon-flower fruit notes, it has become popular for its floral and fruity character, and we recommend it as a first-choice pour-over bean. Below we share our brewing technique.

Yirgacheffe Hafursa Washed

Region: Yirgacheffe

Variety: Local heirloom varieties

Altitude: 1800-2000m

Processing: Washed

Pour-over parameters: 15g of coffee, V60 dripper, water temperature 91 degrees C, coffee-to-water ratio 1:15, grind size BG 6S (58% pass rate on the China-standard 20-mesh sieve).

Method: Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds. Pour with a small, even stream in segments up to 125g. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g, then stop. Remove the dripper just before the bed is exposed, and do not use the last 5g. Total extraction time should be around 2 minutes from the start of blooming.

Flavor: Jasmine, lemon, sugarcane, berries, with a juice-like mouthfeel

Knowledge Extension

YCFCU assigns professional managers to its cooperatives to advise on harvesting, production, and other processes, raising both yield and quality.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Yirgacheffe itself is a small town in southern Ethiopia's Sidamo province, sitting at roughly 1700-2100 meters with coffee planted above 1800 meters—among the highest coffee-growing elevations in the world. The area was originally wetland, and its unmistakable white floral aroma and lemon-citrus acidity have made the name a byword for Ethiopian specialty coffee; so famous did it become that in 2010 the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange formally separated it from Sidamo. If Hafursa sparks your interest, the FrontStreet washed Yirgacheffe everyday bean is the classic entry point: jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like finish at an approachable price.

To explore further, try the FrontStreet Worka (Guadingding) Cooperative coffee from the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe. Once part of the Worka cooperative under YCFCU, Guadingding became an independent "single origin" cooperative of about 300 member farmers in 2012, as roasters worldwide chased traceability. Its traditional washed processing yields citrus, lemon, and elegant white florals with no trace of old-fashioned bitterness. For a natural-processed contrast, the FrontStreet Red Cherry lot uses only fully ripe cherries, turned every 2-3 hours at the start of a 3-5 week sun-dry—citrus acidity, berry juiciness, honey sweetness, and creamy smoothness. Brew any of them with a V60 at 90-91 degrees C, 15g of coffee at 1:15, ground to fine granulated sugar (80% pass on a #20 sieve), blooming 30g for 30 seconds and finishing the full pour by about 1:35.