Some of the Ethiopians are known as blueberry bombs, although it’s not clear to me if it’s any certain type or how consistently a person can reproduce it. I’ve only managed to get the effect once and I’ve had probably a dozen or two different Ethiopians.
My brother got me some from Brooklyn Roasting Company that was distinctly blueberry but I can’t remember exactly which one it was; for all I know it was a roast they no longer carry. It was the first time that I could really taste the notes and have only had a couple of other coffees where you could really get blueberry. Other than that I maybe can get chocolate or caramel flavors but they’re not nearly as distinct.
https://www.brooklynroasting.com/shop/ethiopian-kochere
Might’ve been this one, only one that has blueberry on the label.
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Placed a big order from Klatch yesterday, including some of the Elida that @Lawnmower_Man reviewed earlier in the thread. I’m very excited to try it all.
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Only had Ethiopian coffee once and that was bought at a stand in Camden (not the one in N.J.). Was good stuff but I wouldn’t know how to make it myself.
Vietnamese coffee is much stronger and definitely more memorable. There’s a cafe near me that serves it but unfortunately it’ll be closed until the end of May 
I made a batch of cold brew for the first time last week. It was good, but it was far more expensive to make than it is to purchase. 12 oz of coffee was about $10 and then $1 for a jug of spring water. And the grounds soaked up so much of the liquid that I was left with what would have cost about $5 to purchase already made.
Bought a Barazza Encore. Does not disappoint. First cup had so much more depth of flavor.
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How did you brew it though?
Chemex on size 20.
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Questions re: Chemex
What’s the advantage of a pour over vs a French press? Will I get a noticeably better brew with the Chemex?
Is there any reason to prefer paper filters over a reusable stainless mesh filter?
French press is immersion brew that allows more oils, acids, and sediments through. This produces a “dirty” cup with a full body and earthier coffee taste with heavier mouthfeel. There should be some sediment in your cup when you’re done. It’s better for coffees where those flavors are of interest, especially darker roasts.
Chemex is a filter brew with an especially thick paper filter. The paper (developed by a chemist in the 1940s) is the major contributor to the Chemex taste profile, not the device itself. It produces a very “clean” cup by restricting the oils, acids, and sediment associated with bitterness that can mask delicate tasting notes. Some coffees can taste too thin and watery with this method though. It’s also more difficult to perform than a French press. I’d say it’s mostly a matter of preference but if you like tasting exotic notes in single origin coffees, I just can’t imagine trying to do that on a French press.
I have not used the stainless filters but I suspect they result in a heavier cup with more body. I think it sort of defeats the point of the Chemex, and when I’m looking for more body I simply switch to the Hario V60 which uses very thin paper filters.
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When you get bored in a few months/years you can upgrade the burr with the one used in the more expensive models. Which kettle did you go with?
Thanks! This is a really thorough helpful reply. Based on this I’ll probably pick up a chemex at some point, but probably will only bust it out for certain coffees and situations.
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Ok I’ve had enough time with these four from HappyMug. Two winners and two losers for my taste.
Last up is a light/medium Zambia that’s been living in the freezer for over three weeks. It degassed beautifully during the bloom so seems like the freezing is working. Tasting notes are boozy, cherry, clean. The grounds were extremely aromatic triggering memories of the Elida, but these are more whiskey than red cream soda. The initial hit is really good and boozy is an accurate tasting note. Reminds me of a beer I used to drink called Kentucky Bourbon Barrel. Good acidity after the open that maintains a sweet but alcoholic bite. No finish to speak of so I can’t give it a gold medal.
Winners:
[x] Sumatra Aceh Gold – cedar and spice, mild acidity, lingering finish
[ ] Ecuador Finca Carolina – dark (not tart) acidity, nothing too interesting
[ ] Malawi Peaberry – another dark acidity and pretty average
[x] Zambia natural – whiskey/bourbon notes, medium acidity, no finish
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Unless you’re attracted to the actual beauty of the Chemex itself, you could save money buying one of the knock-offs and using genuine Chemex filters. You’ll need a gooseneck kettle to pour and those aren’t exactly cheap.
Also for consideration, most commercial shops offering pour over would most likely use the V60 or Kalita Wave, not the Chemex. You can’t go wrong with any of them imo but they are all slightly different, both in technique and in brews they produce. The cheap plastic V60s are probably best due to heat and I’ve read that the Kalitas can have drastically different drawdowns depending on the material (I’d opt for the stainless steel in the large size). You need a separate decanter / coffee server for the V60 and Wave if you’re brewing more than 1 cup whereas the Chemex is an all-in-one device. Exception is that they make all-in-one V60s now:
https://www.hario.jp/seihin/productdetail.php?product=VDI-02B
https://www.hario.jp/seihin/productgroup.php?group=VDD-02B
Those are about $20 and $30 on Amazon, respectively. V60 might be best since you’re coming from French press. It’s also considered the standard for pourover coffee and is, imo, a little easier to get right than Chemex.
Super informative, thanks. I know I personally like darker, more oily roasts but you’ve intrigued me on the Chemex because I will frequently buy medium to lighter roasts as well for variety and I’d get more flavor out of them that way.
Is using a drip coffee maker just terrible? I have one and a French press but I often make drip for ease. The French press is better and I do it when I have time but I’m honestly pretty lazy and darker roasts come out decent enough for me to not bother.
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Not necessarily, depends on the quality of the unit. A good machine will be more consistent than any manual pour technique I think. The SCA has a list of home machines that meet their minimum criteria for brewing:
I have the (retired) OXO 12-cup. It makes good coffee but I prefer doing it by hand because it’s easier for me to make small adjustments. Unless I’ve nailed it, each day I’ll make a slight change to the brew process depending on how it came out the previous day. Could be messing with the bloom length, grind size, filter, water temp, coffee:water ratio, pour at once or in stages, etc. With the machine I can really only change the filter, grind size, and water:coffee ratio.
Next step up would be batch brewers designed for commercial use. For instance, the FETCO 3121 is popular but costs about $1,000.
https://www.fetco.com/pl,product,77.html
Right now I have this Zambia absolutely pegged on the V60 and don’t think I could improve it. If I run it through the machine I might end up wasting coffee because this one requires a minimum of 20 ounces of water, whereas I can brew really small amounts by hand very quickly to figure out where it needs to go. If you don’t have that kind of time and just need to wake up in the morning and press start, I’d absolutely get one of the better machines.
When my current drip machine dies I’ll pick up one of those, $200 isn’t bad and I’m interested to see the difference. What I really should get is a decent espresso machine but I don’t really want to put in the effort it takes to maintain one. I did get an automatic one a couple years back but it didn’t make enough of a QoL impact for the cost so I returned it.
Yeah I really know nothing about espresso except that I’d be in for even more $$$ and rabbit-holing so I’ll just stick to coffee.
I know this is kinda like going into a steak thread and complaining about the quality of McDonald’s meat, but if you happen to use Nespresso capsules - do NOT order “Nordic Cloudberry”.
That is unless you always wondered what a gummy bear tat sat in an ashtray for several years taste like in liquid form.
Meh all advice is useful. Pretty sure Nespresso is by far the least offensive single cup machine and makes the best stuff, based on having it only a couple of times.