Is the Sun-Dried Coffee Bean Method the Sweetest? Solid Texture of Sun-Dried Yirgacheffe with Subtle Wine Aroma

Coffee Knowledge Exchange

This article is part of our professional coffee knowledge exchange, shared so more readers can explore great beans.

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Sun-dried Yirgacheffe

Yirgacheffe is a coffee no lover should miss. Many specialty drinkers probably had Yirgacheffe as their first taste of fine coffee. Its flavor is so distinctive that it overturns the usual idea of what coffee tastes like. Drinking it made us realize for the first time that coffee is not just the dry, shriveled brown beans we see every day, but truly a fruit.

Different processing methods for Yirgacheffe green beans yield even more varied flavors. In this short article, I will introduce the differences between Yirgacheffe beans processed "washed" and "sun-dried."

Washed Processing Method

This method uses water and fermentation to remove the fruit pulp and mucilage, washing the beans until they are smooth and clean. After washing, the beans are still inside their parchment shell at a moisture content of 50%. They must be dried to bring that down to 12%, otherwise they will keep fermenting, grow moldy and spoil. Sun-drying is best: it takes 1-3 weeks but produces exceptionally flavorful coffee that is highly prized.

Washed coffee has good body, high aroma and lively acidity. Washed Yirgacheffe beans are graded Gr-1 and Gr-2, the smaller numeral marking the higher grade. G1 Yirgacheffe has a distinctive style: citrus and florals fused in the liquid, an irresistible delight.

Sun-dried Processing Method

After harvest, the fruit begins sun-drying with no treatment at all. This is the oldest processing method still in use. Drying usually lasts about 4 weeks. It must be carried out with great precision to keep the coffee from losing flavor. Sun-dried beans have a complete natural body, a gentle aroma and more mucilage.

Flavor Comparison

Sun-dried Yirgacheffe has a subtle fermented, wine-like aroma with slightly more pronounced bitterness. The body is much richer, with honey-like sweetness, cocoa undertones and hints of spice, a full body and a lasting aftertaste. The rich texture and the unique soft florals sweep across the palate, leaving an endless finish.

Washed Yirgacheffe has brighter acidity, closer to lemon, with a lighter, fresher mouthfeel. The citrus aroma is more prominent, with some black tea character in the finish. Both show fruit acidity like lemon and citrus.

Knowledge Point: Typica Old Variety

Typica is an old coffee variety known for its excellent flavor, good mouthfeel and prominent aroma, but with weak disease resistance.

In Summary

FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research cafe that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. Our unconditional sharing is aimed at helping more friends fall in love with coffee. Every month we hold three coffee events with significant discounts, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to offer the best coffee at the lowest possible prices to more friends. That has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For a first Yirgacheffe, FrontStreet Coffee's classic washed everyday bean is the place to start. It is known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity and a clean, tea-like cup, and its friendly price has made it the first specialty coffee for many drinkers. The Yirgacheffe district sits in southern Ethiopia's Sidama zone, at roughly 1,700-2,100 meters, with the trees planted above 1,800 meters, which ranks it among the highest coffee regions on earth. The name has become a byword for Ethiopian specialty coffee, and in 2010 the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange split Yirgacheffe from Sidama into its own origin.

If you want the sun-dried style described above, FrontStreet Coffee's red cherry Yirgacheffe selects only fully ripe, sound cherries, screens them at the mill, then dries them whole on raised beds, turning them every 2-3 hours over the first days to avoid uneven heating and over-fermentation. After three to five weeks of sun-drying, the outer fruit is removed by machine and the beans are moved to storage. Because the fruit dries on the bean, the coffee keeps the classic Yirgacheffe character while gaining tropical fruit from the sun-drying: citrus acidity, berry juice, honey sweetness and a creamy, silky body.