• Beans: Mexique/Mexico (single origin) 250g bag
  • Roaster: Cafés Didier Boulet Torréfacteur (Arques, France)
  • Origin: Mexico
  • Roast level: Looks like medium
  • Roast date: unknown
  • Purchase date: unknown
    First cup: 10/29/2025; Last cup:
  • Tasting notes: Fragrant/floral (per cafe-boulet.com)
• AeroPress with JX grinder:
  • 17g coffee / 250g water (1:14.7)
  • JX: 16
  • Water at 99°C
  • Travel AeroPress Recipe

A friend had some exchange students from France who brought several bags of these, and he gave me one. 250g is only around 9 ounces, but I’ve been keeping them at the office and only brewing about a cup per week, so it’s taking a while to go through them. I’m planning to take them to Denver with me in a couple weeks, and will likely use them up then.

I’m not sure how fresh these are or how they were stored before I got them, but the cups I’ve been getting with the AeroPress have been decent, if not stellar. I think “floral” is a reasonable description. There’s not much in the way of roastiness or acidity, and the cups haven’t been weak or bitter. Nothing really distinguishing, but it’s pleasant and drinkable enough, and has been working fine for my afternoon cups at the office.

• Beans: Sumatra (single origin)
  • Roaster: Rise Up Coffee Roasters (Easton, MD)
  • Origin: Gayo Mountain, Sumatra, Indonesia
  • Roast level: Medium+ (4/5)
  • Roast date: 10/3/2025
  • Purchase date: 10/21/2025 from Rise Up in Easton
    Freeze date: around 10/25/2025; Thaw date: 11/12 or 11/13/2025
    First cup: 11/14/2025; Last cup: 11/23/2025
  • Elevation: 1500 MASL; Certifications: Organic
  • Tasting notes: Rich, malty, earthy, with low acidity
• V60 with Ode grinder:
  • 20g coffee / 300g water (1:15)
  • Ode: 5
  • Water at 99°C
  • Single Cup V60 Pourover with size 2 V60 and 60g pulses (finishes 02:40-02:50)

First, a confession: I put these in the freezer at the same time as a bag of Amity Brazil Peaberry. The 12oz Rise Up bag all fit in a single large mason jar, but the 16oz Amity bag took up a large jar plus part of a smaller jar. At the time, I was sure I’d be able to tell them apart, so I didn’t label the large mason jars. You can probably see where this is going. I’m pretty sure I pulled the Sumatra jar out of the freezer, but not absolutely 100% sure, and I likely won’t know until I brew the beans in the small jar. 😀 I started these at grind setting 5, and I really liked the first two cups, so I guess that’s all that really matters.

11/21: I just took the smaller jar of Brazil Peaberry beans out of the freezer, and they are not the same beans as these. So, I’m now 99% sure that these are the Rise Up Sumatra beans. I’d probably rank this up there with Pura Vida as one of my favorite coffees from Rise Up. It has been consistent from cup to cup, every cup has been good, and I have not made any changes to my initial brew settings.

• Beans: Rwanda (single origin, pre-ground)
  • Roaster: Bugeye Coffee Roasters (Solomons, MD)
  • Origin: Rwanda (Ruli Mountain)
  • Roast level: Full City (Medium/Dark)
  • Roast date: 10/1/2025 (batch 254)
  • Purchase date: 10/23/2025 from Bugeye stall at Sunfest, Ocean City, MD
    First cup: Around 11/1/2025; Last cup: 11/14/2025
  • Tasting notes: Black cherry, dark chocolate, red currant
• V60 (1 cup):
  • 20g to 21g coffee / 300g water (1:14-1:15)
  • Water at 95°C
  • Single Cup V60 Pourover with 60g bloom and 60g pulses – Finishes around 02:50
• AeroPress:
  • Around 17g coffee / 250g water
  • Water heated in Keurig
  • Travel AeroPress Recipe

This is the first time I have ever tried coffee from Rwanda, either single origin, or as part of a blend, so I was curious to see how it tasted. For some reason, this is only sold pre-ground, which doesn’t make sense to me, as it seems like people who buy single-origin coffees are going to be more likely to want to grind the beans themselves. Case in point: had I realized it was pre-ground at the time I bought it, I likely would have taken a pass. However, the grind seems pretty consistent, and worked well for both pour-over and AeroPress, so I have no regrets. It looks like a middle-of-the-road grind: not too fine, not too coarse. As of this writing, I’ve brewed it a couple of times with the V60 at home, and a couple of times with the AeroPress on a recent trip. The mouthfeel is smooth and buttery, and the taste is roasty and full-bodied — pretty much how I like dark roasts to taste. I think the V60 cups were slightly superior, but it would be interesting to try AeroPress under more controlled circumstances. Not sure if I’ll get around to that, though.

