Price Differences Between Washed and Natural Yirgacheffe - Brewing Methods for Best Flavor

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FrontStreet Coffee - Yirgacheffe Grading and Brewing Introduction

When mentioning Ethiopian coffee beans, one might imagine a bright, refreshing acidity. Indeed, its vibrant fruit acidity and gentle floral notes have won the hearts of many enthusiasts, making it a favorite in the third wave coffee movement. Yirgacheffe stands as a classic example. Its beans are quite distinctive - rather unattractive in appearance, small and rough, haha! The beans are small, neat, and short-roun d in shape. The common processing methods for Yirgacheffe are washed and natural, which is why many coffee shops offer both washed Yirgacheffe and natural Yirgacheffe for customers to choose from. The main difference between the two lies in their processing methods: washed Yirgacheffe tends to have more prominent bright fruit acidity, where you can clearly perceive that refreshing "invigorating" acidity. Natural Yirgacheffe, in comparison, is much softer with increased sweetness, each offering its own unique merits.

Ethiopian Coffee Bean Grading System

Ethiopia typically grades coffee beans based on defect counts. The evaluation method involves randomly selecting a 300-gram sample and placing it on black paper, as black paper best avoids glare. Professional graders then screen and identify defective beans within the sample, accumulating different scores according to defect types. For example: 1 black bean counts as 1 point, 1 small stone counts as 1 point, 1 large stone counts as 5 points, 5 broken beans count as 1 point, 5 insect-damaged beans count as 1 point, 2 sour beans count as 1 point, 1 large dried fruit pulp counts as 1 point, 2 medium dried fruit pulps count as 1 point, 3 small dried fruit pulps count as 1 point, 5 unhulled beans count as 1 point, 3 shell beans count as 1 point, and so on.

Ethiopian coffee beans are divided into 5 grades, which we describe using "Grade," so you'll see designations like G1, G2, and so forth. Specifically, G1 and G2 are grades for washed beans. G1 represents 0-3 defective beans per 300 grams of green beans, while G2 represents 4-12 defective beans per 300 grams. If you ask how much defective beans actually affect flavor, this question is somewhat difficult to answer because defective beans typically result from insect damage, mold, or immaturity. The presence of defective beans certainly increases the possibility of off-flavors during brewing, but this doesn't mean G2 washed beans are poor or undrinkable. In actual consumption, it's comparable to the difference between pre-rain Longjing tea and regular Longjing tea.

Natural processed beans are graded G3, G4, and G5 respectively. However, in practice when purchasing, you'll find that some high-quality natural Yirgacheffe can also meet the standards of G1 or G2 washed beans. While they still have some defective beans, compared to natural Harar and Sidamo beans, they are already quite precious. In reality, enjoying a good natural processed bean, regardless of its origin, is quite rare because the natural processing method involves too many uncontrollable factors during bean treatment and heavily depends on local climate conditions. Any carelessness can lead to rot and mold, naturally increasing the proportion of defective beans. Typically, Ethiopian beans classified as G4 and G5 grades are not usually released as single-origin coffee beans. They are generally called "commercial bulk beans" and often mix hundreds of different varieties from various growing regions, making uneven bean appearance most obvious and making even roasting difficult.

Recommended Brewing Method

Method: Pour-over
Dripper: V60
Water Temperature: 92°C
Dose: 15 grams
Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (BG 6S: 58% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve)

Brewing Technique:分段式萃取

For the first pour, use 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom. For the second pour, use a small stream in circular motion until reaching 120 grams, then pause. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue with the third pour until reaching 225 grams, then stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the bloom) Total extraction time is 2'00".

Knowledge Point

Ethiopia holds an ancestral position in the coffee world - it is the birthplace of Arabica coffee beans and currently Africa's largest Arabica-producing country. The Kaffa Forest in Ethiopia is particularly known as the "coffee gene bank."

In Brief

FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research house dedicated to sharing knowledge about coffee with everyone. We share without reservation to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three coffee discount events every month because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price - this has been our mission for the past 6 years!

Important Notice :

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