Cold Brew Coffee Guide: Expert Brewing Methods and Recommendations from FrontStreet Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee - Yirgacheffe Red Cherry Coffee

The Ethiopian coffee growing region is shrouded in mist, with spring-like weather year-round. Summers bring gentle breezes that are cool without being hot, and rainy without being damp, while winters avoid frost damage. These unique conditions cultivate Ethiopia's distinctive "terroir," characterized by citrus and floral notes. According to Ethiopia's official ECX system, the Yirgacheffe region is subdivided by flavor quality Q-grade into 8 Woredas (townships): Dilla, Wenago, Bule, Yirgacheffe, Kochere, Gedeb, Abaya, and Gelena.

Operation Cherrie Red (ORC) is a project dedicated to improving the quality of coffee beans from small-scale farms, aimed at encouraging farmers and bringing pleasant surprises to roasters. Trabocca, the largest coffee bean merchant in the Netherlands, invites all Ethiopian farms before the harvest season to produce small batches of approximately 1,500-3,000 kg (25-50 bags) of beans. Only fully 100% ripe red cherries can be selected, which makes a significant difference to the flavor of the brewed coffee. Meticulous, keen-eyed, and hardworking Ethiopian women are therefore crucial drivers of the Red Cherry Project.

Flavor Characteristics

Intense jasmine floral aroma, lemon or lime citrus acidity, along with peach and almond sweetness and tea notes. The delicate body feels like silk massaging your palate—a wonderful sensation.

Red Cherry Project Natural Process Yirgacheffe - Reko Washing Station

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Kochere

Grade: Natural Process Grade G3

Producer: Reko Washing Station

Processing Method: Traditional Natural Process

Variety: Local Heirloom

Altitude: 1,850-2,100 meters

Harvest Period: October to February each year

Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom Mix

Brewing Parameters: V60 dripper brewing method. Water temperature: 90-92°C. 15g coffee grounds. Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15. Grind size: medium-fine, similar to raw sugar granules (BG-5R grind setting, 60% pass-through rate on the China #20 standard sieve).

Brewing Technique: Poured extraction. Use 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then continue pouring with a small circular flow until reaching 125g for the first pour. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until reaching 227g in total. Remove the dripper when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again (timing starts from the bloom). Total extraction time: 2'00".

Knowledge Extension:

Kochere is a small growing region located about 25 kilometers southeast of Yirgacheffe. The harvested coffee beans come from local small-scale coffee farmers, organized as a collective of numerous individual smallholders. These small farmers' coffee plantations average about 1 hectare in area, with growing altitudes of approximately 1,900 to 2,000 meters. The coffee varieties are mainly a mix of Typica and Heirloom (local indigenous varieties).

In Brief:

FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research institution dedicated to sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share everything without reservation simply to help more people fall in love with coffee. Each month we hold three coffee promotional events at significant discounts, because FrontStreet Coffee wants more people to enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price—that has been our mission for the past 6 years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Red Cherry Yirgacheffe is famous for its pure, clean fruit, and FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe lineup is built for exactly that. Our FrontStreet Sun-dried Red Cherry is a natural-process Yirgacheffe made from fully ripe fruit, with citrus acidity, berry juiciness, honeyed sweetness, and a creamy body that is superb cold brewed. For the washed, tea-like side of the same region, our washed Yirgacheffe Gordin Cooperative coffee brings jasmine, citrus, and lemon without the classic bitter edge. Both are floral, fruit-driven coffees that shine in a V60, just like the Reko Washing Station coffee described above.