• Beans: Organic Maryland Coffee (blend)
  • Roaster: Rise Up Coffee Roasters (Easton, MD)
  • Origin: Honduras, Guatemala
  • Roast level: Medium (3/5)
  • Roast date: 9/25/2025
  • Purchase date: 10/21/2025 from Rise Up in Easton
    First cup: 10/22/2025 or 10/23/2025; Last cup: 11/8/2025
  • Tasting notes: Charming, clean, smooth
  • Previous bags: November 2023, June 2024
• V60 with Ode grinder (1 cup):
  • 19.5g coffee / 300g water (1:15.4)
  • Ode: 6
  • Water at 95°C
  • Single Cup V60 Pourover with size 2 cone, 50-60g bloom and 60g pulses – Finishes around 02:50

Although my local grocery store carries Rise Up coffee, they don’t sell a lot of it, and as a result, the bags tend to sit on the shelf for a long time. Every so often, I get lucky and find fresh bags, but it’s becoming more the exception than the rule. I bought this (and a couple of other bags) at the Easton location, which is where they roast the beans.

I brewed my first couple of cups at the beach using the AeroPress and JX grinder, and the first cup at grind 16 with boiling water was unpleasantly bitter. Actually, these were the first beans I’ve brewed with that recipe and those settings that didn’t turn out good. I brewed a couple more cups, experimenting with a coarser grind and cooler water, but couldn’t quite dial it in before we went home. I’m not sure if I ever brewed beans from either of my first two bags in the AeroPress. If I did, it must not have been memorable enough to add to my notes. 😀 At home, I switched to V60 with the Ode. Grinds 3 and 4 had a touch of bitterness, but today, 4+1 worked well, and produced the best cup I’ve had so far. I’ll see how it works tomorrow with the same settings. At some point, I may also try again with the AeroPress at the office.

11/3: I eventually ended up at grind setting 6 with these, which finishes around 02:40-02:45. The beans seem to like a coarser grind, as anything finer than this has a touch of bitterness. My most recent cup was 22.5g/350g, and I have enough beans left at home for one more cup of that size. I also have about 34g at the office, which I may brew there in the AeroPress, or I may bring home and do in the V60. Haven’t decided yet.

11/8: I never got around to brewing any more AeroPress cups. The last few pour-overs, all at grind setting 6, were fine, but tasted a tiny bit under-extracted. If I end up buying this blend again, I may try a coarse grind with a full-immersion brew in either the French press or the Switch.

• Beans: Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Worka Sakaro – Natural Processed
  • Roaster: Gracefully Coffee Roasters (Baltimore, MD)
  • Origin: Worka Sakaro, Gedeb District, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
  • Roast level: Light
  • Roast date: 10/2/2025
  • Purchase date: 10/7/2025 from Gracefully curbside café
    First cup: 10/16/2025; Last cup: 10/27/2025
  • Milling process: natural; Drying process: sun dried, raised beds; Elevation: 2000 MASL; Varietal: Ethiopian Heirloom
  • Tasting notes: Peach syrup, pineapple, blueberry
• Switch with Ode grinder (1 cup):
  • 21g coffee / 300g water (1:14.3)
  • Ode: 2
  • Water at 100°C
  • Single Cup V60 Pourover with 50-60g bloom and 60g pulses – keep drain closed until end of bloom – Finishes around 03:15-3:20

I’m brewing this exactly the same way as Gracefully Ethiopia Sidamo Durato Bombe, except at a slightly lower ratio (21g/300g vs 22g/300g). To me, the two taste very similar, which didn’t really surprise me, although it’s been a few months since I’ve had the Sidamo Durato. Neither struck me as particularly fruit-forward, in spite of the stated tasting notes. I started these out at 22g/300g, but it seemed a little too overpowering at that ratio. I brewed the first 2 or 3 cups in the size 2 V60 before trying the Switch. I’m not sure I could tell in a blind taste test, but I believe that I prefer the Switch cups, so I’m sticking with that for now. I’ll also be brewing a couple of AeroPress cups this week, so it’ll be interesting to see how they turn out.

10/24: I brewed two AeroPress cups this past week using my usual recipe, one cup with sub-boiling water from a drip coffee machine, and another using boiling water from a microwave. The latter was better, but neither was anything to write home about — I’m sure I could tweak things one way or another to get better cups, but I suspect that as with a lot of other top-shelf light roast coffees, I’m probably better off sticking with pour-over. This afternoon, I went back to brewing with the Switch, and it was quite good. It seems like more of the fruity/acidic flavors are starting to come out as the beans age — they are right around 3 weeks past roast date now.

