What Does Heirloom Coffee Mean? Yirgacheffe Heirloom: The Secret Work of Local Coffee Varieties

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FrontStreet Coffee - Heirloom Coffee Introduction

There are currently hundreds of coffee tree species on Earth, with nearly a hundred varieties of Arabica alone. However, when it comes to specialty coffee, only Arabica beans can truly be considered specialty coffee. This doesn't mean all Arabica varieties qualify as specialty coffee. With recent trends in variety improvement, many excellent Arabica varieties are gradually being replaced by new improved varieties due to their low yield and poor disease resistance. However, the production of true specialty coffee still depends on excellent Arabica tree species.

Ethiopia Heirloom - Ethiopian Native Varieties

There hasn't been complete scientific research on this category, but there are approximately 1,000 varieties derived from Ethiopian native species. They later spread to Yemen, India, Indonesia, and South America. Among these, Typica is one of the descendants of native varieties. Ethiopian native varieties offer very rich flavors, ranging from elegant floral notes (typically jasmine) to citrus (typically lemon), as well as chocolate aromas and wild berry flavors, depending on different processing methods.

The term "heirloom" might be too general, but using this term still has some advantages.

First, naming each variety individually presents problems because the same varieties are not often found in different regions. If you plant a variety in Harrar and the same variety in the Yirgacheffe region, you won't achieve the same cultivation potential or flavor quality. This means varieties planted in different regions have different characteristics, so using the same name for this variety might be confusing.

If buyers take time to familiarize themselves with all varieties in the Guji region, they might find that this Guji variety information is of little help when examining completely different varieties in Harrar. This makes it very difficult for individual buyers to understand the various coffee varieties in Ethiopia.

Another challenge is that producers are accustomed to mixing various varieties during harvest and simply selling the harvested coffee collectively as heirloom varieties. Therefore, buyers who specifically want regional local varieties may find it difficult to purchase what they're looking for.

If a buyer requests specific regional varieties from a particular area, they might only be able to provide 50 or 100 bags at most, with no more available. They also need potential buyers to notify them of such needs before harvest to ensure harvested varieties aren't mixed together, meeting the buyer's requirements.

This is also related to the fact that many Ethiopian farmers are smallholders who grow coffee as a cash crop. They choose varieties to plant based on disease resistance and high yield, with flavor quality being a secondary consideration.

Knowledge Point: According to coffee bean combinations, Arabica and Robusta are divided into single-origin coffee and espresso coffee.

Conclusion

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

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