Coffee Stories #1 - Gelana Abaya, Ethiopia, roasted by Groundswell Coffee Roasters.

Roaster: Groundswell Coffee Roasters

Bean: Gelana Abaya - useful link for information on the beans and their origin.

Roast Date: 2/20

Origin: Ethiopia

Wash: Natural

Brew Method: Chemex, 34g of freshly ground coffee, 70g 208 deg water bloom 55 secs, then 180 g water, rest for 40 seconds, then 50-60g of water, 10 seconds between each pour, final pour only up until 544 g total.

This is the return of a regular coffee post I started before I let things spiral away. Keep your eyes here regularly for these coffee stories. Some will be detailed above, and some will just be about favorite roasters, conversations about process, and more.

The first Groundswell Coffee cafe opened in 2015, very close to Boozy Beggar HQ. It quickly became my convenient shop of choice because of both the quality of the coffee and the personalities of the staff. This particular bean made its appearance this winter and I was charmed. I felt like it captured the subtle elegance of Candice's roasting style while bringing out some robust natural process flavors. Sadly, I went by to pick up some beans and a coffee and they were out of the beans! I even ended up checking the West Loop store while in the area. Crushed, I picked up some other delicious stuff elsewhere, and forgot to ask if the Gelana Abaya beans would be re-stocked soon.

My hopes became reality this week. Made the decision to stop by Groundswell on the way home on a stressful day. My favorite barista and I got to catch up and these Gelana Abaya beans were in stock and super freshly roasted.

Brewed them for the first time today, 4 days after roasting. My usual Chemex method is above, and I use a re-usable filter I picked up on Amazon after running out of the classic Chemex paper filter. My morning routine gives me enough time to get a 2nd pour into my cup (a habit I really like from the days where I made huge pots of drip coffee to get through law school), so I do between 30 and 35 grams of coffee to start, and adjust the water accordingly.