Yirgacheffe Werka Cooperative Coffee Beans: The Impact of Brewing Water Temperature on Yirgacheffe Coffee Flavor

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Many coffee enthusiasts who have tried Ethiopian coffee beans have likely heard of the Werka variety. This bean comes from the town of Werka in the southern coffee-growing region of Ethiopia. Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee has determined that Werka coffee beans feature fresh and elegant floral aromas, with characteristics of clean and bright acidity.

A Brief Review of the Yirgacheffe Region

Yirgacheffe is located in the Gedeo region of southern Ethiopia. This area governs the well-known Yirgacheffe and Kochere regions, with altitudes ranging from 1700-2100m, making it one of the highest altitude coffee-growing regions in the world.

Coffee cultivation in Yirgacheffe mostly follows a garden coffee model, where coffee farmers plant coffee trees near their living areas, harvest them themselves during the harvest season, and then send them to nearby processing stations built near water sources for unified processing (or they are uniformly purchased by middlemen). Except for a small number of plantations that have the capability to independently plant, harvest, and process green coffee beans, many coffee beans from different regions and varieties are centrally processed by processing stations and then sent to auction houses for official evaluation and grading. This is also why we often see Ethiopian coffee beans named and distinguished by processing stations or cooperatives.

Werka Cooperative

The Werka Cooperative is affiliated with the YCFCU cooperative alliance organization. Established in 2005, the Werka Cooperative is located in a remote area within the Yirgacheffe region, 75 kilometers away from the local coffee distribution center of Dilla town. The road conditions connecting to the outside are poor, with a 20-kilometer dirt road from the cooperative to the paved main highway. The cooperative consists of 305 farmers with a planting area of about 763 hectares and an annual output of nearly 460 tons, making it a relatively small-scale farmers' cooperative. Because no chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used during the coffee cultivation process, Werka's small farmers have also obtained Skal organic coffee certification recognized by the European Union.

The coffee is mainly grown by more than 700 local small farmers, using traditional washed and natural processing methods. Because Werka coffee's outstanding flavor and mouthfeel reflect regional characteristics, it has also become one of the representatives of Ethiopian specialty coffee. The rich flavor of Werka is so beloved, and FrontStreet Coffee believes this is largely inseparable from the farmers' efforts in cooperation, careful coffee harvesting, and rigorous processing.

Coffee Varieties

People who often drink Ethiopian coffee should have heard of the Heirloom variety. Most Ethiopian varieties are named this way, mainly because there are too many varieties in Ethiopia. It's like a natural gene bank of Arabica - on one hand, there are numerous varieties making identification and classification difficult; on the other hand, the Ethiopian government, for protection reasons, is unwilling to disclose information about these varieties, so they are collectively called Heirloom. precisely because of the complex variety mixture and mixed harvesting, FrontStreet Coffee believes this is why Ethiopian beans vary in size.

Coffee Bean Processing Method

The Yirgacheffe Werka coffee beans offered by FrontStreet Coffee use the washed processing method. The selected coffee cherries are put into a depulper to initially remove their skin and pulp. The coffee beans with remaining pulp and mucilage are placed in water to ferment for about 24 hours. After fermentation, the parchment coffee beans are placed in flowing water channels to wash away their pulp and mucilage.

After washing, the coffee beans are dried or dried using a dryer until the moisture content is reduced to about 12%, and finally the parchment is removed from the green coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee believes that washed process coffee has more obvious acidity, better cleanliness, medium mouthfeel, and the most consistent green bean quality.

Region: Yirgacheffe Werka Cooperative

Grade: G1

Variety: Heirloom

Altitude: 1650-1800 meters

Processing Method: Washed

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Recommendations

The acidity of Werka is its characteristic. To highlight this feature, FrontStreet Coffee's roaster recommends using light roast. The temperature rise is relatively gentle, with a roasting time of slightly more than 10 minutes, giving sufficient time and temperature for dehydration, allowing chlorogenic acid to degrade. If degradation is insufficient, it will taste sharp and uncomfortable on the tongue, with a slightly rough texture; at the same time, continuing to apply heat after first crack will continue the caramelization reaction, producing caramel and other sweet flavors. The sweetness will be more solid and weighty, while the bright fruit acidity will decrease slightly.

Using Yangjia 800N, with 480g beans: when the drum temperature reaches 200°C, add the beans with the damper set to 3. After 1 minute, adjust the heat to 160°C, damper unchanged. At 149°C, adjust the heat again, reducing to 140°C. Bake to 5'10", temperature 151°C, the bean surface turns yellow, grassy smell completely disappears, dehydration completed, damper opened to 4. At the 8th minute, ugly wrinkles and black patterns appear on the bean surface, toast smell obviously turns to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 8'53", first crack begins, damper unchanged. First crack development time is 1'45", drop at 195°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Report

FrontStreet Coffee conducts cupping within 8-24 hours after roasting sample coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee's baristas typically use 200ml ceramic cupping bowls marked with 150ml and 200ml graduation lines. According to SCAA standards, water TDS is around 150ppm. Too low TDS can easily cause over-extraction, while too high TDS affects mouthfeel and can cause under-extraction. Cupping water temperature is 94°C. Grind size is controlled to 70%-75% passing through a #20 standard sieve (0.85mm). Ratio: 11g of coffee powder to 200ml of hot water, i.e., 1:18.18, so the extracted concentration falls within the 1.15%-1.35% golden cup range. Steeping time is 4 minutes.

Dry Aroma: Floral, citrus

Wet Aroma: Citrus, lemon

Flavor: Citrus, lemon, kumquat, white grape juice, soda-like sweetness

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Experience

FrontStreet Coffee selected three temperature values for brewing comparison: 86°C, 90°C, and 94°C.

Other parameters were kept as consistent as possible, using Hario V60 dripper for brewing, water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, coffee amount 15g, grind size BG#6m (80% passing through Chinese standard #20 sieve).

The brewing technique was also consistent, using a segmented extraction method: 30g of water for 30s bloom, then small circular pour to 125g, segmented, when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. Extraction time is 2'00" (counting from the start of bloom).

87°C Brewing Flavor: Entry shows lemon, tea-like sensation, with obvious acidity and rounded mouthfeel, overall layers are relatively thin.

90°C Brewing Flavor: Entry shows lemon, plum, Tieguanyin oolong tea, with caramel flavors becoming obvious with temperature changes, bright acidity, and significant aftertaste.

94°C Brewing Flavor: Entry shows lemon, berries, with obvious acidity, enhanced body, and rich tea-like sensation.

Through brewing with three different water temperatures, the 90°C flavor best expresses the bright fruit acidity and refreshing tea sensation of Yirgacheffe Werka coffee beans. The 88°C brewing has weak layering and insufficient flavor prominence, while 94°C, although enhancing the body, lacks some brightness in acidity.

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