When purchasing coffee beans, we not only pay attention to the production area and flavor, but also select coffee beans that use different processing methods. Because different processing methods will lead to different flavor characteristics of coffee, even if coffee from the same production area is washed and sun-dried, it will show a different taste. For example, the Ethiopian coffee beans on the front street coffee list are from the washed batch, while the red cherry coffee is from the sun-dried batch. Let’s take a look at the differences between these two beans.Sun-dried Yirgacheffe coffeeThe so-called "sun drying method" is to dry the ripe coffee cherries directly after harvesting. During the drying process, the sugar and aroma in the pulp are well preserved and penetrate into the green coffee beans. At the same time, the longer the sun treatment time, the more complete the fermentation will be. Because the sun-drying method allows the coffee berries to dry naturally, the coffee beans mature naturally inside the berries without being disturbed by the external environment. Therefore, the sun-dried coffee beans will amplify their own flavor, with obvious tropical fruit flavor, full fermentation and sweetness.
Traditionally, Ethiopia’s high altitude, low rainfall, and long sunshine are very suitable for solar processing of green coffee beans. However, farmers dry the coffee beans directly and leave them on the muddy ground or on the roof to dry. The fruits can easily absorb the earthy smell from the ground, or uneven heating can lead to excessive fermentation, ultimately affecting the quality of the coffee.In order to improve the income of local farmers in Ethiopia and the quality of coffee, the Dutch trading company Trabocca BV launched the "Red Cherry Project" in 2007（OPERATION CHERRY RED PROJECT）, mainly for some high-altitude production areas such as Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia, to improve processing technologies such as water washing, semi-water washing, and sun-drying, and to have professional cuppers join in. During the harvest season, different coffee harvest volumes will be formulated for different microclimate areas. Only 100% mature red coffee cherries must be harvested, and the output is approximately 1500-3000KG.The economic loan support, new hardware equipment, and production knowledge and technology provided by Trabocca have greatly improved the quality of coffee beans in the Yirgacheffe production area, and even in the entire Ethiopian country. Correspondingly, the coffee has a higher selling price, thus increasing the income of coffee farmers.Unlike in the past, today's solarization processes require more attention to manual screening and ensuring uniform drying. Freshly picked coffee red berries are manually screened to select defective beans and overripe or insect-eaten beans, leaving good beans. Then it is sent to a drying place for drying treatment. Of course, different drying racks are used in different production areas. Some are tarpaulins, raised beds, etc. The most common one is the African-style drying bed.The drying time generally takes 27-30 days, and it is not completed until the coffee turns dark purple and the moisture content drops to 11%. Sun-dried Yirgacheffe has a stronger flavor, richer layers, a winey fermentation flavor, and a higher sweetness.Washed Yirgacheffe coffeeEthiopian water washing technology was introduced from Central and South America in 1972. The process of washing with water is complex and cumbersome, and requires the use of a large amount of clean water. Therefore, the cost is higher than the solarization method, and it is rarely used in African areas where water resources are scarce.Washing step: Pick the coffee cherries and place them in water. Use the buoyancy of the water to pick out the underripe fruits. Then use a planer to remove the peel/pulp of the berries, and then leave them in a fermentation tank for 18-36 hours until the pectin layer decomposes. After the fermentation is completed, the shelled beans will be washed in the channel for 30-60 minutes. Through special channels and water flushing, beans with low specific gravity and poor quality can be removed. The high-quality coffee beans are then drained and spread on African-style racks for drying.Because the pulp is peeled off before drying, the inherent aroma of Yirgacheffe is clearer and more transparent, showing citrus, lemon tones and elegant white floral aroma. The overall flavor is bright and delicate. After Yirgacheffe launched washed coffee beans, it became a representative of the world's specialty coffee producing areas.Flavor differences in cuppingIn terms of roasting, Front Street considered that Yirgacheffe should have acidity as the main flavor direction, so it used medium-light roasting. The water-washed Yirgacheffe Fruit Cooperative coffee beans are lightly roasted to retain more bright acidity and floral aroma, while the sun-dried Yirgacheffe red cherry coffee beans are roasted medium-light to present the plump berry sourness and sweetness. Every time Front Street launches a coffee bean, it will carry out cupping and tasting at least once. Under the same standards, cupping allows us to more objectively feel the