What pour-over grind size suits a Yirgacheffe
Yirgacheffe comes from the Gedeo region of southern Ethiopia, and grind size is the main lever that decides how it tastes in the cup. Coarse or fine grounds control how quickly water releases flavor compounds. A washed G1 from the Banko Dhadhato cooperative in Gedeb is a useful example for setting grind, water temperature, ratio, and staged pouring.
The cooperative was founded in 2012 and has 177 member families, farming roughly one hectare each at 1,800 to 2,000 meters with Heirloom varieties, producing about 650 to 700 kilograms per hectare. Those smallholder plots send red cherries to a central processing station. Sorting grounds into five grades from coarse to fine gives a reference for adjusting daily pour-over brewing.
Yirgacheffe is a specialty coffee gem from the Gedeo region in southern Ethiopia, and its unique flavor makes it stand out in the global coffee market. This article takes a washed G1 from the Banko Dhadhato cooperative in Gedeb as an example to introduce in detail the origin background and processing method of this bean, and to share Front Street Coffee's practical pour-over parameters, including grind size selection, water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, and staged extraction technique. At the same time, it systematically sorts out the five grades of coffee grounds from coarse to fine, helping enthusiasts understand the relationship between grind size and extraction release speed, and providing a reference basis for adjustments in daily pour-over brewing.
Front Street - Yirgacheffe · Tata Duo Coffee, A Brief Introduction to Pour-Over Coffee Grind Size
Yirgacheffe is located in the Gedeo region of southern Ethiopia, and the two names Yirgacheffe and Kochere under this region are quite famous in the industry. The coffee produced here has a highly recognizable flavor profile, with a distinctive character that is widely sought after, so in product classification it is listed as a separate category and has always held a place in the global specialty coffee landscape.
The Banko Dhadhato cooperative in Gedeb is located in a village in the Gedeb Woreda production area southeast of Yirgacheffe. The cooperative was jointly initiated and established by smallholder coffee farmers around Banko Dhadhato village, and is affiliated with the YCFCU cooperative union (Yirgacheffe CoffeeFarmers Cooperative Union).
The cooperative was established in 2012 and currently has 177 family members. These farmers' coffee planting area averages about 1 hectare, with cultivation altitude concentrated between 1,800 and 2,000 meters, and the varieties are mainly Heirloom (local native species). Each household produces about 650~700 kilograms of coffee per hectare on average. The mainstream local practice is that smallholders send the red cherries from each harvest round to the cooperative's processing station, where subsequent processing is completed uniformly.
This is a newly stocked bean. Front Street received only a small quantity this time, so it is being used as a sample for testing to see what special points are worth noting.
Whether coffee grounds are ground coarse or fine directly affects the amount and speed of coffee substance release during brewing. Overall, the grind size of coffee grounds can be divided into five grades: coarse, medium, medium-fine, fine, and extra-fine.
Medium-fine (suitable for light-roasted beans, BG-6S)
The degree of medium-fine grind is roughly equivalent to white granulated sugar (the most common kind in supermarkets, a bit finer than the slightly larger-granule varieties). Usually pour-over ultimately settles in the medium-fine range. Because medium-fine is used extremely often, coffee lovers should repeatedly test their grinder to find the medium-fine setting that suits them best.
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Tata Duo G1
Region: Gedeb
Variety: Heirloom native ancient variety
Altitude: 1800-2000m
Processing method: Washed G1
Pour-over (try to keep brewing technique parameters consistent)
Dripper: Hario V60, water temperature: 90℃, coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15; grind size: medium-fine grind (BG-6S: 58% passing rate on China standard No. 20 sieve)
Brewing technique: staged extraction. Use 30 grams of water for a 40-second bloom (because the beans are relatively fresh and the gas is quite active, the bloom time was slightly extended). Pour in a small stream in circles until 124 grams for the first stage, and when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 228 grams and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts at the beginning of the bloom) The extraction time is 2'00".
Flavor: lemon, berry, citrus, white peach tea
Knowledge extension: Beginners are advised to first use a medium grind for pour-over. After all, a medium grind is less likely to produce extra-fine powder, and it is also less likely to cause over-extraction due to unstable water flow control at the beginning, which can lead to a large amount of water pooling in the dripper and soaking the coffee grounds.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
