A V60 starting recipe for Ethiopia Dogo Sudo

Ethiopia Dogo Sudo is the expressive side of the Gugma shelf: blueberry-like fruit, floral lift, and a tea-like finish. The V60 is a useful place to begin because it gives those details room to show up without asking you to use a complicated recipe.

Start with 15g of coffee and 250g of water. Use a medium-fine grind, rinse the filter thoroughly, add the coffee, and level the bed. Pour 45g of water to bloom, then wait about 40 seconds. The goal is an even wetting, not a dramatic swirl.

After the bloom, pour in two or three calm pulses until you reach 250g. Keep the water level steady enough that the bed stays warm, but do not pour so aggressively that you excavate the centre. A total drawdown around two and a half to three and a half minutes is useful context for this dose. The cup is the deciding signal.

Begin around 92 to 94 C. That gives the coffee enough energy to open up while keeping the first cup easy to read. If you do not have a temperature-controlled kettle, let boiled water rest briefly before pouring. Hold the same water temperature for your second cup so you can learn from the grind rather than moving every variable at once.

Taste for the shape of the cup, not only for a named flavour. You are looking for a floral aroma, a fruit note that feels clear rather than sour, and a finish that becomes lighter and more tea-like as the coffee cools. If the cup feels tight or hollow, move the grind a little finer. If it feels dry or too intense, move it a little coarser.

This is a starting recipe, not a rule about Ethiopian coffee. The bag, water, grinder, and age of the coffee all matter. Keep one note after the first brew: sweeter, more floral, too bright, or needs more body. That small record will make the next Dogo Sudo cup more useful than any perfect-looking pour.