How does processing change Yirgacheffe Gedeb coffee?

The Gotiti Cooperative sits in Gedeb, at the southern tip of Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe region. Yirgacheffe was once part of Sidama and later separated because of its distinct flavor; its farms run from 1,700 to 2,100 meters. In the local language, Yirga means to settle down and Cheffe refers to wetland.

Washed and natural processing push the same heirloom varieties in different directions, changing how floral and fruity notes come through in the cup. Ethiopian heirloom varieties add further diversity, since many distinct coffee trees grow side by side. Roast curve and brewing parameters decide how much of that character reaches the cup.

Yirgacheffe is Ethiopia's most renowned specialty coffee region, and the Gotiti Cooperative, located in the Gedeb area at its southern tip, is a representative micro-region that has attracted much attention in recent years. This article will start from the geographical environment and flavor characteristics of Yirgacheffe, outline the independent journey of the Gotiti Cooperative, and deeply analyze the impact of the two traditional processing methods, washed and natural, on flavor, while also introducing the diversity background of Ethiopian heirloom varieties. Finally, it brings the roasting curve analysis and brewing parameter sharing of Front Street natural Gotiti, helping coffee lovers fully understand the charm of this bean.

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When it comes to coffee with floral and fruity aromas, the first thing Front Street thinks of is Front Street Yirgacheffe. Although Front Street Geisha also has a rich orange aroma and honeyed charm, in terms of personal preference, Front Street still feels that the aroma of Front Street Yirgacheffe is more vivid and impressive. Yirgacheffe is a specialty coffee region in Ethiopia, originally part of the Sidama region, and later separated out on its own because of its outstanding flavor.

| About Yirgacheffe

Yirgacheffe was originally a small town in Ethiopia, located in the administrative region of Sidama Province. This town has been a wetland since ancient times—in the local language, "Yirga" means "to settle down," and "Cheffe" refers to "wetland."

Yirgacheffe is one of the highest-altitude coffee regions in the world and is also an iconic name for Ethiopian specialty coffee. The region ranges from 1,700 to 2,100 meters above sea level, with a cool, foggy climate year-round and mild spring-like conditions in all four seasons. Such terrain conditions and a unique cultivation system provide an ideal environment for the growth of specialty coffee beans. Strictly speaking, Yirgacheffe is a sub-region of Sidama. This town is located to the northwest of Sidama, nestled by mountains and a lake, and is one of the coffee regions with the highest average altitude in Ethiopia. It is precisely because of its distinctive flavor that it became independent from Sidama, formed its own style, and became the most famous region in Africa.

Most coffee trees in the Yirga area are planted in farmers' own backyards or mixed with other crops in farmland. Each household has limited output, making it a typical garden coffee model.

What we often call the "Yirgacheffe flavor" refers to a rich jasmine aroma, citric or lime-like acidity, and the sweet aroma of peach and almond along with tea-like notes. Front Street Yirgacheffe coffee has rich layers, a delicate body, charming flavors, and a sweet finish. The phrase "coffee enters the mouth, a hundred flowers bloom" is the most fitting description, as if flowers awaken the pleasant sensation of taste buds and nasal olfactory cells. In addition to floral notes, the delicate body is like silk massaging the mouth, with a wonderful tactile feel.

| Yirgacheffe Gedeo Zone Region

Gedeb is a township located below Kochere town, about 60 kilometers from Yirgacheffe town, and is a well-known specialty coffee region in Ethiopia. Its altitude ranges from 1,900 to 2,200 meters, noticeably higher than the general Yirga region. The advantage of high altitude makes Gedeb a uniquely favored place for coffee cultivation and a micro-region that is gradually emerging. Although it is classified under the Kochere region in the ECX auction market, Gedeb and Kochere town are at the same administrative level.

In the specialty coffee field, it can be distinguished separately from Kochere as a Yirgacheffe sub-region at the same level as Kochere. Villages under this town that produce coffee include Worka Sakaro, Halo Bariti, Banko Gotiti, and Banko Dahato.

When talking about Yirgacheffe, one must first understand how the regions here are divided. Under the ECX regional classification system, Yirgacheffe is mainly divided into four regions: Wenago, Yirgacheffe, Kochere, and Gelana Abaya. From an administrative perspective, the Kochere region covers two Woredas as well as Kochere to the west and Gedeb to the east. In recent years, Gedeb has often been separated out as a micro-region, and the Gotiti Cooperative happens to be located in Worka Kebele within Gedeb at the southern end of Yirgacheffe.

The Gotiti Cooperative was originally part of the Worka Cooperative under the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU). In 2012, it became independent as the Gotiti Cooperative and currently has more than about 300 smallholder members. In the past, there were three channels for direct export from Ethiopia:

(1) The private processing plant system exporting through ECX bidding

(2) The cooperative system

(3) Single estates or farms. However, starting in 2018, the ECX system was reformed and no longer hides the source of coffee lots, and private processing plants can also export directly to buyers. This not only improves transparency and traceability, but also allows buyers and sellers to establish closer cooperative relationships. For cooperatives, this move may not have had a direct impact, and may even have intensified competition with private processing plants, but overall, this change has undoubtedly pushed the specialty coffee industry one step forward.

| Gotiti Cooperative

If after reading this you also want to taste a classic Yirgacheffe as soon as possible, Front Street Gotiti Cooperative coffee beans are recommended, and can be ordered at the Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Tmall flagship store.

