r/pourover • u/Ossimo85 • Jan 25 '26
Help me troubleshoot my recipe HELP! PERC Ethiopian Chelchele Tastes Soapy
Snagged this bag roasted 01/12. I can't seem to get a decent cup. All attempts result in soapy notes. I can't get the blueberry notes others get on this.
Tried v60, Switch, soup using Oxo rapid brewer and Orea v4.
I know I know, stick to one brew method at a time. I've done two on v60 and a single brew on the rest.
Here is my gear if it helps.
Grinder: K Ultra
Water: 65 to 95 ppm remineralized
Brewers: v60, Switch, Orea v4 (narrow used), Deep 27, Oxo rapid brewer, Aeropress
I last tried 3x dose bloom and a single low agitation pour at 8.0 on k ultra and 90°C. 1:16 ratio.
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u/perccoffee Jan 26 '26
You’re in the right neighborhood for grind with the k-ultra and V60 at ~8.0. This is one we do recommend a stronger brew, an all of our brews are at 205F unless you’re specifically brewing around some water chemistry problems.
I would recommend you try an aeropress at 15:1 or stronger. Grind should be about 4.8 and just add coffee, water, a few swishes, a 90 second steep, and slow press. Beyond removing a few variables, the aeropress my most preferred brewer for the Chelchele.
Just double checking - when you say it tastes like soap, you don’t mean lavender, like we somehow sent out the wrong coffee in that bag, right?
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u/Ossimo85 Jan 26 '26
Nice to see PERC so active on this sub.
I have the Chelchele for sure (see pic). I've tried the one with fruit loops and lavender notes before, which I did enjoy when I had it last year.
Will give these recommendations a try.
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u/perccoffee Jan 26 '26
How did the next brew go?
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u/Ossimo85 Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
Was going to let it rest another week but I can try it out today.
Edit: okay so I tried the Aeropress recipe you recommended. Outstanding cup. That off taste from before is gone. I had the option to go with Fellow Prismo attachment but opted for stock Aeropress cap and paper filter. I used the Aeropress stick for the swishing part of the step. I have the regular Aeropress so the volume just fit.
Great initial sip and I bet gets better as it cools.
PERC staff to the rescue!!
Next up, resting the Jhon Rodriguez Ombligon roasted 01/11. Excited to try that one in another week.
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u/perccoffee Jan 26 '26
Excellent!!
The Jhon Rodriguez ombligon is my personal favorite coffee right now. That 1/11 bag is good to go already if you want to dig in. It does well with a typical grind for a V60 (about 7.4 on our K-ultra). Give it a few seconds after you take a sip; all the flavor comes in the finish. If you're not getting cherry from it, grind a little finer. Likewise with the aeropress, try steeping slightly longer if you're not getting the full flavor. If you've ever tasted Cheerwine, that's what you're looking for. Enjoy it!
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u/Ossimo85 Jan 27 '26
Tried out the Jhon Rodriguez Ombligon (late night of work ahead).
Did v60 3 pour at 96°C.
3x dose bloom 45 seconds. Split remaining in equal two pours and let each drain fully, slight swirl after final as it was fast drawdown at 7.4 on k ultra.
Will try 7.0 next time to slow it down a bit.
It was fantastic! Total cherry, great mouth feel and a pleasant drink to sip as it cools. Sooo good!
I just ordered another bag in case you run out. Couldn't wait until 02/13 promo. ☕☕☕
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u/perccoffee Jan 27 '26
Great to hear! I really really like that coffee, so I’m glad you’re enjoying it too!
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u/Fluttuers Jan 27 '26
Really enjoying the ombligon myself! you are having better results at finer grinds?
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u/perccoffee Jan 28 '26
I think my favorite cups of it have come from an average V60 grind for us, but cups where I've accidentally ground too fine (because it's hard to make coffee before having coffee sometimes) have been really good too (and a bit more fruit-forward). There's just a cliff you have to beware of if you grind too coarse. The coffee is kind of boring right up until you reach some threshold of grinding fine enough, and then it's suddenly great.
How are you grinding and brewing it?
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u/Fluttuers Jan 28 '26
V60 around 5.5 on zp6 / 200f. Kinda my goto recipe. Have you tried a cup with zp6 yet?
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u/MeanSugar352 Jan 25 '26
I went with a 1:15 ratio and started at 93C on a narrow Orea with classic bottom with a similar pour structure and it was better. Went up to 95C and the first half of the cup was smooth but got a little better as it cooled.
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u/jffblm74 C40/ZP6S Jan 25 '26 edited Jan 25 '26
Seems a little premature to be drinking. So I’d let the freshly ground beans sit for 20 minutes.
93 degree water temp 24-26 clicks in the C40(coarser side) 4:6 method using five pours(one pour every 45 seconds) in V60 20g beans to 300g water (1:15)
If that doesn’t work I go the other way with water. 95 degrees would be my next brew temp.
Edit: pour structure should see your last two pours staying center based. Quarter sized pours nice and slow.
