Hits: 27
Bean: Gelana Abaya G1, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
Shop: PEG Coffee, Taipei, Taiwan
Gelana Abaya G1: Background information
Let me take you to the Central South part of Ethiopia: the Yirgacheffe region. This region holds many wonderful districts that all produce high quality coffee. One of these districts is the Gelana Abaya area; an area that is located between Lake Abaya and the Town of Yirgacheffe. Now that you have got your bearings on the location, let me tell you something about this coffee.
The Gelana Abaya G1 is cultivated at an altitude between 1700 and 1900 meters. The berries are all hand-picked and shaded during the hottest hours of the day. Indigenous heirloom-cultivars are grown on family-owned farms in the region and after picking the berries they are sorted and dried on raised sun-beds. After the drying process, the berries are all processed at the Gelana Abaya washing station. The Gelana Abaya G1 is a natural processed coffee that has a light roasting profile.
Gelana Abaya G1: Opening the package
Let’s open the package and see what comes out. The roasting date is about 10 days old and when I open the package a soft sweet fragrance comes out. A fragrance indeed since the sweetness hold a soft whiff of fruits; blueberry mostly.
I take out some of the beans and can’t help but notice the equal size of the beans and the perfect colour of the roast. This is beautifully done. I take a bean and bite down on it. It takes a couple of seconds before the flavours appear, but the flavour of blueberry just comes back once more. Let’s grind and brew!
Gelana Abaya G1: The brewing
The Gelana Abaya G1 is a filter light roast hence I put my grinder on a medium-fine grind. As the grinder works it’s magic the fragrance comes out immediately: again the sweet blueberry, this time accompanied by a soft lavender. The scents really make an effort to come out and as a result the bigger part of the room is filled with the smell of coffee. great!
I will be using my Hario V60 set-up so I will tell you about the method I am using for this coffee. I reviewed this coffee with multiple settings, starting at 24 grams of coffee and 330ml at a temperature of 92 degrees Celsius. Although this was okay, I found that I wanted this coffee to have a lighter body and less of a punch in the cup. I dropped down to 15g-220ml and found it a little too light. Eventually I went for the ‘Tetsu Kasuya‘:
20g-300ml water at 90 degrees celcius
45 second bloom
0:45 70ml pour
1:30 60ml pour
2:15 60ml pour
3:00 60ml pour
3:30 lift dripper
Gelana Abaya G1: The Tasting
During the blooming period I found that the scent emanating from the coffee was pleasantly pungent holding berries and lavender. During the first and second pour the scent changed into a more sweet scent but also holding on to the lavender and blueberry. After I finished the brew I poured it in a ceramic cup and the tasting could begin.
I took a sip and swirled the coffee in my mouth. The floral aspect to the coffee kind of overwhelmed the fruitiness and sweetness of the coffee. As I slurped oxygen in my mouth the blueberry appeared in the back of my mouth. This is nice but not it’s full potential. I decide to let the coffee cool off a little more. After a few moments I smell the brew and notice the honey sweetness; this is better. I let the coffee swirl through my mouth and slurp oxygen inside. The fruitiness and floral aspects are on par now. Blueberry, lavender and floral notes are complemented by a natural honey sweetness resulting in a brew that is actually a flavour bomb now.
The smooth and velvety mouthfeel is great, the light body is exactly what this coffee needs and on top of that there is a bright acidity that changes over time into a soft sparkly acidity. I close my mouth and exhale through my mouth, letting my breath go through my mouth and exit my nose. A subtle yet very nice blueberry flavour appears on the back of my tongue. It is gone fairly quickly, but hey, it just makes crave for another sip!
Gelana Abaya G1: The verdict
PEG Coffee did an excellent job on this coffee. The roasting is awesome and the result makes this Gelana Abaya G1 coffee a great one. The combination of blueberry, lavender and floral notes is accompanied by a honey-like sweetness. The body, acidity and mouthfeel are on par. In other words: if you are in the neighbourhood of PEG Coffee in Taipei, stop by and buy a package of this great coffee!