Yirgacheffe is a famous coffee region in southern Ethiopia, and its neighboring Kochere is known for high-quality washed green coffee beans. Kochere is at an altitude of 1,650 to 1,800 meters and has advanced processing equipment. The coffee beans produced there have a strong flavor, with citrus acidity, jasmine aroma, and a silky mouthfeel, and Coffee Review once gave them a high score of 94 points. Through cupping, Front Street Coffee found that the Kochere washed G1 lot not only has a clean and fresh lemon and spiced tea aroma, but also retains the stable quality and traceability brought by the washed process. This article will introduce the background of the Kochere region and the characteristics of the washed process in detail, and recommend two representative coffees, Front Street Kochere and Gotiti Cooperative, to take you through the charm of the terroir of the essence area of Yirgacheffe.

Yirgacheffe is a small town with about 20,000 residents. The three neighboring small producing areas of Wenago, Kochere, and Gelena Abaya are also included in the broader Yirgacheffe regional classification because the coffee flavors they produce are almost identical to those of the town of Yirgacheffe.

Kochere is located 25 kilometers southeast of Yirgacheffe, at an altitude of between 1,650 and 1,800 meters. It is an area made wealthy by the coffee industry and is one of the three well-known micro-regions of Yirgacheffe. It has about 100,000 residents, coffee beans are their main source of income, and the processing equipment in this producing area is quite advanced. The well-known coffee review website Coffee Review once gave Kochere washed beans a high score of 94 points.

Kochere is one of the 77 Woredas (administrative districts) of SNNPR in Ethiopia. In the coffee field, Kochere belongs to part of Gediyo in Yirgacheffe and is also one of the most important producing areas of Yirgacheffe. Kochere can be further divided internally into several micro-regions, and the coffee produced in the area is sometimes named after the source town (such as Chelelektu or Teklu Dembel), the processing plant (such as Teklu Dembel processing plant and, for this lot, Alim processing plant), or the micro-region (such as Banko Gutiti), in order to more precisely indicate the source of the lot, which is in line with today's trend toward traceability in coffee. Of course, the stronger the traceability of a lot, the more specific its source, and the higher the stability and reproducibility of its flavor each year, the more expensive the price naturally is.

In the entire broad Yirgacheffe area, Kochere can be called the most essential region. In the ECX producing area classification, Kochere is listed as an independent producing area, which shows its status. Through cupping, Front Street found that Yirgacheffe Kochere is different from ordinary lots of green coffee beans. The coffee beans produced in this origin have strong flavor characteristics, rich aroma and mouthfeel, with lively citrus acidity, a sweet silky mouthfeel, and fruit flavors.

Front Street Yirgacheffe Kochere belongs to the highest-specification G1 grade lot. Its origin flavor characteristics are strong, with a clean and fresh lemon aroma and delicate and elegant jasmine fragrance, along with rich aromas and flavors such as melon, citrus, ginger, and spiced tea.

Washed Process

Washed

The washed method, translated from Washed Process, also called the washed process, is a traditional processing method that uses water resources to process coffee cherries. Generally speaking, the steps of washing include flotation, removing the pulp, soaking and fermenting to remove the mucilage, washing or continuing to soak, drying, and then hulling to obtain the coffee beans we need. Compared with natural processing, coffee farmers using the washed method must be equipped with a pulper and build washing tanks, and have a continuous supply of running water, so it is not suitable everywhere. It is generally most common in Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Kenya, and other places. But washing indeed has several advantages. On the one hand, it reduces the defect rate of green beans, thereby stabilizing quality. On the other hand, it greatly shortens the drying time, making production more efficient. Of course, it also allows the coffee to retain the "washed taste."

After washing, the coffee beans are dried in the sun or with a dryer to reduce the moisture content to about 12%, and finally the parchment of the green coffee beans is removed.

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Recommendation — Front Street Kochere

Region: Yirgacheffe Kochere

Variety: Local heirloom varieties

Growing altitude: 1,650 m–1,800 m

Processing method: Washed process

Grade: G1

Many people may know that Yirgacheffe is a producing area in southern Ethiopia, but if it is further subdivided, many small coffee-producing areas and cooperatives with distinctive characteristics can be found, such as the adorably named Front Street Gotiti. In addition to having the main flavor profile of Yirgacheffe beans, it also has a clear tea-like sensation, and drinks just like lemon tea.

Front Street. Washed Yirgacheffe Gotiti Cooperative Coffee Beans

Producing area: Yirgacheffe Gedeo Zone producing area

Altitude: 1,900-2,300 m

Variety: Heirloom

Processing method: Washed

Grade: G1

Flavor: Citrus, green tea, prune, floral, honey

Brewing methods: Pour-over, drip bag, cold brew, French press, Clever Cup

Gotiti was originally a member of the Worka Cooperative, and was later discovered by green coffee merchants, so it became independent as the Gotiti Cooperative. The Gotiti Cooperative has 300 smallholder partners and is known for growing some of Ethiopia's highest-quality coffee.

The processing method also follows Ethiopia's most traditional washed method and is called by many "the last pure land of Yirgacheffe." The washed Front Street Gotiti Cooperative coffee not only lacks the heavy bitterness of traditional black coffee, but its fresh and bright citrus and lemon acidity, as well as the fragrance of jasmine, elegant citrus acidity, and honeyed tea notes, make many coffee people fall in love with it at first sip.

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