What Brand of Coffee Beans is Good-Yirgacheffe T.O.H Championship Processing Station Series Geraldo Limited Microbatch

FrontStreet Coffee - Yirgacheffe T.O.H Champion Processing Station Series: Gerardo Limited Microbatch

Taste of Harvest (T.O.H) is run by the African Fine Coffee Association (AFCA) and is an annual harvest-season cupping competition held across 12 coffee-producing countries in Africa. It is similar in spirit to the Cup of Excellence (C.O.E): in the preliminary round, lots scoring below 80 points are eliminated, and the best green beans from each region are gradually selected for the national competition. Domestic and international judges then cup and score the remaining lots against Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) standards, and the highest scorer is crowned that year's national champion.

The Adorsi processing station is owned by Testi Coffee, an export company run by the Yonis family. Testi Coffee was founded in 2009 by Faysel A. Yonis, the first in his family to commit seriously to the coffee trade. He also brought in his nephew Adham, who grew up and studied in the United States, and whose work gave the company a major lift in expansion and marketing. Testi Coffee now operates four washing stations across four production regions: Guji, Yirgacheffe, Sidamo, and Limu.

What Is Anaerobic Natural Processing?

The increasingly popular anaerobic natural method ferments whole coffee cherries without oxygen first, then dries them in the sun. All coffee processing involves fermentation, which is simply a natural transformation. Coffee cherries hold both sugars and moisture, the two things fermentation needs. Under aerobic or anaerobic conditions, organic matter breaks down and the coffee's flavor shifts. In practice, the anaerobic route makes coffee more uniform and easier to monitor, while the aerobic route is more complex and harder to control.

In an oxygen-free environment, pectin sugars break down more slowly and the pH value falls more gradually, stretching the fermentation time and developing better sweetness and a more balanced cup. Anaerobic fermentation must be held below 10-15°C. Inside clean, sealed stainless steel tanks, the beans ferment for three days before being moved to drying racks for sun drying.

Yirgacheffe T.O.H Champion Processing Station Series: Gerardo Limited Microbatch

Region: Yirgacheffe

Altitude: 1950-2100 meters

Variety: Heirloom

Soil Type: Volcanic red soil

Grade: G1

Processing Method: Anaerobic natural processing

Harvesting Method: Hand-picked

Annual Temperature/Rainfall: 23°C/2000mm

Tasting Notes

Dry Aroma: Ripe fruit pulp, mango, sweet fragrance, blueberry

Wet Aroma: Strawberry, peach, apricot, berries, rich fruit flavors

Cupping: Grape juice, blueberry, and berries with wine-like notes, a lively tropical-fruit acidity, and a distinctive, full-bodied flavor

Worth Knowing

Ethiopian farmers have used a water-free processing method since ancient times. When the cherries ripen, they are dried directly on the ground, and once the fruit pulp dries and separates from the bean core, processing is complete.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To get to know the Ethiopian profile, start with the most classic expression: FrontStreet Coffee's Washed Yirgacheffe, an everyday-drinker lot known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like body. Its friendly price has made it the first specialty bean for a great many newcomers. Yirgacheffe is a small town in the Sidama zone of southern Ethiopia, at roughly 1700-2100 meters, with the coffee trees planted above 1800 meters, making it one of the highest coffee regions in the world.

For a step up in clarity, try FrontStreet Coffee's Gotiti Cooperative. Yirgacheffe is really a patchwork of small areas and villages, many of them home to experienced cooperatives. Gotiti sits in the Worka district at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe and began as part of the Worka cooperative under the YCFCU umbrella before becoming a single-origin lot in its own right. It follows the traditional washed method, and the cup shows no traditional bitterness, only fresh, bright citrus and lemon acidity with jasmine fragrance.

If you prefer fruit-forward sweetness, FrontStreet Coffee's Natural Red Cherry is the pick. It is a full-red-cherry natural: only fully ripe, sound fruit is harvested, sorted once more at the mill, then spread on raised beds to dry. Over the first few days the cherries are turned every 2-3 hours to prevent uneven heat and over-fermentation. After three to five weeks of sun drying, the outer pulp is removed by machine and the beans are moved to storage. Because the fruit dries on the bean, the cup keeps the classic Yirgacheffe character while adding tropical natural fruit: citrus acidity, a juicy berry quality, honey sweetness, and a creamy smoothness.