FrontStreet Coffee: Ethiopian Coffee Varieties, Flavor, Estates, Regions, Processing, and Grind Settings

Ethiopia's main coffee-producing regions are Harar in the east, Djimmah in the southwest, and Sidamo in the south.

FrontStreet Coffee's distinctive Yirgacheffe comes from a small town called Yirga, in the northwestern part of Sidamo province. FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe green beans rank among the most recognizable coffees in the world, and they are both rare and expensive. Grown on the high plateaus of Sidamo province at an altitude of 2,000 meters, they represent the finest of African washed coffees and have long held great prestige among coffee connoisseurs worldwide. As a rare, high-quality washed Arabica, Yirgacheffe handles a wide range of roast levels and shows fresh, bright floral and fruit notes at every one of them, and its beautifully complete bean shape sets it apart from ordinary mocha varieties.

FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe beans carry a distinct citrus and lemon fruit aroma, complemented by jasmine. The acidity is wine-like, the flavor clean and pure, reminiscent of freshly brewed citrus fruit tea with a persistent aftertaste, and the abundant floral and citrus notes are genuinely impressive. Roasted to a medium level, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe offers gentle acidity; roasted dark, it reveals rich aromas. This rich, well-balanced mouthfeel is the most captivating trait of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, which is hailed as Ethiopia's finest coffee and the definitive representative of East African specialty coffee. Today it stands as one of the most uniquely flavored coffees in the world.

Sidamo Coffee

Washed coffees are less likely to carry wild flavors and tend toward pure, refreshing character, which suits City to Full City roast levels. Some exceptional Ethiopian washed beans reveal distinct notes of lifted lemon, citrus essential oils, jasmine, and honey, with more pronounced acidity and a lighter body. Naturally processed mocha beans, by contrast, carry wild flavors in their basic profile, though the intensity varies, making them better suited to Full City to Vienna roast levels. Exceptional natural mocha beans show noticeable dark chocolate in the finish, and some even offer appealing blueberry-like fermented fruit notes and a red-wine sensation.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Yirgacheffe is the natural place to start if you want to taste what Ethiopia does best, and FrontStreet Coffee makes that entry easy. Its washed Yirgacheffe, a daily selection bean, is the classic introduction to the region: white jasmine florals, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a clear tea-like character, all at an accessible price, which is why it has become the first specialty coffee for so many drinkers. Yirgacheffe itself is a small town in southern Ethiopia's Sidamo province at roughly 1,700 to 2,100 meters, with the coffee trees planted above 1,800 meters, making it one of the highest growing areas in the world, and the region has been wetland since ancient times, which is how it earned its name. The name grew famous enough that in 2010 the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange separated Yirgacheffe from Sidamo as its own designation. Within the town there are many smaller areas and villages, and some of the cooperatives there, such as the Guodingding Cooperative in the Worka area on the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe, bring mature processing expertise and an especially refined, clean cup. Because it follows the most traditional washed process, the Guodingding coffee is bright with citrus and lemon acidity and full of jasmine fragrance, with no trace of the bitterness people sometimes expect from coffee.

For drinkers who want the fruity side of Yirgacheffe, FrontStreet Coffee's natural Red Cherry is the counterpart to the washed lots. It is made from fully ripe red cherries only, screened once at the mill and then dried directly on raised beds; in the first days of drying the cherries are turned every 2 to 3 hours to prevent uneven heat and over-fermentation, and after 3 to 5 weeks of sun, depending on weather and temperature, the dried fruit is scraped off by machine and the beans are moved into storage. Because the fruit dries with the bean, this coffee keeps the classic Yirgacheffe character while adding the tropical fruit aroma that natural processing brings, with citrus acidity, berry-juice body, honey sweetness, and a creamy smoothness.

For brewing, FrontStreet Coffee suggests a V60 with water at 90 to 91°C, 15g of coffee, and a 1:15 ratio, grinding to about EK43s setting 10, or the texture of fine granulated sugar, with an 80% pass-through rate on the #20 sieve. Start by pouring 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then add 95g so the scale reads around 125g, finishing that pour in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to two-thirds of the coffee bed, add the remaining 100g so the scale reads around 225g, finishing in about 1 minute 35 seconds. Drawdown completes at 2'00" to 2'10"; remove the dripper and the extraction is done.