• Beans: Clumsy Girl (blend)
  • Roaster: Gracefully Coffee Roasters (Baltimore, MD)
  • Roast level: Medium
  • Origin: Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Costa Rica
  • Roast date: 10/02/2025
  • Purchase date: 10/07/2025 at Gracefully Curbside Cafe (2601 N Rolling Rd Ste 104, Windsor Mill, MD)
  • First cup: 10/08/2025; last cup: 10/16/2025
  • Tasting notes: Chocolate, almond, and ripe berry
  • Previous bag: February/March 2025
• Switch (pour-over style):
  • 20g coffee / 300g water (1:15)
  • Ode: 3+2
  • Water at 99°C
  • Recipe: Single Cup V60 Pourover — keep drain closed for bloom and then open at 0:45
• French press:
  • 21g coffee / 300g water
  • Ode: 9
  • Water at 99°C
  • Preheat press with insta-hot water and add coffee. Pour to 60g and agitate to get all of the grounds wet. Bloom until between 0:30 and 0:45. Top water up to 300g and stir a few times with a spoon. Put lid on press and steep until 06:00 to 07:00. Press slowly and pour immediately.
• Switch (immersion style a la French press):
  • 21g coffee / 300g water
  • Ode: 9
  • Water at 99°C
  • Preheat Switch with insta-hot water, and then moisten filter with kettle water. Close Switch drain, add coffee, make an indentation in the middle, pour to 60g, agitate, and bloom until 0:45. Top water up to 300g and swirl or stir a few times. Steep until 06:15 and open Switch drain.
• AeroPress with JX grinder:
  • 16g coffee / 240g water (1:15)
  • JX: 16
  • Water at boil
  • Travel AeroPress Recipe

Although I’m now on my second bag, the irony of “Clumsy Girl” vs “Gracefully Coffee Roasters” didn’t dawn on me until just now. All I can say is that I never claimed to be the most perceptive guy around. 😀 I have a theory that this blend is named after a dog (or other pet), but haven’t yet asked to see if I’m correct.

I made a few tweaks with this bag: slightly finer grind (3+2 vs 4), slightly higher water temperature (99 vs 95), and Switch vs regular V60 cone. The first 3 cups have been pretty good. I’m finding that with a lot of coffees, if I don’t let the cup cool enough initially, the first few sips can have a slightly harsh or bitter taste. But then, once it cools to an optimal drinking temperature, it gets smoother and mellower, and the flavors balance out. This blend is definitely a case in point. Last time, I noted some watery/under-extracted cups near the end of the bag, and I’m wondering if it’s because I was trying to compensate for that perceived initial bitterness. It will be interesting to see how things go with the rest of this bag.

10/11: My pour-over cups have been tasting a little over-extracted the past couple of days. For this morning, I switched from the Switch (no pun intended) to a regular size 2 V60 cone and grind setting 4+1. It took until almost 03:00 to drain down, and tasted almost exactly the same as the Switch cups. That tells me that for pour-over, I could probably get away with using a coarser grind with a regular V60 cone. With that said, I’m kind of wondering if immersion is a better way to go with this blend. This afternoon, for kicks, I tried brewing it in the French press (see above). The resulting cup was mellower and better-balanced than any of the pour-overs, with no annoying bitterness. The French press is never going to be my first choice for daily single-cup brewing, but I’m wondering if I could get similar results using the Switch with a full-immersion brew and a coarse grind. Sounds like I’ve got something to try tomorrow morning.

10/12: I tried a French press-style brew in the Switch this morning (see above). This was my first time brewing a coarse grind with a long steep time in the Switch, and I’d call it a success. It turned out very similar to yesterday afternoon’s cup, with a little bit more in the way of fruity/acidic notes. As one would expect, there were no grounds or other residue in the cup, and the cleanup was easier than with the press. It does take longer than a pour-over or AeroPress brew, which could be an issue on mornings when I am pressed for time. Lastly, the jury is out on whether stirring or swirling is better after pouring all the water. I swirled this time, which worked fine, but I did end up with a few grounds stuck up around the top of the cone. I’m going to stir next time to see if it eliminates this.

10/15: Brewed in the AeroPress per above. This was my first time brewing this blend in the AeroPress. I think this was my favorite cup so far. It had more of a chocolate/almond flavor than any of my previous cups.

