What are the best coffee bean brands from Africa, and what processing method and flavor does Yirgacheffe coffee have?

Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe Coffee Region

The birthplace of coffee is located in Ethiopia, which is also where humanity first emerged. Coffee culture has existed here for thousands of years.

Despite frequent conflicts in Ethiopia, it was never colonized by foreign powers. Unlike other coffee-producing countries that were forced to cultivate coffee due to colonization, the Ethiopian people consume approximately half of their national coffee production annually. One can imagine how important coffee is to the local people. Because of this, the authorities have even implemented controls to earn foreign exchange, including reducing domestic coffee distribution channels and prohibiting circulation between different coffee-producing regions or transport to non-coffee-producing northern areas. This approach runs completely counter to other coffee-producing countries that vigorously promote domestic consumption.

Ethiopia holds a pivotal position in the world. Besides being the birthplace of coffee, it possesses the world's complete coffee flavor spectrum—coffee flavors from around the world can all be found in Ethiopia. Yirgacheffe is a renowned specialty coffee-producing region in Ethiopia, geographically located precisely on the eastern edge of the East African Rift Valley. The terrain is relatively complex and fragmented, with Lake Abaya to the west. Since ancient times, this has been a natural wetland with abundant water resources. These natural geographical factors have contributed to Yirgacheffe's explosive popularity in the international coffee market.

The term "Yirgacheffe" in the local language means: "Let us settle and make a living in this wetland." Local residents even believe this place is the site of Eden where humanity first emerged.

Yirgacheffe is located in the Gedeo region of southern Ethiopia. This region governs the well-known areas of Yirgacheffe and Kochere. Because the coffee produced in Yirgacheffe has special, unique flavors that are widely loved, it has formed its own category in product classification and has always occupied a place in the global specialty coffee market. Yirgacheffe, located in Sidama province, is itself a small town. Nearby are three small producing areas: Wenago, Kochere, and Gelena Abaya. Because the coffee flavors produced there are almost identical to Yirgacheffe and run parallel to it, Gelena Abaya is also classified under the Yirgacheffe region.

Ethiopia implemented a new trading and grading system in November 2009. Besides Yirgacheffe, it added three sub-regions: Wenago, Kochere, and Genlena/Abaya, indicating that the flavors from these three regions are extremely refined and can be further subdivided.

Yirgacheffe's Unique Characteristics

Yirgacheffe, with its naturally unique citrus and fruity aromas, is widely favored by coffee enthusiasts worldwide. Different estates and processing plants have created various flavor profiles. The climate in the Yirgacheffe region during this period is cool but not cold, tropical yet not hot, rainy but not humid, with fresh and clean air. These conditions nurture its unique natural flavors. Characteristics include freshly harvested beans (New Crop) processed using the washed method, resulting in a quite clean and bright taste where one can experience refreshing citrus and floral notes. Due to these unique floral and fruity flavors, Yirgacheffe is very suitable for cold brew and iced coffee, with a taste as refreshing as tea with a subtle aroma. For hot brewing, it's recommended to control the water temperature at 91°C to avoid losing some of the fruity aromas.

Washed Processing Method

After harvesting, coffee beans are soaked in water to remove immature beans floating on the surface. The softened coffee is then machine-processed to remove the skin and pulp, then placed in water to ferment for one to three days. The surface mucilage separates, and finally, through sun drying or other drying methods, the moisture content reaches 12%.

Knowledge Extension

As the largest green bean company in the Netherlands, Trabocca has been deeply involved in the Ethiopian producing regions for nearly 20 years. Not only did they introduce organic certification to Ethiopia for the first time, but they also launched the well-known "Red Cherry Project." In recent years, they have also introduced "The Ethiopian Cup," a green bean auction project.

In Summary

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research center that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation only to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three low-discount coffee activities every month because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for six years!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473