Yirgacheffe is a representative producing region of Ethiopian specialty coffee, famous for its citrus acidity, white floral aroma, and honey sweetness. Front Street Coffee sells a variety of Yirgacheffe coffee beans, using a medium-light roast, suitable for pour-over, cold brew, and other methods. This article provides a detailed analysis of Yirgacheffe's washed processing technique, pour-over parameters, and flavor performance, and shares the standard steps used by Front Street baristas to make SOE espresso and iced Americano, including the coffee-to-liquid ratio, extraction time, and specific operations, helping coffee lovers replicate a delicious cup of Yirgacheffe SOE Americano in-store or at home.

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee)

The coffee beans from Front Street's Yirgacheffe producing region in Ethiopia have very refreshing flavor characteristics, especially at medium-light roast, presenting bright citrus-like acidity, delicate floral notes, honey-like sweetness, and a green tea-like sweet aftertaste. If Front Street Yirgacheffe is used to make SOE (single-origin espresso), a medium or darker roast is usually chosen, and the extracted black coffee will show soft citrus fruit acidity, creamy chocolate richness, and cookie-like aroma, leaving a deep impression.

Front Street Yirgacheffe coffee refers to coffee beans produced in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. Yirgacheffe itself is the name of a local town, at an altitude of about 1,700 to 2,100 meters. Today, "Yirgacheffe" has long become synonymous with Ethiopian specialty coffee. Front Street has learned that the town of Yirgacheffe was originally under the jurisdiction of Sidamo Province, but later, due to the establishment of washing stations, it showed a unique "Yirgacheffe flavor," and from then on became an independent representative producing region and rose to fame in the coffee world.

Front Street reviewed information and found that the reason Front Street Yirgacheffe coffee beans can have such a distinct style is, besides the innate terroir conditions, largely due to washed processing. Ethiopia's local altitudes are generally high, with abundant sunshine, very suitable for drying coffee cherries directly in the sun. At first, Yirgacheffe also mainly produced natural coffee. The traditional natural method was to spread the cherries directly on the ground to dry, without sorting or flotation, so the quality of the coffee beans was mostly uneven. It was not until the 1970s, when the town of Yirgacheffe established the first washing station in Sidamo Province, that more washed processing gradually began to appear locally.

As more and more farmer cooperatives were established, in order to improve the quality of green coffee beans for export, thereby increasing everyone's income while also serving multiple communities, people began to have the willingness to build washing processing plants. Unlike natural processing, washing stations first need to solve the problem of water resources, then invest in depulping machines, and then have enough labor. Therefore, from a production perspective, a place with people, water, and roads is the best location for establishing a washing station, and Yirgacheffe is exactly such a treasured place.

Washing in coffee actually refers to first putting selected coffee cherries into a depulper to initially remove their skin and pulp; placing the green coffee beans with residual pulp and mucilage into water to ferment for about 24 hours; after fermentation, washing the green coffee beans with parchment in a flowing water channel to remove the pulp and mucilage; after washing, drying the coffee beans in the sun or with a dryer to reduce the moisture content to about 12%. Finally, removing the parchment from the green coffee beans.

As one of the most traditional green bean processing methods, washing not only makes coffee production quality more stable, but also gives Geisha higher cleanliness and a fresher flavor profile. After roasting, Front Street perceived Front Street Yirgacheffe's elegant white floral aroma, rising citrus and lemon acidity, with a slight tea-like charm.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) currently sells 5 coffee beans from the Yirgacheffe producing region, among which Front Street washed Yirgacheffe coffee beans from the Gedeb Gotiti Cooperative and Front Street full red fruit (red cherry) Yirgacheffe coffee beans from Aricha are the most popular.

