Where is Yirgacheffe from? Pour-over flavor and taste characteristics of Yirgacheffe coffee beans

African Coffee Bean Characteristics

American coffee beans are known for their balance, Asian beans for their full body, while African coffee beans predominantly feature floral and fruity aromas. Among them, Ethiopian coffee has strong lemon and citrus notes, while Kenyan coffee boasts rich berry aromas, along with the sour fragrance of plum juice and grapefruit, and the clear sweetness of sugarcane. The citrus aroma of Ethiopian coffee and the berry fragrance of Kenyan coffee are the greatest characteristics of African beans.

When it comes to Ethiopia, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe coffee is undoubtedly the first thing that comes to mind. This is because FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe coffee exudes extremely complex aromas and demonstrates exceptional flavor. The dry fragrance of Yirgacheffe emits intense fruit aromas, with rich dried fruit notes of strawberry, mango, and apricot jam. The wet aroma is like sweet syrup, resembling thick apricot pulp wrapped in rustic honey or chocolate. The entry is not intense, with medium body and subtle acidity, yet lively and bright, much like fruit black tea. It leaves an endless aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that the phrase "when coffee enters the mouth, a hundred flowers bloom" is the most fitting description, creating a comfortable sensation where flowers stimulate the taste buds and olfactory cells. Besides the floral aroma, the delicate body feels like silk massaging in the mouth - a wonderful tactile experience. Currently, many coffee scientists are beginning to study the microclimate and soil conditions around Yirgacheffe to establish cultivation formulas for specialty coffee.

Yirgacheffe Coffee Growing Region

FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe is a very famous specialty coffee-producing region in Ethiopia and a synonym for Ethiopian specialty coffee. Its FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe coffee is an introductory bean for people entering the world of specialty coffee. Yirgacheffe is a small town in Ethiopia, located in the Sidamo region of southern Ethiopia, at an altitude of 1,700-2,100 meters, with coffee trees planted in areas above 1,800m. Strictly speaking, Yirgacheffe is actually a sub-region of Ethiopia's Sidamo province, located in the northwest of Sidamo. Surrounded by mountains and water, with beautiful scenery, it is one of Ethiopia's highest-altitude coffee-growing regions.

FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe is a small town with about 20,000 people. The three adjacent small producing areas - Wenago, Kochere, and Gelena Abaya - have coffee flavors almost identical to Yirgacheffe, so they are also classified under the Yirgacheffe region. Both culturally and geographically, Yirgacheffe is similar to neighboring Sidamo, but Yirgacheffe seems to be more favored with uniquely advantageous conditions. FrontStreet Coffee believes that it is precisely such a climate environment that can produce coffee with Yirgacheffe's flavor. This has led Ethiopia to compete to claim that their coffee has Yirgacheffe coffee flavor characteristics, so it became independent from Sidamo, establishing its own style, and is now the most prestigious region in Africa.

Since every household in Yirgacheffe town grows coffee for a living, and individual coffee production is not particularly large, they sell their harvested fruits to the cooperative processing plants in town for unified processing. When coffee beans are exported, they are exported under the name of the cooperative.

Initially, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe coffee trees were cultivated by European monks, later taken over by farmers or cooperatives. Yirgacheffe is actually constructed from surrounding coffee communities or cooperatives, mainly including: Hafusha, Hama, and Biloya. These mountain villages are shrouded in mist, with spring-like seasons throughout the year. Summers bring gentle breezes - cool but not hot, rainy but not humid, while winters avoid frost damage. This nurtures the unique regional flavor of FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe with its citrus and floral characteristics. Coffee trees are mostly planted in farmers' own backyards or mixed with other crops in farmland.

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Coffee Varieties

Careful observers will notice that many Ethiopian coffee beans are listed as "local native varieties" in terms of variety. Why is this? Because Ethiopia is the gene bank of coffee, with numerous coffee varieties that are difficult to identify and classify. Additionally, the Ethiopian government,出于对天然咖啡的保护, is unwilling to disclose these variety information, so many times, exported Ethiopian coffee beans are collectively called "Heirloom" native varieties.

Yirgacheffe Coffee Processing Methods

FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe coffee, like coffee from other producing countries, has both natural and washed processing methods. In fact, Yirgacheffe originally used the most ancient natural processing method, but after the introduction of the washed method in 1972, over several decades, the usage rate of washed processing became much higher than natural processing. FrontStreet Coffee believes that washed-processed coffee beans reduce defects and present cleaner, more transparent flavors. Compared to washed-processed coffee, natural-processed coffee has lower acidity, higher sweetness, clearer mouthfeel, but slightly less cleanliness, producing more berry-like notes in flavor and greater complexity. Examples include FrontStreet Coffee's daily brew washed Yirgacheffe coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's Kochere coffee, and FrontStreet Coffee's natural red cherry coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

To enjoy a delicious cup of coffee, FrontStreet Coffee believes that the freshness of coffee beans is a crucial factor, as fresh coffee beans allow you to experience the rich flavors of coffee to the greatest extent. Coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) are all roasted within 5 days, because FrontStreet Coffee deeply understands the significant impact of coffee bean freshness on flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "freshly roasted good coffee," ensuring that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when it arrives. The degassing period for coffee is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it is at its peak flavor.

Of course, some customers need FrontStreet Coffee to grind the beans for them, which is also fine. However, FrontStreet Coffee must remind you: if coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for further degassing, because during transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide in the package also helps mellow the coffee flavor. So you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving the ground coffee. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly, because coffee grounds oxidize quickly when exposed to air, meaning the coffee's flavor will dissipate relatively quickly, and the coffee's flavor won't be as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to better appreciate the coffee's flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Brewing Parameters

V60 dripper, water temperature 90°C, water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, coffee amount 15g, grind size (80% pass-through rate on Chinese #20 standard sieve)

Using segmented extraction, bloom with twice the amount of water as the coffee grounds, i.e., 30g of water for 30 seconds. The purpose of blooming is to allow the coffee grounds to release internal carbon dioxide, thereby making the subsequent extraction more stable. With a small water flow, pour in circles to 125g for segmentation, continue pouring to 225g and stop. After the water in the dripper finishes dripping, remove the dripper. Time from the start of pouring, with an extraction time of 2'00". Next, take the entire cup of coffee, shake it evenly, and pour it into a cup for tasting.

[FrontStreet Coffee Washed Kochere Coffee Flavor]: Citrus, berries, tea-like, cream, slight nuts

[FrontStreet Coffee Natural Red Cherry Coffee Flavor]: Berries, lemon, strawberry, fermented wine aroma.

Ethiopia is a treasure trove waiting to be discovered and explored, with coffee beans from different regions producing distinct flavors. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee has acquired more than a dozen single-origin Ethiopian coffees. Welcome to experience them at FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)!

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) on private WeChat, WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473