How to Make Pour-Over Guanyin How to Roast Guanyin

Pour-Over Parameters for Guanxi

15g of coffee, medium-fine grind (Fuji ghost-tooth blade at 3.5), a V60 dripper, and water at 91-93 degrees C.

First pour: 30g of water, steam for 27 seconds. Then pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops halfway before continuing. Slowly pour until reaching 225g total. Discard the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

How to Roast Guanxi

Start by reviewing the flavor profile from the green bean supplier and testing moisture content and density. Freshly acquired green beans carry a fermented, wine-like aroma of coffee flowers, completely different from the grassy scent of typical green beans. Guanxi beans also vary in size with many pointed ends, a hallmark of the Ethiopian heirloom varieties, and their moisture content sits around 11%. High altitude gives them greater density, though they are not as hard as SHB beans. Extend the dehydration stage early on, and raise the temperature ahead of first crack to preserve the loss of aromatic compounds such as floral notes.

After multiple roasting trials and cupping adjustments, FrontStreet Coffee, using Taiwan's Yang Jia 800N machine, settled on the most satisfactory roasting method:

- 190 degrees C bean entry, completing dehydration and color change in nearly 6 minutes. (Yellowing point around 150-153 degrees C.)

- First crack begins around 9 minutes 50 seconds. (Guanxi's first crack occurs later than typical beans, and the cracking sound is weak.)

- Development time after first crack should be controlled so it does not exceed 1 minute 30 seconds, but does not fall below 1 minute. (FrontStreet Coffee recommends a high damper setting and reduced heat to control the speed.)

- When you detect strawberry jam aroma on the sampling spoon at around 193 degrees C, it is time to discharge the beans. Total time is best kept within 11 minutes.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Beans with this much floral and natural-process character are only as good as their freshness, which is why FrontStreet Coffee roasts in small batches and ships within days of roasting. For drinkers who enjoy the strawberry jam note described above, FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Hualu is the closest match in the lineup. The coffee comes from the Hambella area of Guji in Sidamo, where the 200-hectare farm uses a traditional natural process: ripe cherries are dried on raised beds for 21 days and turned regularly, with defective fruit hand-sorted every three to five days. Roasted medium-light, it shows a light fermented wine aroma, florals, citrus, and mango, with honey sweetness, cocoa, and a hint of spice over a full body and a long finish.

If you would rather start with a cleaner, washed profile, FrontStreet's washed Yirgacheffe is the most approachable choice. Grown at 1,700-2,100 meters in southern Ethiopia, it is known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and a tea-like body, and it is one of the most affordable ways into the region.

Because these are light- to medium-light-roasted beans, FrontStreet Coffee suggests a pour-over that keeps the aromatics intact: a V60 at 91-93 degrees C, 15g of coffee, and a 1:15 ratio, poured in three stages. Keep the total time near two minutes so the floral notes stay lifted and the finish stays clean.