Fruddled Gruntbugglies

Latest coffees from Gracefully

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I picked up two bags of new-to-me single origin coffees from Gracefully Coffee Roasters last week. Both were purchased at the roaster’s curbside café in Windsor Mill, MD, on 5/14/2026.

Bag 1

  • Beans: Costa Rica Tarrazu La Pastora
    • Origin: Costa Rica
    • Roast level: Medium
    • Roast date: 5/8/2026
    • Elevation: 1100 to 1750 meters; Varietals: Catuai, Caturra
    • Milling process: Fully washed; Drying process: Mechanical dryer
    • Purchase date: 5/14/2026 from Gracefully curbside café
    • Quantity: 12oz
    • First cup: 5/17/2026; last cup: 6/3/2026
    • Tasting notes: Orange, dark chocolate, brown sugar
  • Pour-over with Ode grinder:
    • 20g coffee / 300g water (1:15)
    • Ode: 3 → 4
    • Water at 95°C
    • Size 2 V60
    • Recipe: Single Cup V60 Pourover, 60g bloom water and 60g pulses. Finishes around 03:00
  • Switch with Ode grinder:
    • 20g coffee / 300g water (1:15)
    • Ode: 4+2
    • Water at 95°C
    • Rinse filter, add grounds, and close drain; pour to 55g and agitate; top up to 300g and stir several times; steep until 02:30; swirl and open drain

I got a cup of this to go when I bought the beans, So I have an idea how it should taste when properly brewed (which is one of the advantages of buying directly from the roaster). My first couple of efforts were OK, but lacking some of the subtle orange notes that the to-go cup had. It actually had a slightly nutty profile, but lacked complexity. Switching from grind 3 to grind 4 was a step in the right direction, but there was a slight bitter finish that I’d like to get rid of. I think I’ll just keep nudging the grind coarser, one click at a time, and see if it eventually gets me there.

5/23: I tried this in the Switch this morning — grind 4, 95C water, and the same technique as with bag 2 (below), except I only steeped until 02:30. This cup had a much more in the way of fruity notes than my pour-over, and it also had more “personality” (for want of a better word). Part of me wants to brew the rest of the beans this way, and another part wants to see if I can fine-tune my pour-over technique to get better cups. The issue with the latter is that I’m not exactly sure what to try first, and I only have so many of the beans to experiment with.

6/3: I ended up brewing all of my subsequent cups with the Switch. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Although there was a slight drop-off with the last couple of cups, all were good, with a reasonable balance of acidity and “roastiness”.

Bag 2

  • Beans: Sumatra Meukat
    • Origin: Takengon, Central Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia
    • Roast level: Dark
    • Roast date: 5/1/2026
    • Elevation: 1250-1600 masl; Varietals: Bourbon, Catimor
    • Milling process: Wet hulled; Drying process: Patio
    • Purchase date: 5/14/2026 from Gracefully curbside café
    • Quantity: 12oz
    • First cup: 5/17/2026; last cup: 6/5/2026
    • Tasting notes: Black licorice, dark chocolate and molasses
  • Switch with Ode grinder:
    • 20g to 21g coffee / 300g water (1:14 to 1:15)
    • Ode: 5
    • Water at 90°C
    • Rinse filter, add grounds, and close drain; pour to 55g and agitate; top up to 300g and stir several times; steep until 02:45; swirl and open drain

I think I started this at grind 4, 90C, 22g/300g, and regular V60. I didn’t like how it turned out, so I decided to try immersion, and this Switch recipe has worked out well. It’s full-bodied (as any good dark roast should be) with no unpleasant bitterness or burnt taste. It also seemed plenty strong at 1:15, at least for now. The same settings work well with Gracefully’s decaf beans, so it’s fairly easy to brew a cup of each simultaneously.

6/3: The Switch has continued to produce good cups. Lately, I’ve been making them slightly stronger at 21g/300g. I have enough for 3 more cups, and will likely finish this up at the end of this week.

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