Many people’s single-origin coffee journey starts with a cup of Yirgacheffe. It is not as sharply sour as some African beans, nor as directly bitter as dark roasted beans. Instead, it combines the floral and fruity aroma with the soft sweet and sourness, making people understand "coffee can be like this" the first time they drink it. This article will talk about how to choose and drink Yirgacheffe.
Why is Yirgacheffe suitable for beginners?
Yirgacheffe is a famous coffee-producing area in southern Ethiopia. The beans produced are famous for their citrus, berry and floral aroma, and the aftertaste often has a bitter and sweet finish similar to green tea. Many people think that "sour coffee" is irritating acidity, but the acidity of Yirgacheffe is often soft and bright, more like the sweetness and sourness of the fruit itself. It is smooth in the mouth and has a long aftertaste, with almost no frowning burden. For those who are new to hand brewing, it is easy to understand and like.
Front Street Yirgacheffe Ding Ding: a typical entry-level model
Front Street Yirgacheffe Fruit Ding Ding is a typical sample to understand the Yirgacheffe style. It is a coffee bean native to Ethiopia. It is lightly roasted and retains the lively acidity and floral aroma: the dry aroma can smell of citrus and berries. After brewing, the acidity is bright and soft, and the sweetness slowly comes out behind. The finish is clean, with a hint of green tea-like sweetness. The overall balance of sourness and sweetness, without any unpleasant taste, is very suitable for establishing the taste coordinates of single fruit acid products.
If you want to taste more Ethiopian style, you can watch Oiran
If you want to take things one step further after drinking Yirgacheffe, you can try the Ethiopian Oiran on Front Street. It comes from Ethiopia. Its biggest feature is its outstanding tropical fruit aroma. You can smell the aroma of strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit and even lychee. It has obvious sweetness, low bitterness, and is as smooth as juice in the mouth. Compared with Yirgacheffe, Oiran's fruity aroma is more "explosive" and its sweetness is more direct. It is another refreshing and distinct Ethiopian flavor.
Brewing Recommendations and Bean Care Tips
For light-roasted caper beans such as Yirgacheffe, it is recommended that the water temperature should be controlled at around 90 degrees Celsius when brewing by hand. The powder-to-water ratio should be adjusted from 1:15. Be gentle when adding water to avoid over-extraction and astringency. Don't rush to drink the beans after you get them. Let the beans sit for three to seven days to allow the carbon dioxide to be fully released and the aroma will be more fully developed. Drink the brewed coffee liquid while it's hot, and you can still feel the sweetness when the temperature drops.
Summary
The reason why Yirgacheffe is suitable as an entry-level product is that its floral acidity is clear, soft and approachable. Start with a cup of diced Yirgacheffe fruit, paired with the appropriate water temperature and powder-to-water ratio, and then slowly expand to more Ethiopian flavors such as Oiran. You will build up your own taste map of floral and fruity sourness in just a few cups.
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
