Yirgacheffe Coffee Micro-Region Kochere: Brewing Characteristics of Kochere Region Washed Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee's loyal fans of Yirgacheffe coffee must have heard of Kochere, this famous micro-region in Ethiopia. Kochere is located in what can be said to be the most premium area within the entire broader Yirgacheffe region. In the ECX's regional classification, Kochere stands as an independent region, which speaks volumes about its status. Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee discovered that FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Kochere differs from ordinary batches of green coffee beans. The coffee beans produced in this origin have strong flavor characteristics, rich aromas and mouthfeel, possessing vibrant citrus acidity, sweet silk-like texture, and fruit flavors.

Kochere Region

Yirgacheffe itself is a small town with about 20,000 people. The three neighboring small regions—Wenago, Kochere, and Gelena Abaya—produce coffee with flavors almost identical to FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe, so they are also classified within the Yirgacheffe area.

Kochere is located 25 kilometers southeast of Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia, as a small micro-region with elevations ranging from 1650 to 1800 meters. It is a prosperous area known for coffee production and one of the three famous micro-regions of Yirgacheffe. The local population is about 100,000 people, with coffee beans as their main source of income. The processing and equipment in this origin are very advanced. The renowned coffee review website Coffee Review gave Kochere washed beans a high rating of 94 points.

Kochere is one of the 77 Woredas (Ethiopian administrative regions) in Ethiopia's SNNPR. In the coffee domain, Kochere belongs to part of Gediyo within Yirgacheffe and is also one of the most important producing areas in Yirgacheffe. Kochere can further be divided into several micro-regions, and coffees produced within the area are sometimes named more specifically by their source towns (such as Chelelektu or Teklu Dembel), processing stations (such as Teklu Dembel processing station and the Alimu processing station of this batch), or micro-areas (such as Banko Gutiti). This aligns with current coffee trends regarding traceability. Of course, batches with stronger traceability have more specific origins, higher flavor stability and reproducibility each year, and naturally come with higher prices.

Coffee Production Model in Kochere Region

Kochere's production model mainly involves local small farmers delivering their batches to cooperatives for unified processing. The local Chalalacktu village has about 100,000 people who depend on coffee for their livelihood, with related production activities becoming their main economic source. Due to the income brought by coffee production, the local standard of living is significantly better than many Ethiopian villages, with well-established health facilities, higher education institutions, and other amenities. Advanced processing equipment allows Kochere region's coffee to consistently maintain high standards in washed processing, bringing clean sweetness with complex notes of molasses and citrus.

The FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Kochere acquired by FrontStreet Coffee differs from ordinary batches of green coffee beans, belonging to the highest specification G1 grade batch. The origin's flavor characteristics are strong, with clean and fresh lemon aroma, delicate and elegant jasmine floral notes, and rich aromas and flavors of melon, citrus, ginger, and spiced tea.

Washed Processing Method

1. First, coffee farmers will pour all harvested coffee fruits into water. This way, defective coffee beans will float to the surface, while the quality-approved coffee fruits will sink to the bottom. This operation greatly reduces the time wasted on individual selection.

2. Put the selected coffee fruits into a pulping machine to remove the outer skin and pulp. After removing these, the surface of the coffee fruits will still have a layer of mucilage attached, so large amounts of clean water are needed to wash away the adhesive substances on the coffee fruit surface.

3. Next, fermentation is used to completely remove the mucilage. This process takes about 18 hours, but after fermentation is complete, fermentation bacteria adhere to the coffee fruit surface, so another thorough wash with large amounts of clean water is needed. The entire process consumes a lot of freshwater resources.

4. Finally, the cleaned coffee beans are taken outdoors and spread on drying beds to dry. In more developed producing areas, they are sent to processing plants to be machine-dried, bringing the coffee moisture content down to about 11%.

Product Details

Product Name: FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Kochere Washed

Region: Yirgacheffe Kochere

Variety: Local Indigenous Varietals

Altitude: 1650-1800 meters

Processing Method: Washed Processing

Grade: G1

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Records

To highlight the clean mouthfeel and bright acidity of this FrontStreet Coffee washed Kochere bean, FrontStreet Coffee's roaster decided to use a medium-light roast for this bean. Using a Yangjia 800N roaster, with 550g batch size: preheat to 200°C, damper open at 3, heat at 160, damper unchanged. Turnback point at 1'32", when temperature reaches 151°C, damper adjusted to 3.5. When temperature reaches 140°C, heat adjusted to 180, damper unchanged; at this point, the bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering the dehydration phase.

At 8'35", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, with the toast aroma clearly transitioning to coffee aroma—this can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this moment, one must listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 8'53", first crack begins. Heat maintained at 180, damper adjusted to 4. After first crack, develop for 1'45", then 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. Following SCAA standards, water TDS is around 150ppm—too low TDS can easily cause over-extraction, while too high affects mouthfeel and easily causes under-extraction. Cupping water temperature is 94°C. Grind size is controlled to pass through a #20 standard sieve (0.85mm) at 70%-75% rate. Ratio: 11 grams of coffee powder to 200ml of hot water, that is 1:18.18, so the extracted concentration falls precisely within the 1.15%-1.35% Golden Cup range, with an immersion time of 4 minutes.

Tasting Notes

Dry Aroma: Orange blossom

Wet Aroma: Sensation

Flavor: Lemon, black tea, sweet and sour fruit

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Experience

Dripper: V60 #01

Water Temperature: 90-91°C

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: BG6m / fine sugar size (sieved to 80% through #20 sieve)

Regarding grind size, FrontStreet Coffee determines it through sieving. Following the grinding recommendations provided by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) for pour-over coffee, FrontStreet Coffee combines this with practical operational verification. If you don't have a sifter at home, FrontStreet Coffee suggests observing the flow rate to judge—if water flows too quickly, the grind is too coarse; if too slowly, the grind is too fine.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Method: First wet the filter paper and preheat the dripper and coffee pot. For the first pour, inject 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then inject 95g (scale shows around 125g), completing the pour in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, inject the remaining 100g (scale shows around 225g), completing the pour in about 1 minute and 35 seconds. Drip filtration completes at 2 minutes and 5 seconds. Remove the dripper to complete extraction.

Brewing Flavor:

Lemon, floral notes, orange, cane sugar—overall clean and refreshing, with honey flavors in the aftertaste and oolong tea finish.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473