Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Kurume Natural

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Kurume Natural is a Grade 1 specialty coffee from the Yirgacheffe region in southern Ethiopia, roasted light for pour-over brewing. In the cup it is very delicate: jasmine, bergamot and black tea, with a light, tea-like body. It is a coffee for anyone looking for flowers and clarity in Ethiopian coffee rather than heavy fruit.

Coffee from Ethiopia: where its character comes from

Ethiopia is the birthplace of Arabica. Coffee has grown wild here in forests and home gardens for centuries, and most of it is still farmed by smallholders. That is why a huge genetic diversity of plants has survived. Ethiopian varieties are collectively called heirloom, because many local varieties often grow side by side on a single farm.

This diversity, high altitude and slow ripening of the cherries give Ethiopian coffee its famous profile: flowers, citrus, fruit and tea instead of chocolate and nuts. Each region has its own character. Sidamo and Guji are associated with fruit, Limu with citrus freshness and Yirgacheffe with flowers and tea.

Yirgacheffe: the region of floral coffees

Yirgacheffe lies in the Gedeo zone, about 400 km south of Addis Ababa, right next to Sidamo. It is the best-known name among Ethiopian coffees. Hilly terrain, stable temperatures and red, nutrient-rich volcanic soil let the cherries ripen slowly. The result is a complex yet light flavour profile.

Kurume is a lot from around 2,000 smallholders whose farms average 0.5-1 ha. The coffee grows at 1,800-2,000 m a.s.l. The harvest runs from October to January, later than in many other regions, precisely because of the altitude. The cherries are hand-picked by the farmers’ families.

Natural processing in a Yirgacheffe coffee

Yirgacheffe is usually associated with washed coffees. This lot is natural processed: the beans dry inside the whole cherries and are only then separated from the dried fruit. The fruit gives the bean more sweetness and the profile becomes rounder.

In Kurume, though, the natural process does not cover up the floral character of the region. Jasmine and bergamot stay in the foreground, and the processing adds a gentle sweetness.

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Kurume tasting profile

• notes: jasmine, bergamot, black tea
• character: very delicate, floral
• body: light, tea-like
• SCA score: 86.25 points

Grade 1 is the highest grade in the Ethiopian coffee classification. It means the fewest defects in a bean sample, which in the cup translates into a clean taste with no off-flavours.

How to brew Yirgacheffe Kurume Natural

We roast it light for pour-over, AeroPress and filter coffee machines. The delicate jasmine and bergamot notes come through best in methods that give a clean brew:

• V60 or Kalita dripper,
• Chemex,
• AeroPress,
• filter coffee machine.

Brew it with water at around 92-94°C and do not grind too fine. Over-extraction will take away its lightness and cover the flowers with bitterness.

Who Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Kurume is for

For people who brew with pour-over methods and like floral, tea-like, light coffees. For those who want to try the classic Yirgacheffe profile in a gentler, sweeter natural version. It is also a good coffee to start exploring light-roasted Ethiopian coffees.

We roast our coffee fresh twice a week.