Ethiopia Yirgacheffe – medium roast

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe – soft and balanced medium roast coffee

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe is known for its aromatic and fruity character, but the roast level significantly impacts how the different facets of the coffee are experienced in the cup.

At Brændeholm Risteri, we roast this Yirgacheffe in both a light and a medium roast version. With the medium roast, we aim for a softer and more balanced cup, where the coffee’s fruity character is still distinct, but is countered by roundness, sweetness, and body.

The tasting notes are apricot, plum, milk chocolate, and raisins. This creates a profile where the fruity notes are combined with sweeter and more rounded nuances.

Compared to our light roast version, we find the medium roast less focused on the very light and floral expression and more on balance and softness.

This makes it a great choice if you want to explore the character of an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, but simultaneously prefer a rounder cup.

If you want to know more about how roasting affects the same coffee, you can read about our light, medium, and dark roast profiles.

Coffee profile

• Origin: Ethiopia
• Coffee: Yirgacheffe
• Roast level: Medium roast
• Growing altitude: Approx. 1,700–2,200 m.a.s.l.
• Bean size: Screen 17–18
• Producer: Yahenu PLC
• Tasting notes: Apricot, plum, milk chocolate, and raisins
• Character: Soft, balanced, fruity, and aromatic

What characterizes the medium-roasted Yirgacheffe?

We choose the medium roast when we want to create a more rounded balance between the raw coffee's character and the roasting process itself.

In this version, we particularly experience:

• A softer cup
• A more rounded balance
• Fruitiness without a very light expression
• More body than in the light-roasted version
• Sweeter nuances that play along with the fruit
• Still a distinct origin character

The goal is, therefore, not to roast away the coffee's character.

On the contrary, we try to preserve what makes Yirgacheffe interesting, but present it in a rounder and more accessible medium roast.

This makes it suitable for you if you normally prefer medium-roasted coffee, but would like to try a coffee with a more fruity and aromatic character than a classic chocolate- and nut-forward profile.

Light or medium-roasted Yirgacheffe?

We use the same Yirgacheffe for both roast levels, but they provide different taste experiences.

Light roast

We experience the light-roasted version as more floral, fresh, and origin-focused.

Here, the more delicate and aromatic sides of the coffee get the most room, while the roast character recedes further into the background.

It is a good choice for you if you are actively looking for a light coffee with clear floral and fruity nuances.

You can see it here: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe – light roast.

Medium roast

The medium-roasted version is softer and more balanced.

Fruitiness is still an important part of the coffee, but it is accompanied more by roundness, sweetness, and body from the longer roast.

If you normally drink medium-roasted coffee and want to explore Yirgacheffe without going all the way to a very light profile, this version is an obvious place to start.

Which brewing methods suit medium-roasted Yirgacheffe?

One of the advantages of the medium roast is its versatility.

It works well for several different brewing methods, and each individual method can highlight different sides of the coffee.

Filter coffee

For filter coffee on a standard coffee machine, you get a round and balanced cup where the fruitiness can still be experienced without dominating.

This makes the medium roast a good choice if you want a coffee with more character than a completely classic everyday coffee, but still want something that is easy to drink.

If you want to work more precisely with dosing, grinding, and brewing, you will find our procedure in the guide to better filter coffee.

Hario V60 and pour over

Yirgacheffe still has an aromatic and fruity character in the medium roast, and therefore it also works very well for Hario V60 and other pour over methods.

Here, you can work more actively with grind size, temperature, and pouring technique to explore how much of the coffee's fruity and aromatic side you wish to draw out.

See our guide to better coffee on Hario V60 if you want a concrete starting point.

AeroPress

AeroPress is well-suited for the medium-roasted Yirgacheffe because the brewing method provides great freedom to adjust strength, body, and extraction.

You can, for instance, work with different water temperatures and grind sizes and experience how the balance between fruitiness and body changes.

Find our recommended starting point in the guide to better coffee on AeroPress.

French press

In a French press, Yirgacheffe gets a fuller expression than with a paper-filtered brewing method.

This suits the medium roast well if you want to highlight the coffee’s rounder and softer side.

You can find dosing and procedures in our guide to better French press coffee.

About Ethiopia Yirgacheffe

Yirgacheffe is one of the well-known coffee regions in Ethiopia and is often associated with coffees with floral, fruity, and aromatic characteristics.

The specific coffee we work with is, according to the supplier's product data, grown at approximately 1,700–2,200 meters altitude and sorted to Screen 17–18.

The producer is listed as Yahenu PLC.

We consciously stick to the information that can be documented for the coffee we currently purchase, rather than adding general stories about specific washing stations or producers that do not necessarily belong to the current batch.

Whole coffee beans or ground coffee

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe is available in 250 g, 500 g, and 1,000 g.

If you have a coffee grinder, we recommend whole coffee beans and grinding the coffee as close to brewing as possible. This helps preserve the aroma and also allows for adjusting the grind size according to the brewing method.

If you do not have a coffee grinder yourself, you can choose from the available grind sizes on the product page.

Medium roast at Brændeholm Risteri in Funen

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe is roasted at Brændeholm Risteri in Funen.

With the medium roast, we try to find a point where the coffee’s fruity and aromatic origin character is still distinct, but where the cup also becomes rounder and more balanced than in our light roast.

It is therefore our Yirgacheffe for you who want both origin character and balance in the same cup.

If this is the type of coffee you prefer, you can explore our entire selection of medium-roasted coffee beans.