Yirgacheffe Mania! (sf coffee wars update)
Thanks to my mom. She was reading through Blue Bottle's online web store's coffee descriptions. These are always very abstract, but something convinced her to try their Ethiopian Yirgacheffe beans. She shared some with me and that's where it all began. I didn't particularly like single origin African coffees up until this point - too exotic or pungent or something. Blue Bottle's Yirgacheffe was some of the best coffee I'd ever had.
According to legend, Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee. Way back when, a goat farmer there noticed how excited his goats got when they ate some mysterious berries. The rest is history. According to informal online research, Ethiopia grows tons of coffee beans and Ethiopians drink tons of coffee. Yirgacheffe is an area/region/town/district that grows a distinctly delicious type of coffee bean. It is sometimes described as citrus, floral, and juicy, which is very different from the rich roasted bitter taste of typical coffees.
Blue Bottle gave it this description:
"The Yirg is the most delicate of all Ethiopian coffees: the mint-julep-sipping younger sister to the burly, assertive Harrar, or the conniving Sidamo. At this roast-level (which we are calling medium-plus), much of the oven-cleanery aftertaste is eliminated, and what we are left with is a mild cocoa powder and vanilla bean flavor, with reasonably good body, and low but interesting acid. As it cools, hints of jasmine float delightfully to the surface. This is a coffee on the demure side: this organic Yirgacheffe is to hearty robust fudginess as Rickie Lee Jones is to impeccable diction. In spite of the above, it takes milk or cream reasonably well, and is best as a filter or French press."
If you're ever in Ethiopia:
So I've been going around trying Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans from a bunch of different local places. They are not all equal.
- Blue Bottle, SF/Oakland:
outstanding. This place doesn't fool around. Fresh beyond fresh. Perfect roasting level - "medium plus." Very mild with a special magic flavor that can't be described. Very clean. not bitter at all. No aftertaste.
- Barefoot Coffee Roasters, Santa Clara:
pretty much the same description as blue bottle's version. Unfortunately it isn't currently available. I drove all the way out there to find this out. I had to leave with some of that "conniving Sidamo." It was good, but just not the same.
- Target Stores, nationwide:
Target of all places is trying to go upscale with their coffees. They sell a whole bean organic fair trade single origin Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee. I was shocked when I saw it. It's really cheap too. The package has a graphic indicating a light roast level. My hopes were dashed upon opening the bag. Dark oily beans that look like French roast, broken pieces in the bag, and a cup that tastes like ash. Oh well.
- Ecco Caffe, Sonoma-area roaster:
I was so happy to finally find this brand in a grocery store - the Whole Foods on California and Franklin in SF. Their organic Yirgacheffe has won contests or awards or a high score or something. This stuff only strengthened my affinity for the stuff. Excellent. Top notch. Similar description to that of Blue Bottle.
- Four Barrel Coffee, SF:
This new hipster mecca is roasting their own beans in-house now. Their Yirgacheffe is a little different - especially citrus/juicy/very light roast. Tiny beans (different varietal?) and requires more grounds per cup. Anyway, it's not bad, but not as intoxicating as Blue Bottle/Barefoot/Ecco.
- Rodger's Coffee, SF:
The mysterious ultra-square cousin of Philz in the mission district that also does it "one cup at a time." I just got a cup of their Yirgacheffe coffee in which they did their crazy treatment splashing it between cups with whole cream and wringing the last drops out of the filter. It's a darker roast than most of the others. It still had that distinct Philz/Rodgers flavor, but maybe with just a little Yirgacheffe magic? It was hard to tell.
I know other roasters sometimes sell Yirgacheffe beans, but they aren't always available. Now I have a clear favorite single origin coffee. I'd like to go hang out in Yirgacheffe someday and help water the coffee plants or something.
According to legend, Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee. Way back when, a goat farmer there noticed how excited his goats got when they ate some mysterious berries. The rest is history. According to informal online research, Ethiopia grows tons of coffee beans and Ethiopians drink tons of coffee. Yirgacheffe is an area/region/town/district that grows a distinctly delicious type of coffee bean. It is sometimes described as citrus, floral, and juicy, which is very different from the rich roasted bitter taste of typical coffees.
Blue Bottle gave it this description:
"The Yirg is the most delicate of all Ethiopian coffees: the mint-julep-sipping younger sister to the burly, assertive Harrar, or the conniving Sidamo. At this roast-level (which we are calling medium-plus), much of the oven-cleanery aftertaste is eliminated, and what we are left with is a mild cocoa powder and vanilla bean flavor, with reasonably good body, and low but interesting acid. As it cools, hints of jasmine float delightfully to the surface. This is a coffee on the demure side: this organic Yirgacheffe is to hearty robust fudginess as Rickie Lee Jones is to impeccable diction. In spite of the above, it takes milk or cream reasonably well, and is best as a filter or French press."
If you're ever in Ethiopia:
So I've been going around trying Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans from a bunch of different local places. They are not all equal.
- Blue Bottle, SF/Oakland:
outstanding. This place doesn't fool around. Fresh beyond fresh. Perfect roasting level - "medium plus." Very mild with a special magic flavor that can't be described. Very clean. not bitter at all. No aftertaste.
- Barefoot Coffee Roasters, Santa Clara:
pretty much the same description as blue bottle's version. Unfortunately it isn't currently available. I drove all the way out there to find this out. I had to leave with some of that "conniving Sidamo." It was good, but just not the same.
- Target Stores, nationwide:
Target of all places is trying to go upscale with their coffees. They sell a whole bean organic fair trade single origin Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee. I was shocked when I saw it. It's really cheap too. The package has a graphic indicating a light roast level. My hopes were dashed upon opening the bag. Dark oily beans that look like French roast, broken pieces in the bag, and a cup that tastes like ash. Oh well.
- Ecco Caffe, Sonoma-area roaster:
I was so happy to finally find this brand in a grocery store - the Whole Foods on California and Franklin in SF. Their organic Yirgacheffe has won contests or awards or a high score or something. This stuff only strengthened my affinity for the stuff. Excellent. Top notch. Similar description to that of Blue Bottle.
- Four Barrel Coffee, SF:
This new hipster mecca is roasting their own beans in-house now. Their Yirgacheffe is a little different - especially citrus/juicy/very light roast. Tiny beans (different varietal?) and requires more grounds per cup. Anyway, it's not bad, but not as intoxicating as Blue Bottle/Barefoot/Ecco.
- Rodger's Coffee, SF:
The mysterious ultra-square cousin of Philz in the mission district that also does it "one cup at a time." I just got a cup of their Yirgacheffe coffee in which they did their crazy treatment splashing it between cups with whole cream and wringing the last drops out of the filter. It's a darker roast than most of the others. It still had that distinct Philz/Rodgers flavor, but maybe with just a little Yirgacheffe magic? It was hard to tell.
I know other roasters sometimes sell Yirgacheffe beans, but they aren't always available. Now I have a clear favorite single origin coffee. I'd like to go hang out in Yirgacheffe someday and help water the coffee plants or something.
