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

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe beans have always been FrontStreet Coffee's best-selling variety, with a bright citrus and berry acidity that coffee lovers adore. Recently FrontStreet Coffee acquired the Beloya from Kochere in Yirgacheffe, and we brewed it several different ways to see how the flavor shifts.

• 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 about 25 kilometers southeast of Yirgacheffe. The harvested beans come from local smallholders, assembled from many individual farms. These farmers typically cultivate around 1 hectare of coffee each, at altitudes near 1,900-2,000 meters. Kochere is part of the Gediyo region within Yirgacheffe and is one of the most important coffee-producing areas there.

The Beloya Processing Station takes its name from the small town of Kore Biloya where it sits, in the Kochere sub-region of the Yirgacheffe coffee area within the Gediyo district. Coffee processed at Beloya comes from 211 nearby smallholders who grow, harvest, and deliver their own coffee. These beans are grown at high altitudes between 1,870 and 2,100 meters.

The Beloya Processing Station was established in 2001 and can process nearly one million kilograms of coffee cherries a year. Its 138 raised drying beds cover 2.5 hectares of land, an area of 1,700 square meters. To encourage farmers to bring their best coffee, Beloya offers prizes and incentives to those with the highest quality, lifting overall quality in the process.

Like most growers elsewhere in Ethiopia, 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 for the native Arabica varieties grown here.

Coffee Varieties

Anyone who drinks Ethiopian coffee regularly will have heard of the Heirloom variety, since most Ethiopian varieties are labeled this way. The reason is simply that Ethiopia has so many varieties—it is like a natural gene bank for Arabica. On one hand, the sheer number makes identification and classification difficult; on the other, the Ethiopian government, out of caution, is unwilling to disclose details about them, so they are grouped together as Heirloom.

The term "Heirloom" refers to old plant varieties originally cultivated for consumption. Some define a variety as heirloom only if it is more than 100 years old, others say 50 years. Some define varieties that existed before 1945 as heirlooms, roughly when hybrids began to appear, or before 1951, when hybrids became more widespread.

Coffee Bean Processing Method

This batch was processed using the natural method, dried on raised beds. During the harvest season from October to mid-January, farmers bring freshly picked red cherries from the trees to the washing station. First comes a visual inspection to make sure every bag received contains only red cherries.

The cherries delivered to the station are then sorted by hand to remove less dense, defective fruit. The good cherries are spread evenly on raised drying beds for sun-drying, which takes about 21 days, until they reach a moisture content of about 12%. Throughout drying, Beloya staff inspect and remove over-fermented and mold-affected cherries, keeping the coffee's flavor clean and elegant.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Records & Water Temperature Recommendations

To highlight the bright citrus and berry acidity of Yirgacheffe and the extra sweetness the natural process brings, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters used a medium-light roast for this bean. The recommended brewing temperature for medium-light beans is 90-91°C. Higher water temperature helps draw out the aromatic compounds and acidity (fruit aromas, florals, fruit acidity) from lighter roasts, since medium-light beans have a denser structure and more heat improves extraction efficiency, avoiding off-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 a unique spiral ribbing that lets air escape more easily, improving extraction quality. The body may not be as full, but its high concentration brings out distinct sweetness and pronounced aromas, which is one of its signature traits.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Technique: first pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. Then pour another 95g (the digital scale shows around 125g), finishing in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (the scale reads around 225g), finishing 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 cake cup's special design uses the creases of the filter paper in place of flow channels and doesn't sit flush against the dripper, reducing the contact area between paper and dripper while creating the maximum extraction area. On one hand, this concentrates extraction, letting hot water filter down evenly and smoothly for a more reliable brew; on the other, it slows the rate of cooling.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Technique: first pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. Then pour another 95g (the digital scale shows around 125g), finishing in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (the scale reads around 225g), finishing 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, a full berry-juice sensation, citrus acidity, honey, almond finish.

Origami Dripper Brewing

The Origami dripper is made of ceramic, so it conducts and retains heat well. Its flow channels are vertical and fairly deep, with a large bottom outlet, so the flow rate tends to be faster. The flat-bottom paper fits closely against the dripper, which weakens the effect of the flow channels and increases water retention, letting the grounds soak. Because the flat-bottom paper has a flat base, the grounds distribute evenly at the bottom, giving a more uniform extraction.

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

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

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you love the Yirgacheffe profile, the FrontStreet washed Yirgacheffe daily drinker is the most classic place to begin: white jasmine florals, a bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like body, at a price that makes it a natural first bag of specialty coffee. Brew it with a V60 at 90-91°C, 15g of coffee, and a 1:15 ratio, using a grind around the texture of fine sugar.

The FrontStreet Gedingding Cooperative is the next step up. It follows the most traditional washed processing and is often called Yirgacheffe's last clean corner—no traditional bitterness, just fresh, bright citrus and lemon acidity and jasmine fragrance that wins people over from the first sip.

For a natural-process contrast, the FrontStreet Red Cherry is made entirely from fully ripe red cherries, sun-dried for three to five weeks. It keeps the familiar Yirgacheffe citrus acidity while adding tropical fruit, a berry-juice body, honey-like sweetness, and a creamy smoothness.