Brewing Yirgacheffe Coffee: Brewing Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Biloa Coffee with Different Filter Cups

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans have always been FrontStreet Coffee's best-selling variety, with their bright citrus and berry acidity being deeply loved by coffee enthusiasts. Recently, FrontStreet Coffee acquired the Beloya from Yirgacheffe Kochere, and we've tested this bean using different brewing methods to see how its flavor profile varies.

• Country of Origin: Ethiopia
• Region: Yirgacheffe, Kochere
• Processing Station: Beloya
• Altitude: 1870-2100m
• Variety: Local Heirloom
• Processing Method: Natural Process
• Grade: G1
• Harvest Season: 2020

Coffee Growing Region

Kochere is a small sub-region located approximately 25 kilometers southeast of Yirgacheffe. The harvested coffee beans come from local small-scale coffee farmers, assembled from numerous individual smallholder farmers. These farmers typically cultivate an average of about 1 hectare of coffee land at altitudes around 1900-2000 meters. Kochere is part of the Gediyo region within Yirgacheffe and is one of the most important coffee-producing areas in Yirgacheffe.

The Beloya Processing Station is named after the small town of Kore Biloya where it's located, situated in the Kochere sub-region of the Yirgacheffe coffee area within the Gediyo district. Coffee processed at the Beloya station comes from 211 nearby smallholders who grow, harvest, and deliver their own coffee. These coffee beans are grown at high altitudes between 1870-2100m.

The Beloya Processing Station was established in 2001 and can process nearly one million kilograms of coffee cherries annually. The station's 138 raised drying beds cover 2.5 hectares of land with an area of 1700 square meters. The Beloya Processing Station encourages farmers to bring their best coffee to the station by offering prizes and incentives to those with the highest quality coffee, thereby improving overall coffee quality.

Like most coffee growers in other parts of Ethiopia, coffee farmers near Beloya also cultivate coffee alongside other crops such as bananas and corn. The hills in this region are densely forested, and the distinctive trees provide excellent shade conditions for the native Arabica varieties grown here.

Coffee Varieties

Those who frequently drink Ethiopian coffee should have heard of the Heirloom variety, as most Ethiopian varieties are named this way. This is actually because Ethiopia has so many varieties—it's like a natural gene bank for Arabica. On one hand, there are numerous varieties making identification and classification difficult, and on the other hand, the Ethiopian government,出于保护考虑, is unwilling to disclose information about these varieties, so they are collectively referred to as Heirloom.

The term "Heirloom" represents ancient plant varieties originally cultivated for consumption. Some define varieties that must be over 100 years old to be called heirlooms, while others say 50 years. Some define varieties that existed before 1945 as heirlooms, which was approximately when hybrid varieties began to emerge, or in 1951 when hybrids became more widespread.

Coffee Bean Processing Method

This batch of coffee was processed using the natural drying method on raised beds. During the harvest season (October to mid-January), farmers bring freshly picked red coffee cherries from the trees to the washing station. First, visual inspection is conducted to ensure that every bag of coffee received contains only red cherries.

First, the coffee cherries delivered to the washing station are sorted by hand to remove less dense defective coffee cherries. Then the qualified coffee cherries are spread evenly on raised drying beds for sun drying, which takes approximately 21 days. The coffee cherries are dried to a moisture content of about 12%. During the drying period, Beloya staff inspect and remove over-fermented and mold-infected coffee cherries, ensuring this coffee possesses a clean and elegant flavor profile.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Records & Water Temperature Recommendations

To highlight the bright citrus and berry acidity of Yirgacheffe region coffee and the enhanced sweetness from natural processing, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters used a medium-light roast for this bean. The recommended brewing temperature for medium-light roast beans is 90-91°C. Using higher water temperature helps extract the aromatic compounds and acidity (fruit aromas, floral notes, fruit acidity) from light roast beans, as medium-light roast beans have a denser structure, and increasing water temperature can improve extraction efficiency from the coffee grounds, avoiding undesirable flavors such as sharp acidity.

FrontStreet Coffee's Cupping Report

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Parameters:

• Water Temperature: 90-91°C
• Coffee Dose: 15g
• Grind Size: Fine sugar grind

V60 Brewing

The V60 conical dripper has a large opening and unique spiral ribbing that allows air to be discharged more easily, thereby improving extraction quality. The mouthfeel might not be as full-bodied, but its high concentration brings out distinct sweetness and pronounced aromas, which is one of its major characteristics.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Technique: First, pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. Then pour 95g more (digital scale shows around 125g), completing in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (digital scale shows around 225g), completing in about 1 minute and 40 seconds. Drip completes at 2'03", remove the dripper, and finish extraction.

V60 Brewing Flavor: Lavender aroma, rose, citrus acidity, berries, honey finish.

Cake Cup Brewing

The special design that uses the creases of the filter paper to replace flow channels doesn't directly adhere to the dripper, reducing the direct contact area between paper and dripper while creating the maximum extraction area. On one hand, this helps concentrate extraction, allowing hot water to filter down evenly and smoothly, making coffee extraction more successful; on the other hand, it also slows down the cooling rate.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Technique: First, pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. Then pour 95g more (digital scale shows around 125g), completing in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (digital scale shows around 225g), completing in about 1 minute and 40 seconds. Drip completes at 1'55", remove the dripper, and finish extraction.

Cake Cup Brewing Flavor: Lavender aroma, rose, full-bodied berry juice sensation, citrus acidity, honey, almond finish.

Origami Dripper Brewing

The Origami dripper is made of ceramic, so it performs well in terms of heat conduction and heat retention. The flow channels of the Origami dripper are vertical and relatively deep, with a large bottom outlet hole, so its flow rate tends to be faster. The flat-bottom filter paper fits more closely with the dripper, which weakens the effect of the dripper's flow channels and enhances water storage function, allowing the coffee grounds to be soaked. Additionally, because the flat-bottom filter paper has a flat bottom, coffee grounds can be evenly distributed at the bottom of the filter paper when poured in, resulting in more uniform extraction.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Technique: 33g of water for 30-second bloom, pour water to 120g in stages, when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g, remove the dripper when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed (timing starts from the beginning of bloom), extraction time is 1'56".

Origami Dripper Brewing Flavor: Lavender aroma, citrus and berry acidity, honey finish.

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