Beverage
Yirgacheffe Type
B tier
Yirgacheffe Type describes the traditional arabica landrace profile associated with Ethiopia’s Yirgacheffe (Yirga Chefe) zone in Gedeo—smallholder garden varieties that produce the region’s hallmark floral, citrus, and tea-like washed coffees. It is a regional genetic and sensory type rather than a single registered clone. Washed Yirgacheffe-type lots are famous for jasmine, bergamot, lemon, and silky body; natural process lots add berry and stone-fruit intensity. Global specialty markets treat the name as both origin and expected cultivar character rooted in local heirloom diversity.
Also known as: Yirgacheffe Washed, Kochere, Wenago, Gelena Abaya
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Characteristics
Preparations
Traits
Grading systems
Grades are placed along a shared scale so systems can be compared side by side.
History
Garden coffee culture in the Gedeo highlands developed distinctive local arabica populations around Yirgacheffe.
Cooperative washing stations expanded, defining the clean floral cup linked to Yirgacheffe-type coffees.
International specialty buyers established Yirgacheffe as a premium origin category for washed heirloom arabica.
Ethiopian trademark and licensing systems reinforced regional identity for Yirgacheffe export coffees.
Traceable kebele and station lots refined understanding of Yirgacheffe-type variation within the zone.