How to Brew World-Class Yirgacheffe Coffee? What are the Characteristics of Yirgacheffe Coffee? What Flavor Does Yirgacheffe Have? How to Solve Channeling with Light Roast Beans?

Understanding the Famous "Yirgacheffe Flavor"

When it comes to specialty coffee beans, many friends immediately think of Yirgacheffe. This is not only because Yirgacheffe enjoys extremely high recognition in the coffee world, but also because the coffee produced from Yirgacheffe region exhibits exceptionally outstanding flavor characteristics with high recognizability that leaves a lasting impression.

However, brewing Yirgacheffe coffee well is no easy task! Experienced friends know that beans from this region tend to clog the filter paper during brewing while simultaneously being difficult to extract that characteristic "Yirgacheffe flavor." But don't worry! Today FrontStreet Coffee will share how to brew Yirgacheffe coffee properly and what exactly constitutes the "Yirgacheffe flavor"!

What is the "Yirgacheffe Flavor"?

Obviously, "Yirgacheffe flavor" refers to the unique coffee characteristics cultivated in the Yirgacheffe region! The Yirgacheffe region is located in Ethiopia with an average altitude of about 2000 meters, making it one of Ethiopia's highest-altitude coffee regions. The higher altitude extends the maturation time of coffee cherries, allowing the coffee to accumulate sufficient sugar and develop more outstanding flavor compounds. Combined with unique terrain and cultivation systems, this provides excellent growing conditions for coffee.

The Yirgacheffe region was originally a sub-region of the Sidamo region, but because the coffee grown there had such unique characteristics, it was separated and established as its own distinct region, subsequently becoming one of Ethiopia's most renowned coffee-producing areas. When discussing Yirgacheffe, we must mention the region's washed coffee, because the "Yirgacheffe flavor" that we all talk about actually primarily comes from washed processing!

Previously, Ethiopian coffee processing was dominated by natural processing, but due to early lack of experience and poor management, coffee often deteriorated during processing, resulting in high defect rates and generally lower quality. To improve coffee quality, the Ethiopian government introduced washed processing technology and equipment in 1972, establishing the first washing station in Yirgacheffe town. Thanks to this initiative, defects in Yirgacheffe coffee were significantly reduced and quality greatly improved. Furthermore, because washed processing doesn't allow for excessive fermentation of coffee beans, the inherent flavor characteristics of the coffee itself can be better expressed: fresh and bright lemon acidity, delicate and gentle white floral notes, and a clean green tea finish—this is the "Yirgacheffe flavor" that coffee enthusiasts constantly talk about. (However, it should be noted that not all coffee produced in Yirgacheffe will have Yirgacheffe flavor characteristics.)

Due to the outstanding results of washed processing, many coffee enthusiasts became fascinated with this region's coffee after their first taste. As a result, washed processing became the main coffee processing method throughout the Yirgacheffe region, and for a long time, the vast majority of coffee produced in Yirgacheffe was washed (though there were also natural processed ones, they were fewer). This gradually created an association between Yirgacheffe coffee and washed processing—to the point that when we talk about Yirgacheffe coffee, we immediately think of the flavor profile of washed Yirgacheffe.

How to Brew Yirgacheffe Coffee Well?

How to extract that Yirgacheffe flavor? As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned, brewing Yirgacheffe coffee well is no simple task. Many friends often encounter negative situations when brewing Yirgacheffe coffee: lack of flavor, thin body, obvious bitterness, uneven extraction, etc. The reason for this is that Yirgacheffe beans generally have high density, and friends who use hand grinders should deeply understand this

(because they are difficult to grind). The high density comes both from the beans being grown at high altitudes, accumulating rich substances, and because most Yirgacheffe beans undergo lighter roasting. And because high-density beans are difficult for hot water to lift the coffee bed, inexperienced beginners often pour hot water over the coffee bed, creating bypass water that affects extraction; at the same time, because high-density beans easily clog the filter paper, they sometimes lead to over-extraction due to extraction time being too long.

If we want to brew this type of coffee well, we need to use higher water temperature and finer grind for brewing, thereby increasing extraction efficiency and making the coffee's flavor fuller; at the same time, we need to pay attention that the pouring height of hot water shouldn't be too high, which can reduce the agitation of coffee grounds by hot water and prevent the filter paper from clogging; finally, dividing the hot water into multiple portions and pouring with a small water flow can effectively prevent hot water from overflowing the coffee bed and creating bypass water.

Next, FrontStreet Coffee will demonstrate through brewing how to properly make a cup of Yirgacheffe! For this brewing demonstration, FrontStreet Coffee is using FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe·Washed Gedeb from our online Taobao bean list, which has very standard "Yirgacheffe flavor" characteristics! The extraction parameters are as follows:

Coffee amount used: 15g
Grind level: Ek43 setting 10, 75% through 20-mesh sieve, fine sugar particle size
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:16
Brewing water temperature: 92°C
Brewing method: Four-stage pour
First, we pour 30ml (twice the coffee amount) of hot water for blooming, blooming for 30 seconds.

After blooming, we pour the second stage of hot water, totaling 90ml, in large circles using a small water flow slowly. Note that when pouring, we should try not to let the water level overflow the coffee bed too much to prevent bypass water.

When the second stage of hot water has permeated through the filter, we pour the third stage of hot water. The third stage is half of the remaining water, totaling 60ml, also using a small water flow, and pouring in small circles.

And when the water level is about to reach the bottom, we can pour the fourth stage of hot water, totaling 60ml. When pouring, we can check the time—if it's not yet two minutes, we can use a small water flow in small circles, but if it's already past two minutes, we use a small water flow with targeted pouring. After all hot water is poured, we only need to wait for the coffee to finish dripping through the filter, then remove the filter cone to complete extraction.

Total time: 2 minutes and 28 seconds. Before tasting, FrontStreet Coffee could already detect delicate white floral notes from the wet aroma. Upon tasting the coffee, one can clearly detect fresh lemon, jasmine flower notes, as well as apricot, citrus and other flavor characteristics, with a honey-like sweetness in the aftertaste and the fresh aroma of green tea. Overall body is light with bright acidity, clean and refreshing—quite excellent!

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