The Gotiti Cooperative is located in the Worka region at the southeastern end of Yirgacheffe and was originally part of the Worka Cooperative under the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU). As the industry places increasing importance on the traceability of green coffee beans, independent "single regions" have been discovered one after another by coffee hunters around the world. Therefore, in 2012, Gotiti, with about 300 farmer members, officially became independent as the "Gotiti Cooperative."

Gotiti Village was the earliest village area to become independent. Many smallholder farmers were originally members of the Worka Cooperative, so their coffee production techniques were naturally excellent. Because of the excellent quality of the coffee produced, the Gotiti Cooperative is also known as the last pure land of Yirgacheffe, and the green bean processing methods used are all traditional methods (washed and natural processing).

| Washed Processing

Ethiopia's washed processing technology was introduced from Central and South America in 1972. The washed processing procedure is complex and tedious and requires a large amount of clean water, so its cost is higher than the natural method, and it is also less commonly used in water-scarce regions of Africa.

Washed steps: After the coffee cherries are picked, they are placed in water, and buoyancy is used to remove underripe fruits. Then the skin and pulp are removed with a pulper, after which they are left to rest in a fermentation tank for 18 to 36 hours until the mucilage layer decomposes. After fermentation is complete, the parchment beans are washed in channels for 30 to 60 minutes. With the help of specially designed channels and flowing water, low-density, poor-quality beans are removed, and then the high-quality coffee beans are drained and spread on African raised beds to dry.

Because the pulp has already been removed before drying, the inherent aroma of Front Street Yirgacheffe itself is clearer and more transparent, presenting citrus and lemon notes with elegant white floral notes, and the overall flavor is bright and delicate. After the release of washed Yirgacheffe coffee beans, it immediately became a representative of the world's specialty coffee regions.

| Heirloom

Most Ethiopian varieties are named with this term because there are simply too many varieties in Ethiopia, making it like a natural gene bank of Arabica. On the one hand, the huge number of varieties makes identification and classification extremely difficult; on the other hand, for protection reasons, the Ethiopian government is also unwilling or unable to disclose information about these varieties.

In Ethiopia, coffee mostly grows in a wild or semi-wild state in fields, backyards, or under forests. After the coffee fruits ripen, coffee farmers process them together, which is in fact a grand mixture of many different natural variants. Because these fruits grow under the same terroir, they form a certain degree of similar flavor, which is also the basic framework of a coffee region's flavor. Nearly 2,000 coffee varieties in Ethiopia have been recorded, of which 1,927 are native varieties and 128 are introduced foreign varieties. Therefore, judging by appearance alone, Ethiopian coffee varieties can be called a "grand garden," with all kinds of shapes—long, short, thin, and plump. This is also why we often see Ethiopian coffee beans of uneven size.

| Curve Analysis

Taking Front Street Yirgacheffe beans as an example, Front Street roasters usually present their floral and fruity notes with a light roast profile. For this Front Street natural Gotiti, we still use a low flame to extend the bean's dehydration time.

Roasting machine Yangjia 800N (roasting capacity 300 g)

Charge when the drum temperature rises to 175°C, set the damper to 3, and the gas to 120; the turning point is at 1'32". When the drum temperature is 140°C, the gas remains unchanged and the damper is opened to 4; at this point the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell completely disappears, and the dehydration stage begins. At 166°C, reduce the gas to 100, and at 176°C reduce the gas to 80, keeping the damper unchanged.

At 8'28", ugly wrinkles and dark spots appear on the bean surface, and the toast aroma clearly turns into coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, it is necessary to listen clearly for the sound of first crack. First crack begins at 9'38", and the damper is adjusted to 5 (adjust the gas very carefully; do not reduce it so much that there is no cracking sound). After first crack, develop for 1'30" and drop at 193.5°C.

Agtron bean color value 74.6 (upper image), Agtron ground color value 79.8 (lower image), Roast Delta value 5.2.

| Cupping Chart

[Front Street Natural Gotiti] Flavor: tropical fruit, cream, honey, berries, citrus.

| Front Street Brewing Sharing

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Banko Gotiti

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee): Yirgacheffe Gotiti Cooperative coffee beans

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Yirgacheffe Gedeo Zone Region

Altitude: 1900-2300m

Variety: Heirloom

Processing method: Natural

Grade: G1

Dripper: Hario V60

Water temperature: 91°C

Dose: 15 g

Ratio: 1:15

Grind size: medium-fine grind (80% passing through China standard No. 20 sieve)

Brewing method: staged extraction

Bloom with 34 g of water for 36 seconds, then pour in a small stream in circles until 120 g for the first stage. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 229 g and stop pouring. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. The extraction time (starting from the beginning of blooming) is 2'00".

[Front Street Natural Gotiti] Flavor: The overall mouthfeel is solid, with fermented aromas and tropical fruits more prominent. As the temperature changes, berry and cream flavors emerge, and the citrus-like sweet and sour sensation lingering between the teeth and lips is relatively long-lasting.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.