FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopian Washed Yirgacheffe Aricha G1 Premium Single-Origin Specialty Coffee Beans

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Ingredients: House-roasted
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Roast Level: Raw/Roasted
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Ethiopia
Roast Degree: Light roast

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Aricha G1 Washed

Country: Ethiopia
Grade: G1
Region: Yirgacheffe Gediyo
Altitude: 1900-2100 meters
Processing Method: Washed
Variety: Heirloom
Producer: Kebel Aricha
Flavor Notes: Sweet orange, cherry, honey sweetness

Coffee Processing

This batch of Yirgacheffe was produced at the Kebel Aricha processing station, where approximately 650-700 small coffee farmers from nearby areas deliver their ripe coffee cherries for processing in exchange for cash.

The coffee farmers first pick the cherries from the trees, then pour them into water-filled pools. Because cherries of different maturity have different densities, overripe and underripe cherries, along with some branches and leaves, float on the surface, while sufficiently ripe cherries sink to the bottom. In this natural way the first screening of the cherries is completed.

The selected ripe cherries then enter the depulping machine to remove the skin and pulp.

Next, the beans with remaining mucilage enter the fermentation stage, fermenting with microorganisms in water or air. After fermentation is complete, the beans with their parchment skin enter washing channels to be thoroughly rinsed. Once clean, they enter the drying stage, where the moisture content of the beans is kept at around 12% as much as possible. They are then packed into jute bags and rested for 2-3 months to stabilize the bean quality. Finally the parchment skin is removed, and they are ready for sale.

Flavor Profile

Sweet citrus notes, green berries, peach, longan and red date aroma, honey sweetness, cocoa with subtle spice notes, a full body and a persistent aftertaste.

About Project Origin

Sasa Sestic, the 2015 World Barista Champion, launched the green bean sourcing project called Project Origin three years ago with his business team at ONA Coffee. The project works directly with coffee farmers in poor countries and regions to improve their production conditions and offers them purchase prices 20% higher than fair trade prices.

The original intention of the project also includes strengthening the connection between roasters and coffee farmers, and guiding farmers to cultivate high-quality coffee beans. To date, Sasa has established relationships with coffee growers from eight countries, including Brazil, Panama, India, Ethiopia, El Salvador and Costa Rica.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Aricha G1 is a classic expression of washed Yirgacheffe, and if you enjoy its sweet citrus and honeyed character, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe is the most accessible place to start. Known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity and a clean tea-like finish, it is priced as an everyday bean, which is why so many drinkers make it their first specialty coffee. Yirgacheffe itself is a small town in the Sidama region of southern Ethiopia at roughly 1,700-2,100 meters, with the trees planted above 1,800 meters, making it one of the highest coffee-growing areas on earth.

For a more traceable lot, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Gedeb cooperative coffee comes from the Woka area at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe. Once part of the YCFCU Woka cooperative, it was separated out as a single-origin lot as roasters pursued traceability, and it follows the most traditional washed protocol. The result is a cup without the usual bitter edge: clean, bright citrus and lemon acidity with a jasmine lift. If you prefer fruit over flowers, FrontStreet Coffee's natural Red Cherry is made from fully ripe red cherries only, dried on raised beds and turned every two to three hours in the first days to avoid uneven fermentation. Three to five weeks of drying give it the classic Yirgacheffe profile plus a tropical, sun-dried fruit character, with citrus-like acidity, berry juice, honeyed sweetness and a creamy texture.

FrontStreet Coffee brews Yirgacheffe in a V60 at 90-91°C with 15g of coffee and a 1:15 ratio, using a grind about the size of fine sugar, roughly setting 10 on an EK43s, which puts about 80% of the grounds through a No. 20 sieve. Start with a 30g bloom for 30 seconds, then pour to 95g (about 125g on the scale) and finish that stage at around one minute. When the water level drops to two-thirds of the coffee bed, add the remaining 100g (about 225g on the scale) and finish pouring at roughly 1:35. Drawdown should finish between 2:00 and 2:10, and then you remove the dripper.