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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Nicaragua Yeshi Variety

Nicaragua Yeshi is the Ethiopian variety Yeshi, recently found in Nicaragua. It is the world's newest discovered Ethiopian variety, and the discovery was completely accidental.

The Nicaraguan green coffee exporter Expocamo began searching for specialty coffee in more remote producing areas in recent years, with the San Juan de Rio Coco region among them. In late 2016, Expocamo visited the local Finca El Zapote and cupped a coffee with cherry-like Typica characteristics, discovering flavors completely different from anything they had tasted before, reminiscent of ripe papaya.

The farm owner, Miguel Angel, told them the tree was called Yersi, and that it had existed when his father purchased the farm, planted by the previous owner, the Paguaga family, 40-50 years ago. Expocamo asked that this batch be processed separately during harvest. A few months later, Nicaragua Yeshi showed extremely special flavors on the cupping table, unprecedented. It was very similar to Yirgacheffe's floral aromas, with cupping scores as high as 87 points, even though the farm sits at only 1000 meters of altitude, where such flavors should be nearly impossible to show.

Expocamo contacted CATIE in Costa Rica to understand what kind of coffee variety this Nicaragua Yeshi was, then asked Miguel Meza whether anyone had heard of this coffee or whether it was a variety already discovered. But, Miguel included, no one had heard of Yersi.

Finally they approached World Coffee Research in the United States, where plant genetic sequences could be compared to see whether they matched any existing varieties.

In June 2017, the genetic comparison results came out. Yersi is a tree species native to Ethiopia, with genes very similar to the ancient species "Abyssinia" once cultivated in the Lake Kivu region of Congo. According to World Coffee Research, Abyssinia can still be found on a few farms in Congo today, though it is extremely rare.

The Nicaragua Yeshi bean first appeared at the "International Master Class" in May 2017. Miguel obtained a small sample of Yeshi from Expocamo, which was full of floral aromas, with extremely strong floral notes and an extremely soft body. You could say that when Yirgacheffe's floral character reaches its ultimate expression, that is Yeshi. A week later, it was cupped again at the Coffee Salon in Beijing with the same results. It tastes almost unlike coffee, more like a delicious floral tea.

About FrontStreet Coffee

In short, FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research hall dedicated to sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation, hoping to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Each month we hold three coffee promotion events with significant discounts, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

The Yeshi variety is prized for a floral character that echoes Yirgacheffe, and if that is the flavor you are chasing, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe is the classic entry point. It is known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like body, and its approachable price has made it the first specialty coffee for many drinkers.

For a more floral and layered cup, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Gedingding comes from the Gedingding cooperative and, after a medium-light roast, shows jasmine, bright citrus, and green tea and honey notes. If you prefer the fruitier side of Yirgacheffe, FrontStreet Coffee's Red Cherry natural coffee is a fully ripe cherry natural lot with citrus acidity, berry juice, honey sweetness, and a creamy smoothness.

For brewing these floral lots, FrontStreet Coffee uses a V60 at 90-91°C, 15g of coffee at a 1:15 ratio, and a medium-fine grind at about 80% pass-through on a #20 sieve.