Ethiopian Yirgacheffe – Green Unroasted

Taste: Yirgacheffe is a town in the Sidama region and coffees from this region will surprise you with their intense floral and citrus notes. We like to think of the Ethiopian Yirgacheffes as the “Tabasco” of the coffees. As a dash of Tabasco will turn an ordinary chicken soup into a great cup of soup, an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe will take a medium cup to a whole new level. Many folks like it straight, and we love to use it to add zip to a blend with one of the “big classics” like a Colombian microlot.

Roast: As with most Ethiopian beans, a lighter roast – especially when using in a blend – imparts the brightness and sparkle many roasters and coffee drinkers desire.  However, this particular Yirgacheffe holds up well to a Medium (City Roast) and even Medium/Dark (Full City) when you’re thinking of brewing as a single origin.  In any case the roast is best stopped before 2nd crack.

For more roasting information, check out: Ethiopian coffee: a roasters guide

About: Yirgacheffe has become famous for coffees that tastes like blueberries. This region is plentiful. The thick vegetation is a product of the warm tropical climate with moderate wet and dry seasons. Most coffee is shade-grown by small producers using organic practices. Coffees are cultivated from 1600 to 2400 masl in these highlands. The multitude of microregions creates complex profiles depending on the washing station a particular coffee is from.

Chelba is a washing station, named after the nearby village of Chelba, located 12km from Yirgacheffe town. Over 800 producers contribute cherry to the station from within a three-kilometer radius. The average farm size is two hectares, and the average family size is seven individuals.

The process of producing Washed coffees in Ethiopia will vary slightly from washing station to washing station, but generally speaking the coffee is picked ripe and depulped the same day. There is usually a fermentation period of 8–12 hours in open-air tanks, then washed in water channels to remove the mucilage. The coffee seeds will be spread on raised beds to dry for 5–15 days, depending on the weather.

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