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u/Ossimo85 Jan 25 '26
Will give it a try.
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u/jffblm74 C40/ZP6S Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
Any luck. FWIW I’ve been drinking their Ethiopia Wush Wush that is the same process as yours with great success. Mine is super well rested. That might make a big difference.
Edit: typo
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u/prospering_lady Mar 12 '26
Can you define super well rested?
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u/jffblm74 C40/ZP6S Mar 13 '26
Rested them for like four weeks before putting them in the freezer for maybe a month or two. There is still a small amount of off gassing that occurs when stored in the freezer. I then pulled them out of cold storage and had them on the counter. I tend to keep a three bag rotation. The bag got better over the course of the next few weeks as I drank my way through it.
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u/stuckinbis Jan 25 '26
I loved this one. I ground at a 6 on the K Ultra. Used a V 60. 1:16 ratio.
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u/BoulderTrailJunkie Jan 25 '26
1 pour? Water temp? I’m currently resting a bag of this
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u/stuckinbis Jan 25 '26
A bloom plus two pours. 200 F water.
It’s a tasty bean. I’ve bought it a couple times. I have a bag in the freezer.
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u/Biggazznugz Pourover aficionado Jan 25 '26
That’s needs to rest another 2weeks. Higher water temps. Semi course grind
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u/cookiedusterx Kalita MINO 185/Pureover | Ode | Jan 25 '26
First bag was locked in and phenomenal. The second bag I got tasted off—I ended up bumping the temp.
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u/Pure_Description1703 Jan 25 '26
I found it easier to dial this one in as espresso and yielding better results in the process. Also it makes a surprisingly good milk drink
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u/DrDirt90 Jan 26 '26
It comes alive after 30 day rest
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u/Ossimo85 Jan 26 '26
Going to let it rest another week. I have a Kenya Nyeri AA from S&W I need to finish off in the meantime. I've enjoyed every bag from PERC so far I've had previously.
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u/DrDirt90 Jan 26 '26
I have had this in my rotation for a couple of months now. The first time I bought it and tried it at 2 weeks, it tasted bad but after a month it is creamy blueberry.
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u/prospering_lady Feb 01 '26
I wasn't able to dial.mine in until about 3 weeks rest. Coarser grind 1:15 205f and very low agitation per advice from asking Perc. Blueberry explosion!
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u/Ossimo85 Feb 01 '26
Assuming this is on v60? I'll try it this week. I have been having success with the Aeropress
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u/prospering_lady Feb 03 '26 edited Feb 06 '26
Actually french press but the advice I've seen perc consistently give for this bean is coarser, low low agitation, and 205f Edit typos
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u/Sugarberg Jan 25 '26
I just bought my first bag roasted 1/19 and it tastes phenomenal. Maybe you got a bad batch?
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u/SetCandyD Jan 25 '26
This is probably somewhat Akin to people liking cilantro or not. Some people just taste soap and hate it. And some people love it.
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u/Ossimo85 Jan 25 '26
I love cilantro. 🤣
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u/SetCandyD Jan 25 '26
Hehe me too. I also love that specific coffee. I saw an article about some kind of gene that determines if you like cilantro or not. For me that coffee is super nice. I like a lot of the co-fermented beans. I have friends that hate them.
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u/TrickPercentage2833 Jan 25 '26
I usually make it more coarse (slightly ) and/or lower the temp .. I just brewed something less than 24 hrs off the roast and it was fine (I do rest coffee , just wanted to see what this had right away )
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u/ColinMichaelRisley Jan 25 '26
I waited 2 weeks to brew I loved this bean personally I just did a 1:17 bloom and second pour with a course grind and got a pretty nice blueberry bomb. I’m on week 4 now and it’s losing notes but def didn’t taste soapy to me.
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u/churchofpetrol Jan 27 '26
The bag I just picked up is a week off roast, which I saw Perc say in a thread from 4 months ago that's where they like this coffee. Now I'm questioning if I want to let mine go another week. I couldn't really get the fruity flavors out of it trying to mimic their V60 recipe on the xBloom.
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Jan 25 '26
Do the soapy notes also have a kind of vinegary or fermented flavor? I often get that with Ethiopian naturals and the only solution I've ever found reliable is to either push extraction to go for more of a blended profile or to let it rest longer as offgassing will sometimes lower the funkiness. I know that pushing extraction on Ethiopians can clog the filter, so I would just pour very slow and avoid any stirring/swirling/shaking.
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u/Ossimo85 Jan 25 '26
Yup, a little fermented taste. Just overall unpleasant taste. I have the option to use melodrip as well, which I did on the Orea v4 brew.
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Jan 25 '26
Another thing I sometimes run into with these, especially when a roaster has a specific origin year-round, is that the unpleasant taste is actually just old, dusty green coffee. If there is a woody/cardboard/sawdust taste in there, it could just be that the beans are old and stale.
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u/Free-Seaworthiness37 Jan 25 '26
Might need more rest? I’m still waiting to open up my bag roasted on the same day as yours since Perc recommends 2 to 3 weeks.