I've got 8 oz. (227 grams, more or less) of Klatch's Don Pachi Geisha coming soon. That's not a lot of coffee to work with, so I'd like to solicit your advice on how best to make it count. The next roast date is 9/12, which gives me a little time to nail things down. Fellow metrically challenged members, I ask your forgiveness in advance as I think aloud in grams rather than ounces.

Here's the current plan:

-- 72 grams Eva Solo (my most foolproof and consistently satisfying brew method)
-- 40 grams Clever Coffee Dripper
-- 40 grams pourover (Hario V60)
-- 39 grams Japanese-style iced coffee (Hario V60 Fretta)
-- 36 grams espresso (Gaggia Classic; 2 shots or bust)

What do you think? Should I try this in a siphon, too? Don't have one at home, but a local shop would probably let me use theirs. Since I'm relatively new to espresso, should I even bother trying to pull a few shots with these beans given the slim margin for error? Any and all feedback will be welcome.

Start with the Eva and think about what filtering may do before going on those brew methods.

Iced coffee at $75 per pound? I'd like to hear how it went; especially if you get Robin Leach to do the voice over

I was hoping you'd chime in, Jim. Did *your* Don Pachi arrive yet, btw?

So you don't advise letting a well-rinsed paper filter come between me and my Geisha? How about cloth? Too bad I don't have a Woodneck drip pot or something similar. I'm just curious to experiment with a cleaner cup profile than my Eva Solo gives me, I guess, for the sake of comparison.

p.s. Hadn't thought about Robin Leach in ages! I'll give his agent a call.

The Ipsento lot is still on the way. I only remember the Pachi from cupping the auction sample. It seemed a very pleasantly chewy cup. No way you ruin it by running it through a filter, it may just lose a little in mouthfeel.

The thought about your super expensive iced coffee ran in Leach's voice.

Good to know (thanks).

Let me add another question to the mix. My Klatch beans usually arrive 2-3 days post-roast. What would be the best time to break into the Don Pachi in particular for espresso? In other words, how much rest is best? Obviously I won't have the luxury of learning from experience in this case. Best guess? Timing shouldn't matter as much for the other brew methods, I wouldn't think, though if anyone with experience with dry-processed Geishas has strong feelings about this issue I'd love to hear more about it.

You are unlikely to get anything drinkable with your gear; it'll be probably even be hard going to get a good shot with my K10 and Elektra.

Here's you best chance -- use a grind fine enough and a dose low enough to extract every last molecule of caramel out of the coffee to balance the acidity and light roast bitters. Use about 12 grams in the double basket and grind virtually Turkish fine, three or four notches finer than you usually grind. With another, cheaper coffee, grind fine enough to get a powder, then go coarser at minimum steps until you just get something that is virtually a powder, but with a slight hint of granularity -- that's the grind you'll need to use to get a decent shot. Stick with this grind regardless of the dose it needs -- start at about 12 grams.

Thanks again. So, for espresso, grind finer and downdose. Got it. If I had your set-up, would I need to do the same? Just wondering about the extent to which the above advice is specific to my entry-level gear.

Anyway, I will *definitely* be starting with the Eva Solo. Looking forward to comparing notes with you all.

If a coffee is roasted for brewing and is likely to have high acidity; I always start my dial-in with a down dose. I only go higher if it tastes flat and boring like that.

In fact, my whole dosing odyssey got started when I got some roasted samples from Sandalj, a Trieste coffee importer, about six years ago. They sell 15 (!) preblended green espresso lots; and they roasted their most premium blend lighter than a cupping roast. After checking that it wasn't a mistake, I figured out that this blend really was designed for 12 gram, virtually Turkish grind, doses.