Yirgacheffe is Ethiopia's most iconic specialty coffee region, famous for its citrus fruit flavors and jasmine aroma. Front Street Coffee went deep into this region and found a washed Yirgacheffe produced by the Gotiti Cooperative. Gotiti is located in the town of Gedeb, at an altitude of 1,900 to 2,200 meters, and is known as the last pure land of Yirgacheffe. This article will walk you through the background of the Gotiti Cooperative, its washed processing method, as well as the roasting curve and pour-over parameters for this bean, and describe its solid mouthfeel and berry-cream flavors. Whether you are a coffee enthusiast or a professional, you will gain practical tasting and brewing knowledge from it.

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Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Banko Gotiti Coop

Yirgacheffe Gotiti Cooperative

The Yirgacheffe region is known for its citrus fruit flavors and has attracted a large number of coffee lovers. Front Street has also been continuously exploring the Yirgacheffe region and found a coffee bean with outstanding flavor performance, which comes from the Gotiti Cooperative.

| About Yirgacheffe

Yirgacheffe was originally a small town in Ethiopia, located in the Sidamo administrative province. This small town has been a wetland since ancient times—in the old 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 in Ethiopian specialty coffee. The altitude here ranges from 1,700 to 2,100 meters, and it is cool and foggy year-round, like spring throughout the four seasons. Its unique terrain and cultivation system create excellent conditions for growing specialty coffee.

Strictly speaking, Yirgacheffe is a sub-region of Sidamo. This small town is located in the northwest of Sidamo, nestled by mountains and lakes, and is one of the coffee regions with the highest average altitude in Ethiopia. However, due to its unique flavor, it eventually became independent from Sidamo and formed its own style, also becoming the most famous region in Africa.

What we often call the "Yirgacheffe flavor" refers to intense jasmine aroma, the acidity of lemon or lime, and the sweetness of peach and almond along with tea-like notes. Yirgacheffe coffee has rich layers, a delicate body, a charming taste, and a sweet aftertaste. The phrase "coffee enters the mouth, a hundred flowers bloom" describes it most aptly, as if flowers awaken the pleasant sensation of the taste buds and olfactory cells in the nasal cavity. In addition to floral notes, the delicate body is like silk massaging the mouth, with a wonderful tactile sensation.

| Introduction to the Yirgacheffe Region

Gedeb is a township located below Kochere town, 60 kilometers from Yirgacheffe town, and is a famous specialty coffee bean producing area in Ethiopia. Its altitude ranges from 1,900 to 2,200 meters, much higher than the general Yirgacheffe region. The advantage of high altitude makes Gedeb a uniquely advantaged coffee-growing region and a micro-region that is gradually shining. Although in the ECX auction market this town is classified under the Kochere production area, it is at the same administrative level as Kochere town.

In the specialty coffee world, Gedeb can be distinguished separately as a Yirgacheffe sub-region at the same level as Kochere. This town has villages such as Worka Sakaro, Halo Bariti, Banko Gotiti, and Banko Dahato that produce coffee.

| Gotiti Cooperative

The Gotiti Cooperative is located in the Worka production area at the southeastern end of Yirgacheffe. It was originally part of the Worka Cooperative under the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU). Later, as people pursued traceability of green coffee beans, independent "single-origin" areas were gradually discovered by coffee hunters around the world. Therefore, in 2012, Gotiti, with about 300 farmers, independently established the "Gotiti Cooperative."

Gotiti Village was the first village area to become independent. Many smallholder farmers were originally members of the Worka Cooperative, so their coffee production techniques are naturally excellent. The Gotiti Cooperative is called the last pure land of Yirgacheffe, and the green bean processing methods it uses are also very traditional (washed and natural processing methods).

| Processing Method

After the coffee cherries are picked, they are immediately sent for processing, generally completed within 6 to 12 hours after picking. The coffee cherries are first weighed, then soaked in water, in order to select and remove the cherries that float due to poor quality.

Next, the coffee cherries are sent to a pulper to remove the skin. This step is to remove the skin and pulp. The coffee cherries with the pulp and skin removed are sent to fermentation tanks or fermentation barrels to rest and ferment for 18 to 36 hours, during which enzymes break down the mucilage and pectin in the coffee cherries. After demucilaging, the coffee cherries are cleaned in the tank with an appropriate amount of water. During the washing process, stirring removes the pectin breakdown products on the surface of the coffee beans. After washing, what remains is the parchment layer, silver skin, and green beans.

After washing, the coffee beans are sorted to remove defective beans. They are then sent to drying places (tarps, cement floors, raised beds, etc.) for drying. The drying time depends on factors such as the environmental climate and generally ranges from 5 to 14 days. At this point, the moisture content of the coffee beans drops from 55% to 11%.

| Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Roasting Reference

For Yirgacheffe beans, Front Street's roasters usually use a light roast to present its floral and fruity characteristics. For this washed Gotiti, we still use low heat to extend the bean's dehydration time.

When the drum temperature rises to 175°C, charge the beans, set the damper to 3, and the gas to 120; the turning point is at 1'32". When the drum temperature is 140°C, keep the gas unchanged and open the damper to 4; at this point the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell completely disappears, and it enters the dehydration stage. At 166°C, lower the gas to 100, and at 176°C, lower the gas to 80, while keeping the damper unchanged.

At 8'28", ugly wrinkles and dark streaks 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, you need to listen carefully to the sound of the first crack. First crack begins at 9'38". Adjust the damper to 5 (adjust the gas very carefully, and do not reduce it so much that there is no crackling sound). After first crack, develop for 1'30", and drop the beans at 193.5°C.

| Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Brewing Reference

Recommended brewing method: pour-over

Dripper: Hario V60

Water temperature: 92°C

Dose: 15 grams

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

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

Brewing method: staged extraction. Use 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour in a small stream in circles until 120 grams, at which point begin the staged phase. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225 grams and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Start timing from the beginning of the bloom.) The extraction time is 1'50".

Flavor: The overall mouthfeel is solid, with prominent fermented and tropical fruit notes. As the temperature changes, berry and cream flavors emerge, and the citrus sweet-and-sour sensation lingers between the teeth and lips for a relatively long time.

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