Ethiopia Chelelektu Yirga Cheffe

[AndyPanda]

OK ... you guys are going to have to teach me how to make coffee with this. I've only done one roast so far and the roast profile went perfectly (on paper) - did a 11:30 minute roast, first crack started at 7:30 391F then four minutes to end at 425F on a probe down in the moving beans (on my machine this is about a C maybe barely a C+ = 14% weight loss.

It's been 5 days post roast and it still seems way too light to me - but I'm pulling as espresso (I'm using a manual lever so I'm doing a very low pressure pull). It's still too flowery and grassy -- so I'm guessing this needs to be enjoyed as french press or pour over? I can tell that the floral/fruity flavors could be spectacular if I were brewing in a way to get those flavors without it seeming so grassy. Maybe this just needs a lot more rest than I was expecting.

I'm just having a hard time seeing how you guys are enjoying this with roasts ending at 410F and 12-13% weight loss -what's your secret?

Any suggestions welcome.

[bigbells]

Several of us who have roasted this bean have come to believe that a weight loss of around 15% is better: in the neighborhood of City + to Full City.

[carol]

I've been roasting it 30 sec. past first crack. I think it's a very good coffee. I have a hard time finding adjectives to describe the flavor, I think the flavor is so complex it feels or senses like body. I don't think I would call it fruity at lest not in the sense of say Aleta Wondo or Biftu, it's pretty sweet. The flavor and feel in the mouth reminds me more of the recent Burundi coffees that I've got from SM . I think I will do a side by side taste test with this coffee and the Burundi Kirimiro and see if I'm remembering correctly. I hosted a coffee education class a few weeks ago and roasted the Yirga Cheffee, Ethiopian Wollega Wato and a Guat/ Finca San Diego Buena Vista.
The Yirga Cheffee was the favorite among the participants.

[Sam21]

Andypanda, it may just be a better candidate for brewing. Try it that way and see how it works out!

[AndyPanda]

OK, thanks for the suggestions.

I tried it in the aeropress ... coarser grind than espresso but much finer than for french press - 190c water in a preheated (and with an insulating sleeve) aeropress, inverted, stirred and let it steep for about 50 seconds. Wow ... pretty tasty!

I had roasted this deliberately thinking espresso pull ... so a long finish. I think I'll have to try roasting it more for brew next time with a shorter finish.

Carol, you said you've been roasting 30 seconds past first crack .... am I safe to assume you mean 30 seconds past "the end of" first crack?

I went 4 minutes from start of first crack to end of roast on my first attempt with this bean ... so I'm thinking maybe 2 minutes or 2:30 past start of first to end of roast.

[Sam21]

OK, thanks for the suggestions.

I tried it in the aeropress ... coarser grind than espresso but much finer than for french press - 190c water in a preheated (and with an insulating sleeve) aeropress, inverted, stirred and let it steep for about 50 seconds. Wow ... pretty tasty!

I had roasted this deliberately thinking espresso pull ... so a long finish. I think I'll have to try roasting it more for brew next time with a shorter finish.

Carol, you said you've been roasting 30 seconds past first crack .... am I safe to assume you mean 30 seconds past "the end of" first crack?

I went 4 minutes from start of first crack to end of roast on my first attempt with this bean ... so I'm thinking maybe 2 minutes or 2:30 past start of first to end of roast.

I did 2.5 mins past start of first. A 2 min stretch, 30ish past 1st end has potential to be delicious. Very bright, floral and sweet.

[carol]

Yes, after 1st crack ends plus 30 secs. With the ambient temp. being so high outside it's taking about 6 minutes total in the air popper. Haven't tried the Behmor with this coffee yet.

[w0fms]

Yirgacheffe is traditionally roasted lighter, but the batches from at least two suppliers that I've had in 2011 and 2012 seem to be to be better a little darker than the 2010 lot (which was from before I home roasted) I had.

It's a very "Earthy" coffee and to use it as a SO Espresso, I think you'd really have to like it. (I've done it occasionally). It's more of a Aeropress/French Press/Dripper coffee for me, but I really love Yirgacheffe regardless of my normal brew preference of Espresso. It is what literally got me into specialty coffee!

One thing that does work well with Yirgacheffe coffee IMHO is a Melange of C+ to FC with FC to FC+ in about a 3/2 ratio. That way you get a chocolatey flavor in with the fruity. You can substitute in another origin (Centrals work well) for the darker roast/chocolatey flavor!

That blend is what I do if I'm in the mood for a Yirgacheffe Espresso shot.

Fred

[Sweet Maria's]

THis is one of the cleanest, sweetest coffees that I've had this year. If you're doing everything right in the roaster, you should have an abundance of sweet floral qualities, honeysuckle even. THere can be a bit of a ginger spice note in there, but not enough to give it an earthy character in my opinion. I would say that a C++ roast could produce a wonderful SO espresso. I feel like FC+ would just obliterate this coffee, and Im not a light roast fetishist.

- chris schooley

[Sam21]

My first and only roast of this coffee was to a light City+. I have a second batch 3 days post roast that I will break into once my latest Pulcal roast is gone (another very sweet coffee). I'm also looking forward to trying out the new DP Yirg.