Flavor Profile of Ethiopia Guji Uraga Coffee Beans: TOH Washed Champion Brewing Parameters

Many customers enjoy FrontStreet Coffee's TOH coffee beans, but many others are unfamiliar with what TOH coffee beans are. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee would like to specially explain the origin of these TOH beans.

What is TOH?

TOH stands for "East Africa Taste of Harvest Competition," a green coffee cupping competition initiated by the African Fine Coffee Association (AFCA) and held across 12 coffee-producing countries in Africa. It is similar to the Cup of Excellence (COE) competition led by Brazil. This year, Uraga stood out with a score of 89.8 to become the 2020 TOH washed category champion.

The Champion Bean: Uraga

This coffee bean comes from the Uraga sub-region, a part of the famous Guji region in Ethiopia. Originally part of the Sidamo region, Guji was recognized as an independent region due to its unique regional characteristics, similar to Yirgacheffe. This region also produces many famous coffees, such as the Queen of Flowers series we often drink, which originates from the Hambela sub-region of Guji.

Uraga is a sub-region within Guji, with an altitude reaching up to 2300m. Although Uraga town is located within the Guji region, geographically it is closer to the high-altitude area of Yirgacheffe at 2200m. The region's geology consists of fertile black soil (Vertisol), and the high-altitude terrain creates rich fruit flavors in Uraga coffee.

Washing Station and Processing Method

This champion bean is washed processed at the Sela Gajaba washing station. Located 12 kilometers outside Uraga town, this station is one of the finest in Uraga. The processing procedures at this station are almost entirely completed indoors, minimizing the risk of coffee bean contamination.

Freshly picked coffee cherries undergo a two-step screening process to select fully ripe, flawless cherries. These are then pulped to remove the skin and fruit flesh. The coffee beans with remaining mucilage are placed in water for fermentation for about 18-36 hours. After fermentation, the parchment-covered coffee beans are washed in flowing water channels to remove the remaining mucilage. The beans are then dried either by sun-drying or using mechanical dryers until the moisture content reaches approximately 12%. Finally, the parchment is removed from the green coffee beans.

Coffee processed this way possesses the traditional floral notes, citrus, and tea-like characteristics of Ethiopian coffee, while adding considerable cleanliness.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Analysis

The roasters at FrontStreet Coffee believe that as a washed champion bean, it's essential to retain its clean taste while highlighting the white floral and fruit flavors. Through fine adjustments to the dehydration period and first crack timing, the following roasting curve was determined.

FrontStreet Coffee's roaster used a Yangjia 800N (300g batch size): Drum temperature at 180°C when beans entered, with heat at 130 and damper at 3. The turnaround point was at 1'36". When the drum temperature reached 140°C, the damper was opened to 4 while maintaining the same heat. At 151°C, the bean surface turned yellow and grassy aroma completely disappeared, entering the dehydration stage, and heat was reduced to 110.

At 8'37", ugly wrinkles and black spots appeared on the bean surface, with the toast aroma clearly transitioning to coffee aroma, which could be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, it was crucial to listen carefully for the first crack sound. First crack began at 9'39", with the damper not opened to 5. After first crack, development continued for 1'00" before being discharged at 193.2°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Parameters

Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee identified the flavors of this bean as jasmine, lemon, berries, pomelo, honey, and green tea.

For this brewing, FrontStreet Coffee's barista decided to highlight the jasmine aroma, pomelo, honey, and green tea notes as the main profile. The following brewing parameters were used:

Using 15g of coffee grounds as an example, through brewing experiments, FrontStreet Coffee found that this coffee tends to develop tea-like astringency when steeped for too long. Therefore, the grind size was chosen to be slightly coarser than normal pour-over grind, with a 70% pass-through rate on a #20 standard sieve.

A 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio was used, as a higher ratio better highlights the floral and fruit aromas. The water temperature was set at 91°C, which is very suitable for brewing Ethiopian coffee beans and easily brings out citrus and other fruit notes.

Brewing Method

The three-stage pour-over method was used. First, preheat the coffee pot and filter cup, then add 15g of coffee grounds and gently level them. Pour 30g of water for blooming for 30 seconds. It is not recommended to extend the blooming time too long, as this may cause astringency.

For the second stage, pour 120g of water in concentric circles from the center outward, completing the pour at approximately 1 minute. When the coffee bed is nearly exposed, pour the final stage of 90g of water using the same pouring method. Remove the filter cup once all water has passed through, completing the extraction. Total brewing time was 2 minutes and 5 seconds.

Flavor Description

The wet aroma presents subtle jasmine and citrus scents. In the front palate, you can experience citrus-like juice. The middle to back palate reveals a sensation similar to honey pomelo tea, while the aftertaste offers an oolong tea-like lingering sweetness.

Important Notice :

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