advantages and disadvantages of coffee.Cupping flavor of Washed Fruit Cooperative Coffee: The dry aroma exudes fresh passion fruit, citrus, and sour berry aroma. The wet aroma is citrus, berries, the acidity of citrus in the entrance, the sweetness of berries, almonds, tea, and the sweetness of honey in the aftertaste. Low body, bright acidity, clean and refreshing.The cupping flavor of sun-dried red cherry coffee: the dry aroma shows the sweet and sour taste of plump berries, sucked at different temperatures, the soft sweet and sour berries, the fermentation of ripe fruits, the obvious sweetness of honey and the aftertaste of black tea, and the smooth taste.By comparison, Front Street tasted both sun-dried and washed Yirgacheffe with acidity from citrus and berries. The acidity of washed wine will be higher, the taste will be brighter and uplifting, and the finish is dominated by the aroma of honey; while the sun-dried wine will highlight the mellowness of tropical fruits, with a creamy and smooth taste and a stronger fermentation aroma.Many friends will ask Front Street for brewing advice after purchasing coffee beans. In fact, there is a brewing reference on the label of each bag of Front Street Coffee beans. Here Front Street uses the washed Guo Ding Ding Cooperative as an example to talk about Front Street’s extraction ideas according to the standards produced by the store.Since Yirgacheffe coffee beans are grown at high altitudes and have a hard texture, in order to bring out more floral and fruity flavors in the coffee, Front Street uses high-temperature hot water at 92°C-93°C for extraction. Grinding speed Front Street recommends medium to fine grinding speed(Chinese standard No. 20 screen pass rate is 78%). If it is too coarse, the mellow substances cannot be extracted, and the brewed coffee will appear thin. If it is too fine, it will easily be over-extracted at high water temperature, and the brewed coffee will be prone to bitterness.During the cupping process, I noticed that this bean exhibits different flavors at different temperatures, so the brewing method will adopt a three-stage extraction, so that different flavor substances can show themselves better as the powder layer heats up in stages. In order to highlight the fresh and charming aroma of washed yaka, Front Street uses a V60 filter cup for brewing.
Compared with other filter cups, the conical shape and 60° angle design means that when brewing with the V60, the water flow must flow to the center and then drip into the lower pot, extending the contact area between water and coffee powder, so that the aroma and taste can be fully extracted. Its iconic single large hole allows water flow without any obstruction. The liquid flow rate largely depends on the brewer's ability to control the flow, and is directly reflected in the coffee flavor. If your water injection habit is relatively large or hasty, the extraction will be over before the delicious substances are released from the coffee, and the brewed coffee may taste thin and bland.Not only that, there are multiple raised spiral patterns on the side wall of the V60 filter cup. The ribs are long and short and run through the entire filter cup. First, it prevents the filter paper from being tightly attached to the filter cup, creating enough space for air circulation to maximize the water-absorbing expansion of the coffee particles. Second, the design of the spiral convex groove also allows the scouring and falling water flow to squeeze the powder layer to form a richer layering. It also extends the path of the water flow to avoid insufficient extraction due to large pore sizes.In terms of brewing ratio, Front Street believes that 1:15 to 1:16 is acceptable. If you want a richer taste, use 1:15. If you want to feel the floral sweetness more clearly, you can use 1:16 to make the flavor more spread out.Filter cup: V60 Water temperature: 92-93°C Powder amount: 15g Powder to water ratio: 1:15 Grinding degree: Fine sugar size (Sifter the powder to 78% with a No. 20 sieve bowl)Three-stage water injection: Wet the powder bed with twice the amount of coffee powder to form a drum and steam it for 30 seconds. Then inject water in a small circle from the inside to the outside until it reaches 125g. When the powder bed drops to half of the filter cup, continue to inject the same thin water flow into the third section to 225g until all the coffee liquid has been filtered and take out the filter cup, which takes about 2 minutes. After the coffee in the filter cup flows into the lower pot, remove the filter cup, then shake evenly to share the coffee liquid in the pot, and you can start to taste the flavor of Yirgacheffe from the high temperature.Flavor description of hand washed YirgacheffeAfter the washed Yirgacheffe coffee beans are ground into powder, you can smell the fragrance of honey and jasmine. After the hot water is poured into the street, it begins to exude a hint of berry flavor. The Pour over(V60) black coffee has bright lemon, citrus, and green tea in the mouth. As the temperature changes, there is an aftertaste of berries, cream, and sugar cane. The aftertaste is obvious and the taste is clean and sweet.
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
