Onyx Southern Weather Review: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Explained
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Pros
- Bright, distinct Yirgacheffe character — florals and stone fruit come through clearly
- Roasted light-medium, so the origin isn't roasted out of it
- Roast dates are printed on the bag; consistently fresh in owner reports
Cons
- Too bright/acidic for readers who prefer a dark, low-acid daily drinker
- Priced above supermarket coffee — a specialty-tier purchase, not a budget one
Southern Weather is Onyx Coffee Lab’s washed Ethiopia Yirgacheffe — a lot roasted light-medium specifically to keep the origin’s character intact rather than roasting it into generic “coffee” flavor.
Origin and process
Grown at 1,900 meters above sea level in the Yirgacheffe region, washed-processed to emphasize clarity over the heavier, fruitier funk you’d get from a natural process. That combination — high altitude, washed, light-medium roast — is a fairly reliable recipe for a bright, floral cup.
What the published cupping data says
Onyx publishes a cupping score of 88/100 for this lot, with aroma and acidity scoring highest. Their own published tasting notes cite milk chocolate, cherry and almond — a combination that reads as more approachable than a typical super-bright natural-process Ethiopian, while still being clearly not a dark-roast profile.
Who should buy this
If your daily driver is a dark roast and you like low acidity, this will taste sharp to you at first. If you’ve had specialty pour-over coffee before and liked the brighter, more “tea-like” body some washed Ethiopians have, this is a well-regarded example of that style. See how we source and verify data like this.
As published by Onyx Coffee Lab — not our own cupping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Southern Weather a good beginner coffee?
It's approachable for a washed Ethiopian — the cherry and almond notes are easy to pick out — but if you're used to dark-roast supermarket coffee, expect noticeably more acidity.
Where is this cupping score from?
It's Onyx Coffee Lab's own published cupping score for this lot, not a score we assigned ourselves — see how we source this data on our methodology page.
What's the best brew method for this coffee?
Its bright, floral profile tends to shine in pour-over methods (V60, Kalita) more than in a moka pot or drip machine, which mute high-toned acidity.