The Yirgacheffee coffee beans originate from the mountain town of Yirgacheffe located in the Sidoma region of southern Ethiopia. The main harvesting of this type of coffee lasts between October and April. During this time coffee cultivation is expected up to 7.25 million 132-pound bags each year.
There are several flavours of the best organic Yirgacheffee coffee in USA that the consumers have identified religiously. Furthermore, there are several processes involved in bringing the coffee from the fields to the coffee cup. These usually include processing and brewing.
Each of these processes has been optimised by trial and error over the ages to ensure that consumers can get a flavour-rich coffee cup every morning. This can serve as a great dessert or is usually served with breakfast. Keep reading to know in detail the optimisation of the processes and flavour notes available for this coffee.
Flavour notes available for Yirgacheffee coffee
There are a variety of descriptions of flavours of the best organic Yirgacheffee coffee in USA that the consumers have explained. These are as follows:
A tea-like aroma that is citrus forward
Fruit forward like melon, wildberry, and peach
A mild taste of wine
Light, soft chocolaty notes
Delicate light to medium body
Florals like lavender and lemongrass
Nutty
Processing
There are usually two methods involved in the processing of Yirgacheffe beans. These are as follows:
1. Wet-processing of Yirgacheffe beans
The steps involved in the wet-processing of Yirgacheffe beans are as follows:
Harvesting: It becomes imperative to harvest the beans when they are still fresh and moist. This ensures that the flavour of the coffee beans remains undisturbed.
Cleaning: This step involves the careful removal of the skin and pulp of the cherry such that the beans remain intact.
Soaking: Upon isolating the beans, it becomes mandatory to soak them thereafter in a large tank. This is an important step the flavour remains preserved throughout.
Sorting: Upon soaking the beans in the large water tank, some of them start floating at the top. Remove them as they can result in a change in the flavour profile of
coffee.
Drying: After the sorting of the beans is completed, you can dry them completely under the sun to ensure proper grinding. This can be done using a machine or even
under bright sunlight.
2. Natural processing of Yirgacheffe beans
This is a common method of processing Yirgacheffe beans. Here the freshly picked beans in the morning are dried under the afternoon sun. This process ensures that the coffee has a heavy wine and fruity flavour along with a tinge of peach, lime, cherry, grape, and an earthy taste. Otherwise, it develops a sour taste and becomes extremely brittle while roasting.
Roasting
The Yirgacheffe coffee beans are small and dense which is different compared to the other types. This results in a difference in the roasting of these beans from the other types. Since the beans are highly delicate, it becomes mandatory to use low heat while roasting. You can roast it on a medium flame to bring out its flavours and aromas completely. Otherwise, over-roasting coffee beans can result in an extremely bitter taste which can be difficult to consume.
Brewing
The best way of conducting this process is cold brewing through metal to easily highlight the floral and citrus flavours of the coffee beans. Many people recommend not brewing the beans in milk as it can dull their acidity. However, adding sugar is at times a preferable option, as it can unfold the flavour profile.
Moreover, when brewing in hot water it is highly essential to maintain the time for which you are brewing it on the flame. Exceeding the stipulated time frame of brewing can result in a loss of light flavours.
Some of the popular methods of brewing this Guji Speciality coffee in United States are as follows:
French Press: This is a glass cylinder that usually comes with a filter and metal plunger to produce a milder flavour with a heavier body. Hot water is pressed into
the ground coffee using the plunger while filtering.
Pour Over: Here warm water is poured directly over the ground coffee beans to produce a lighter-bodied coffee having an intense flavour. These beans are usually
kept in a coffee filter which allows water to drain in a cup using a container.
Cold Brew: In this process, the water and coffee powder is combined overnight to extract the fruity elements of Yirgacheffe coffee. However, it is important to use
coarsely grounded coffee beans for this purpose.
For Ethiopians, brewing the best organic Yirgacheffee coffee in USA is like a morning ritual that usually lasts for 2 hours. They view the brewing process of coffee as a slow, intentional process for close friends and only fleshly roasted and grounded beans are used for the purpose.