For the Front Street Yirgacheffe sold, Front Street roasters considered the need to highlight its fresh floral and fruity notes, so they all use a medium-light roast level, with the classic Yirgacheffe flavor profile, suitable for pour-over, cold brew, French press, and other brewing methods. In addition to roasting details, Front Street believes freshness is also very important, so we ship within 5 days after roasting is completed. Only freshly roasted coffee beans can have rich aroma and flavor. If you want to taste the rich layers of Front Street Yirgacheffe coffee beans, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) recommends using drip pour-over coffee.

When producing Front Street Yirgacheffe, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) baristas use the pour-over extraction method, with parameters: 15g coffee powder, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, medium-fine grind (caster sugar size / passing 80% through a Chinese No. 20 standard sieve), 90-91°C water temperature.

Brewing method: use 30g water for blooming for 30 seconds, pour in a small stream in a circular motion until 125g, then pause; when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225g and stop pouring; when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper; (timing starts at the beginning of blooming) extraction time is 2'00".

Front Street Yirgacheffe Gotiti Cooperative washed coffee beans pour-over flavor performance: bright citrus-like acidity, berry sweetness and acidity, honey sweetness, green tea aftertaste.

Front Street Yirgacheffe Red Cherry natural coffee beans pour-over flavor performance: bright citrus-like acidity, strawberry sweetness and acidity, honey sweetness, slight fruity fermentation.

It is not hard to find that many coffee shops' Yirgacheffe SOE Americanos have acidity. The main reason is that they use a not-too-dark roast level, because we need to ensure that after SOE extraction is completed and water/milk is added for dilution, you can not only taste the bright citrus acidity unique to Front Street Yirgacheffe, but also keep the coffee from being too sour while having a certain rich mouthfeel.

Based on the brewing experience of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) baristas, choosing a coffee bean suitable for SOE extraction not only makes it easy to produce a delicious espresso, but also makes Americano or latte made by adding water or milk twice as effective. On Front Street's bean list, two single-origin coffee beans have SOE versions: one is the strawberry-scented Front Street Huakui, and the other is Front Street Konga with the classic Yirgacheffe flavor. We just need to check the SOE espresso roast option when placing an order.

Experienced friends all know that making Americano is diluting espresso + water, so espresso is the most crucial protagonist.

The coffee machine at Front Street's store is the commercial single-group "Lelit Bianca," paired with a 20g double basket. It usually uses a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio, meaning 40g espresso liquid is needed, with time controlled at 25-33 seconds. This ensures the coffee is evenly extracted. When operating at home, everyone can make slight adjustments according to the equipment instructions.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s SOE extraction parameters are as follows:

Coffee powder: 20g

Coffee liquid: 40g

Coffee-to-liquid ratio: 1:2

Extraction time: 25-33 seconds

Grind setting: Galileo 2.0

Steps for making Front Street Yirgacheffe SOE: Front Street first wipes away moisture or foreign matter on the basket, turns on the grinder, grinds a double dose of coffee powder, places it on an electronic scale to adjust up or down until it reaches 20 grams. Then use a tool to distribute the grounds evenly, and tamp the coffee puck firmly to ensure more stable extraction. Then turn on the extraction switch to release water, wetting the group head while washing away stuck coffee grounds, gently lock the portafilter onto the group head, and start the extraction. When the electronic scale shows 40 grams of coffee liquid extracted, at about 30 seconds, press the button (switch), and a cup of Front Street Yirgacheffe SOE is extracted.

If you directly taste the SOE espresso, you can feel obvious citrus acidity, honey sweetness, and oolong tea-like aftertaste. The acidity is bright and assertive, but the mouthfeel is slightly thin, so compared with drinking it alone, it is more suitable for making a refreshing and energizing SOE iced Americano.

Steps for Front Street Yirgacheffe SOE iced Americano: Front Street will first prepare a nice-looking glass, with a capacity of about 350ml, and add 90g ice cubes and water at room temperature to 80% full (about 150-170ml). Then extract a double espresso according to the above steps and pour it into the glass. A good-looking and delicious SOE iced Americano is ready. Remember to stir evenly before tasting~

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