• Beans: Guatemala – Finca El Valle
  • Roaster: Brewing Good Coffee Company (Savage, MD)
  • Origin: Guatemala (Antigua)
  • Roast level: Light
  • Roast date: 9/2/2025
  • Purchase date: 9/12/2025 at BGCC in Savage Mill
    First cup: 9/24/2025; Last cup: 10/6/2025
  • Process: washed; Varietals: Red Bourbon, Typica, Yellow Bourbon; Altitude: 1500 MASL
  • Tasting notes: Nectarine, dark chocolate, cherry
• V60 or Switch with Ode:
  • 20g coffee / 300g water (1:15)
  • Ode: 2
  • Water at 100°C
  • Recipe: Single Cup V60 Pourover with Switch or size 2 cone, 60g bloom water and 60g pulses – finishes 02:50-03:00 — Switch: keep drain closed for bloom and then open
• AeroPress with JX:
  • 17g coffee / 250g water (1:14 to 1:15)
  • JX: 16
  • Water at 100°C
  • Travel AeroPress Recipe

This coffee tastes almost exactly as I expected it would. It is quite fruity/acidic with light to medium body. The Switch cup had maybe a tiny bit more “bottom end” (for lack of a better description — on second tasting, maybe I’d call it chocolate undertone), but the difference was fairly subtle. After two years of making pourovers, I think I’m finally getting a little better at choosing initial settings (grind size in particular) for brewing different types of beans.

10/1: My usual AeroPress recipe (link above) yielded a cup that was a little bit roastier and less fruit-forward than the Switch cup. I like it either way. I wonder if a longer steep in the Switch with the drain closed would taste similar to the AeroPress cup.

• Beans: Bright-Eyed & Bushy-Tailed (blend)
  • Roaster: Brewing Good Coffee Company (Savage, MD)
  • Origin: Varies seasonally
  • Roast level: Medium
  • Roast date: 8/26/2025
  • Purchase date: 9/12/2025 at BGCC in Savage Mill
    First cup: 9/16/2025; Last cup: 9/26/2025
  • Tasting notes: Toasted almond, cherry
• V60 with Ode:
  • 20g coffee / 300g water (1:15)
  • Ode: 3
  • Water at 99°C
  • Recipe: Single Cup V60 Pourover with size 2 cone, 60g bloom water and 60g pulses – finishes around 02:55
• AeroPress with JX:
  • 16-17g coffee / 250g water (1:14 to 1:15)
  • JX: 16
  • Water at 99°C
  • Travel AeroPress Recipe

First of all, driving to Savage from UMBC in the mid-afternoon on a weekday was a mistake. Traffic was terrible, especially trying to get back home. Next time I decide to drive here, I need to do it in the late morning. Biking is definitely the way to go, although they tend to be really busy on Sunday mornings when I typically bike through there. They were not busy at all when I bought these beans.

I really like this blend. It’s very well-balanced, and the 5 or 6 cups I’ve brewed so far have been very consistent (I can’t discount the fact that my brewing technique has also gotten more consistent over time, though all bets are off in the morning when I’m half awake). If I had to drink the same coffee every morning, this wouldn’t be a bad choice. I’m curious how much it varies from batch to batch, given that they choose the beans in the blend based on time of year and availability. Not that I’d ever get around to doing this, but it would be interesting to buy a bag in the summer, freeze it until winter, then buy another bag and compare the two.

9/21: My last couple of cups at grind 3 have tasted a bit over-extracted, so I think I’m going to try backing the grind off to 4 for my next cup tomorrow. Either that, or I can try dropping the water temperature to 95.

9/23: After a little bit of experimentation, grind 3+2, water at 99, and 300/21 (1:14.3) was a pretty good cup this morning. Later in the afternoon, I brewed it the same way with the Switch, keeping the drain closed during the bloom and open the rest of the time. This was a more fruit-forward cup than anything I had brewed with the regular V60. Hard to say which of today’s cups I preferred. I liked both of them better than the previous few days’ cups.

I took the final 34g to work and brewed my last 2 cups with the AeroPress on 9/24 and 9/26. Both were full-bodied and less fruit-forward than the Switch cup. I’d compare them to the first few V60 cups I brewed.

• Beans: “The Jukebox” (blend)
  • Roaster: Gracefully Coffee Roasters (Baltimore, MD)
  • Origin: Brazil, Costa Rica
  • Roast level: Medium
  • Roast date: 8/14/2025
  • Purchase date: 8/28/2025 from Gracefully curbside café
    Freeze date: 8/29/2025; Thaw date: 9/5 or 9/6/2025
    First cup: 9/7/2025; Last cup: 9/16/2025
  • Tasting notes: Dark chocolate, almond, caramel
• V60 with Ode grinder (1 cup):
  • 20g coffee / 300g water (1:15)
  • Ode: 3
  • Water at 99°C
  • Single Cup V60 Pourover with size 2 cone, 60g bloom and 60g pulses – Finishes anywhere from 02:50 to 03:10

These beans look like they’re kind of on the light end of a medium roast, and there are no visible oils on the beans. I started out with the water just under boiling, and Ode at grind setting 4. This had kind of a nutty/almond taste, which was pleasant enough, so I brewed several cups at these settings. Today, I tried grind setting 3, and I believe it brought out a little bit more of the promised chocolate/caramel. I think I prefer it at this setting. The web site mentions that it’s good in the French press, so if I ever have occasion to brew more than one cup at once, I might give that a try.