The term "berry" does not refer to a single specific fruit, but rather a general category encompassing all small, juicy fruits. However, unlike tropical fruits, berries have their own separate category in the new coffee flavor wheel released by the SCA in 2016. The berry category in the flavor wheel includes strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry, as well as mulberry and cranberry, all of which fall under the berry umbrella.

If we were to name which coffee beans have particularly prominent berry notes, Front Street would without hesitation name three coffee varieties:Front Street Kenya Little Tomato (cherry tomato, smoked plum, raspberry, snow pear, black plum, pronounced juicy mouthfeel), Front Street Rwanda Red Bourbon (red berries, citrus, apple, green tea), Front Street Ethiopia Gotiti Cooperative (white floral, berries, citrus, orange, tea-like). Today Front Street will introduce the Front Street Ethiopia Gotiti Cooperative coffee that is deeply loved by coffee enthusiasts.

In Ethiopia, in the Worka production area at the southeastern end of Yirgacheffe, there is a mature coffee bean production team called "Gotiti Cooperative." This team has approximately 300 farmer members. Because the Yirgacheffe it produces has a bright and uplifting flavor, it was established as a separate entity in 2012. Many smallholder farmers were originally members of the Worka cooperative, so their coffee production skills are beyond question. Front Street Gotiti Cooperative coffee uses traditional washed processing, and not only lacks the heavy bitterness of traditional black coffee, but presents a fresh and bright citrus and lemon acidity, along with jasmine fragrance, making many coffee lovers fall in love at first sip.

Where is Yirgacheffe?

The town of Yirgacheffe is one of the highest-altitude production areas in Ethiopia. Most coffee trees are planted on highlands approaching 2,000 meters, with the highest reaching around 2,100 meters. As altitude increases, the growing environment for coffee trees becomes more ideal, and the flavor advantages of Arabica coffee beans become more pronounced. Lake Turkana, Lake Abaya, and Lake Chamo within the region bring abundant moisture, with year-round mist, spring-like weather in all seasons, gentle breezes, and a cool, humid climate that nurtures Yirgacheffe's unique floral and fruity aromas.

Unlike many specialty coffee beans that are processed and produced on a large scale in estate models, Ethiopian coffee is mostly grown by smallholder farmers as individuals, typically on plots of about 1 hectare. Production volume is not large, so the cherries are sent to towns or nearby cooperatives for centralized processing. Cooperative management not only improves coffee quality but also provides farmers with more stable income. When we purchase coffee beans, we often see many that have already undergone post-processing, grading, and roasting, and are ultimately named after the cooperative, such as Gotiti, Worka, Konga, and Adado.

Why does washed Yirgacheffe have citrus and lemon acidity?

Traditionally, after harvesting coffee cherries, farmers place them directly on patios or spread them flat on the ground for direct sun drying. Once the moisture content of the coffee cherries drops to around 12%, they can be sent for hulling and bagging. Coffee beans processed this way are prone to earthy flavors, over-fermentation, and rotten fruit notes.

To improve the defective flavors caused by this sun-drying method, Ethiopia introduced washed processing technology from Central and South America. During the washing process, multiple steps can remove defective beans, resulting in cleaner acidity in terms of flavor and taking Yirgacheffe's aroma to the next level. So that curious newcomers can also taste the one-of-a-kind "Yirga flavor," Front Street has launched a washed Yirgacheffe as the flagship representative of Ethiopian coffee, using a medium-light roast, carrying the classic Yirgacheffe flavor profile, suitable for pour-over, cold brew, French press, and various other brewing methods. Front Street's everyday beans series allows friends who are just getting into coffee to taste the basic flavors of the region at an affordable price, and the small-package design also avoids the waste of not being able to finish a bag.

Flavor characteristics of medium-light roasted Gotiti coffee

Front Street believes that the greatest characteristic of Ethiopian coffee lies in its fruit acidity and floral aroma, hailed by many coffee lovers as a "fruit bomb." Since we want to highlight such an explosive fragrance, the roast level naturally cannot be too dark, so Front Street uses a medium-light roast to showcase the coffee's fruity notes.

Cupping flavor:

The dry aroma of washed Gotiti Cooperative coffee exudes fresh passion fruit, citrus, and berry acidity. The wet aroma is citrus and berries. On the palate, citrus acidity, berry sweetness, almond, tea-like notes, with a honey sweetness in the finish. Low body, bright acidity, clean and refreshing.

How to brew washed Gotiti for the best taste?

Based on past brewing experience, Front Street recommends that beginners use the three-stage pouring method. Three-stage extraction helps more fully dissolve flavor compounds during brewing, adding layers to the mouthfeel while avoiding over-extraction from prolonged steeping.

If using 15 grams of coffee grounds, a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, and 225ml total water, the three stages are divided as: 30ml, 95ml, 100ml. The weight shown on the scale would be: 30g, 125g, 225g.

Here Front Street selects its own roasted washed Yirgacheffe Gotiti Cooperative coffee beans, paired with a Hario V60 dripper for brewing. The V60's spiral rib design allows coffee grounds to degas better, maximizing the activation of aromatic acid compounds' volatilization and dissolution. Since Yirgacheffe is light-roasted, the coffee beans are harder in texture and require high-temperature water of 92°C-93°C to bring out the floral and fruity notes in the coffee.

For grind size, Front Street recommends a medium-fine grind (78% passing through a Chinese standard No. 20 sieve), roughly the consistency of fine granulated sugar. Too coarse a grind cannot extract rich, rounded flavor compounds, and the brewed coffee will taste thin; too fine a grind is prone to over-extraction at high water temperatures, and the brewed coffee will easily taste bitter and astringent.

Regarding the brewing ratio, Front Street believes both 1:15 and 1:16 are acceptable. If you want a richer mouthfeel, use 1:15; if you want to more clearly perceive the floral sweetness, use 1:16 to let the flavors spread out more.

First, place the folded filter paper into the dripper and press it to fit. Pour 15 grams of ground coffee into the dripper, and tare the scale.

For the first stage, pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. Start the timer as you begin pouring. Use a slow, small stream starting from the center and spiraling outward, making sure to saturate the entire coffee bed.

After 30 seconds, begin the second stage with a slightly stronger but steady stream, pouring 95g of water. The goal is to raise the entire coffee bed. The stream should be poured vertically and evenly. At this point the scale should read 125g, finishing at around 55 seconds.

When the liquid level drops to about halfway, begin the third stage using a slow stream in a small spiral, pouring 100 grams. Try to control the stream so it doesn't spiral too widely, as it may disturb the coffee bed and cause under-extraction. The final total water amount is 225 grams, and the drawdown should finish in about 2 minutes. After removing the dripper, swirl the coffee in the server to mix evenly, and it's ready to taste.

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