FrontStreet Coffee Recommends: Ethiopian Hero Coffee Bean with Elegant Citrus Notes from Guji Washed Process

FrontStreet Coffee - Ethiopia Washed Champion Hero Coffee Introduction

The 2019 Ethiopia TOH Washed Category Champion is an outstanding coffee that brings together aroma, balance, and body in one cup. Here you will find a wide range of refined, delicate flavors backed by a solid, rounded mouthfeel and lively acidity. Like the Flower Champion before it, it delivers exceptional value for a competition-winning lot.

A Brief Introduction to AFCA's Taste of Harvest

Taste of Harvest (TOH) is an annual specialty coffee competition organized by AFCA across Africa. Held alongside the annual African Specialty Coffee Conference and exhibition, the regional Taste of Harvest competitions draw entries from AFCA member countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. This prestigious cupping competition set out to identify the best origin coffees across the entire value chain, from seed to cup. After the competition, an online auction platform run by green coffee auction houses showcases and promotes the lots with the most distinctive origin character for trading.

Coffee Details

Country of Origin: Ethiopia

Coffee Estate: Uraga, Sidamo

Region: Guji Production Area

Altitude: 2150m

Coffee Variety: Heirloom

Processing Method: Washed

Knowledge Extension

Arabica has many subspecies, all tracing back to Ethiopia's ancient Typica and Yemen's Bourbon, which were later transplanted to Central and South America and Asia, where they continued to evolve through mutation.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Ethiopia is one of the world's best-known specialty coffee origins. As the birthplace of coffee, it is home to countless native varieties, and for many coffee lovers it remains a treasure trove worth following faithfully, harvest after harvest.

FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe
For a first taste of Ethiopian specialty coffee, start with FrontStreet's entry-level Washed Yirgacheffe. In the cup you get a clear jasmine bouquet and bright citrus acidity - what baristas mean when they say a coffee "tastes like Yirgacheffe." Yirgacheffe itself is a small town in southern Ethiopia where spring-like weather, drifting mist, and cool, humid conditions persist year-round. Thousands of coffee trees thrive here, producing the region's signature interplay of floral notes and fruit acidity: a light, elegant, tea-like cup reminiscent of a clean, refreshing lemon tea.

FrontStreet Idido Cooperative
Most Ethiopian coffee is grown in garden cultivation, with each smallholder delivering freshly picked cherries to a village-level washing station; the lots are then sold under the name of the production team, which is why cooperatives of every size appear on the market. The Idido Cooperative sits in the Worka growing area at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe and was originally part of the Worka cooperative under the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU). As roasters worldwide pushed for traceability, individual single-origin zones were carved out one by one, and in 2012 Idido established itself as an independent cooperative with roughly 300 member farmers. Because the fruit is pulped before drying, the coffee's inherent character comes through with unusual clarity - citrus and lemon tones over an elegant white-floral nose, for a cup that is bright, delicate, and refined.

FrontStreet Natural Red Cherry
Unlike washed coffees, naturals are sorted to remove damaged or moldy cherries and then dried whole in the sun for about two weeks, allowing the sugars and essence of the fruit pulp to soak into the beans. Once moisture drops to 12%, the hardened skin, mucilage, and dried husk are milled away. The green beans then pass density and color checks, defective beans are culled, and workers hand-sort any remaining imperfections. This layered screening is what guarantees a clean, pristine cup packed with rich, captivating fruit. FrontStreet's Yirgacheffe Red Cherry Project natural coffee tastes of peach, cocoa, honey, and lemon.

FrontStreet Natural Flower Champion (Huakui)
FrontStreet's Flower Champion comes from the Hambella growing area of Guji, Sidamo. The farm covers 200 hectares and uses traditional natural processing. To keep the cherries from molding or picking up earthy taints while drying, workers lay them on raised beds for 21 days of sun exposure, turning them constantly so they dry evenly, with farmers hand-removing defective or moldy beans every three to five days. Once the skin has dried hard, it is removed with a dehuller, and after milling the green beans undergo one final hand sort in pursuit of a flawless cup. Because the beans dry with pulp and skin intact, a medium-light roast reveals a faint fermented wine note, florals, citrus, and mango, with a far denser, more complex body - honeyed sweetness, cocoa undertones, and a whisper of spice, full-bodied with a long finish.