Is Yirgacheffe an Arabica Bean? What are the Characteristics of Arabica Coffee Beans?

(Left: Arabica, Right: Robusta)

Coffee enthusiasts often ask FrontStreet Coffee how to tell the two main varieties apart: Arabica and Robusta. In FrontStreet Coffee's view, you don't necessarily need to. Most specialty coffee on the market today is Arabica, while Robusta shows up mainly in espresso blends. FrontStreet Coffee's classic espresso blend, for instance, includes 10% washed Robusta to build a rich crema in the shot. Arabica, meanwhile, expresses a wide range of flavors depending on terroir, variety, and processing method.

Below, we'll use FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe as the example, and explain where those flavors come from.

What is Yirgacheffe?

Ethiopian coffee is beloved for its complex, varied flavors, which come from an extraordinarily diverse pool of ancient heirloom genetics combined with a range of processing methods such as natural and washed. Many people habitually refer to all Ethiopian coffee as Yirgacheffe. There is some truth to the habit: the fresh, clean profile of Yirgacheffe has been the gateway coffee for many enthusiasts entering specialty coffee.

Precisely because of that fame, many people mistakenly assume Yirgacheffe is a variety name. It is not—it is a place name. Below, FrontStreet Coffee introduces this classic producing region.

What Varieties are Found in Yirgacheffe?

Most Ethiopian varieties are simply labeled Ethiopian Heirloom, largely because Ethiopia is so rich in varieties that it functions as a natural gene bank for Arabica. On one hand, the sheer number makes identification and classification difficult. On the other, the Ethiopian government, for protective reasons, is unwilling or unable to disclose detailed information about them.

In Ethiopia, coffee mostly grows wild or semi-wild in fields, backyards, and under forest canopy. When the cherries ripen, farmers gather them together for processing, which in practice creates a broad mix of many natural variants. Growing under the same terroir, those cherries develop similar flavors and form the basic framework of a region's character. Ethiopia has close to 2,000 recorded coffee varieties, including 1,927 native varieties and 128 introduced foreign ones. Purely in appearance, Ethiopian coffee is a "grand garden" with everything imaginable—long, short, thin, plump. This is also why Ethiopian beans so often vary in size within a single lot.

Single-origin coffees such as FrontStreet Coffee's Gedeb, Guji, Red Cherry, Kaffa Forest, and Kochere are all classic representatives of Ethiopian heirloom varieties.

Yirgacheffe is a Town

Yirgacheffe sits on the eastern edge of the East African Rift Valley, on complex terrain ranging from 1,800 to 2,000 meters. To the west lies Lake Abaya, a wetland since ancient times with abundant water—an excellent resource for Yirgacheffe's washing stations. Yirgacheffe is part of the Sidamo region, but was separated out because of its distinctive flavor profile. Besides Yirgacheffe town, the surrounding area includes sub-regions such as Wenago and Kochere.

FrontStreet Coffee believes the so-called "Yirgacheffe flavor" means rich citrus and lemon acidity, an intense jasmine aroma, and a light, elegant, tea-like mouthfeel—as refreshingly clean as lemon tea. Traditionally, Yirgacheffe was processed naturally. But early natural processing meant drying beans directly on the ground, so they inevitably picked up earthy and dusty flavors, and without proper screening the quality was generally average. In 1972, Ethiopia introduced washed processing from Central and South America to improve quality. That change made Yirgacheffe's jasmine aroma and citrus-lemon freshness clearer and brighter, lifting it into the ranks of world-class specialty coffee.

Ethiopia's washed processing technology was introduced from Central and South America in 1972. The washed process is complex and laborious and requires large amounts of fresh water, which makes it more expensive than natural processing and less common in water-scarce parts of Africa.

Washing Process Steps:

After harvest, cherries are placed in water so that buoyancy separates out the underripe fruit. A depulper then removes the skin and pulp, and the beans go into fermentation tanks for 18-36 hours until the mucilage layer breaks down. Once fermentation is complete, the parchment beans are washed in channels for 30-60 minutes; the specially designed channels and water flow carry off the low-density, lower-quality beans. The good beans are then drained and spread on African-style raised beds to dry.

Because the pulp is removed before drying, Yirgacheffe's inherent aroma comes through more clearly and transparently, showing citrus and lemon notes with elegant white florals. The overall cup is bright and delicate. After washed processing was introduced, Yirgacheffe became a representative of world-class specialty coffee regions. FrontStreet Coffee's Gedeb Cooperative coffee is one of the outstanding examples.

The Gedeb Cooperative was originally part of the larger Wenago Cooperative. Later, coffee hunters from around the world spotted this hidden talent and helped the group build its own washing station, allowing it to break away from Wenago and release coffee under the Gedeb name. FrontStreet Coffee's Gedeb washed coffee is of excellent quality. FrontStreet Coffee often finds Yirgacheffe's floral aromas, clean and fresh orange notes, and a green-tea-like aftertaste in its Gedeb.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Recommendations

Filter: V60 #01

Water Temperature: 90-91°C

Coffee Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Fine pour-over grind (80% pass-through through standard #20 sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Method: First pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. Then pour 95g more (scale shows approximately 125g), completing the pour in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (scale shows approximately 225g), completing in about 1 minute 35 seconds. The drip should finish in about 2 minutes. Remove the filter to complete extraction.

FrontStreet Coffee's Washed Gedeb Brewing Flavor: Initial notes of citrus and black tea, followed by cream, caramel, and almond as the temperature changes. The aftertaste is distinctly sweet with a clean, refreshing mouthfeel.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you are new to Ethiopian coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe is the most natural place to start. It is known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a pronounced tea-like body, and its friendly price has made it the first specialty bean for a great many drinkers.

Yirgacheffe town is really a cluster of small sub-regions and villages, several of which host experienced cooperatives. The most representative is FrontStreet Coffee's washed Gedeb Cooperative, which began life as part of the Wenago Cooperative and later became a single-producer lot. It keeps the traditional washed process and shows no bitterness at all—just clean, bright citrus and lemon acidity with a jasmine perfume.

For the natural side, FrontStreet Coffee's Red Cherry is made from fully ripe red cherries only, dried whole on raised beds and turned every 2-3 hours in the first days to prevent uneven fermentation. After three to five weeks of drying, the outer fruit is removed mechanically. Because the beans dry with the fruit still on them, the cup keeps the classic Yirgacheffe profile while adding tropical fruit, a berry-juice body, honeyed sweetness, and a creamy smoothness.

FrontStreet Coffee's brewing suggestion for Yirgacheffe: a V60 dripper, 15g of coffee, a 1:15 ratio, water at 90-91°C, and a fine grind (EK43s setting 10, roughly fine sugar; 80% pass-through through a #20 sieve). Pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then add 95g (about 125g on the scale) over roughly 1 minute. When the water level falls to two-thirds of the bed, add the remaining 100g (about 225g on the scale) over about 1 minute 35 seconds. Total drip should finish in 2 to 2 minutes 10 seconds.