No. 9 Optimism, our fully washed Tanzanian from Mbeya, brews best as a pour-over, closely followed by an AeroPress, both of which let its pear, floral, jasmine and strawberry notes come through clearly. A Chemex works too, it just softens the brightness a little more than the other two. All three recipes below use the same 60 grams per liter starting ratio and a medium-light roast that rewards drinking it hot.
Where it comes from
Mbeya is a coffee-growing region in southwestern Tanzania, at 1,200 to 1,900 meters, planted with Bourbon and Kent varietals. This lot is fully washed and dried on raised beds, a process that lets air circulate under the drying coffee rather than leaving it directly on the ground, which is common practice across East African coffee regions and tends to produce a cleaner, brighter cup than sun drying on pavement.
Pour-over
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Coffee | 20 g |
| Water | 330 ml (11 oz), 200 F (93 C) |
| Grind | Medium-fine |
| Bloom | 40 g water, 40 seconds |
| Total time | 2:30 to 3:00 |
Bloom with about twice the coffee's weight in water, wait 40 seconds for the grounds to degas, then pour the rest in slow, steady circles. This is the method that shows the jasmine and strawberry notes most clearly, since the paper filter keeps the body light and lets the aromatics carry.
Chemex
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Coffee | 30 g |
| Water | 500 ml (17 oz), 200 F (93 C) |
| Grind | Medium-coarse |
| Bloom | 60 g water, 45 seconds |
| Total time | 4:00 to 4:30 |
The Chemex's thicker filter and larger batch size slow everything down, which rounds off some of the brightness. It is a good choice if you are brewing for two or three people and want a slightly gentler cup than a single-cup pour-over gives you.
AeroPress
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Coffee | 16 g |
| Water | 220 ml (7.5 oz), 195 F (91 C) |
| Grind | Medium-fine |
| Steep | 1:30, stir once at 30 seconds |
| Press | 30 seconds, gentle and steady |
The AeroPress is the fastest of the three and the easiest to get consistent, since the seal controls the contact time for you. It leans slightly heavier in body than the pour-over, with the floral notes a touch less pronounced, but it is the method to reach for on a weekday morning when a full pour-over setup is more than you want to deal with.
How Optimism compares to a heavier coffee
If your usual cup is a darker, heavier roast, Optimism can read as thin the first time you brew it, especially with a French press or drip machine, both of which round off the aromatics this coffee is built around. That is less a flaw than a mismatch of method. The fix is not more coffee, it is a finer grind and a filter method, pour-over or AeroPress, that lets the water pass through cleanly instead of steeping. Judged on its own terms, medium-light and floral rather than dark and heavy, it holds up well against any of the other nine.
Storing it between brews
Keep the bag sealed and at room temperature, away from direct sunlight and away from the stove. A lighter roast like this one loses its more delicate floral aromatics faster once the bag has been opened repeatedly, so if you only brew on weekends, aim to work through the bag within a few weeks rather than letting it sit half full for a month. More on how we source and roast our coffee is on our why page.
Our pick
No. 9 Optimism
Mbeya, Tanzania · 1,200 to 1,900 m · Fully washed, dried on raised beds · Bourbon, Kent · Medium-light roast
Bright and tea-like, described on the label as the morning you want to start well. Best brewed and drunk while it is still hot.
For the same three methods applied to a different coffee, see our guide to brewing Colombian coffee as a pour-over, or our guide to the best coffee for Chemex if that is your usual method. Browse the full lineup to compare notes across all ten.
Whichever method you use, drink it hot, this one fades fast once it cools.
Questions people ask
What is the best way to brew No. 9 Optimism?
Pour-over is the closest to how the roaster describes it, bright and tea-like, best drunk hot. AeroPress works nearly as well and is faster. A Chemex is a fine option too, it just mutes the brightness slightly compared to a standard pour-over cone.
Why does Optimism taste different if it sits too long?
It is a medium-light roast with floral and fruit notes, pear, jasmine and strawberry on the label, and those lighter notes fade faster as the coffee cools than the deeper notes in a darker roast would. The roaster's own advice is to drink it while it is hot, since it flattens faster than the others in the lineup.
Can I brew No. 9 Optimism in a drip machine instead?
You can, and 60 grams per liter at a medium grind will work, but a drip machine will flatten some of the floral and fruit character compared to a pour-over or AeroPress, since it does not let you control the pour rate or bloom time.
Free printable
Keep the ratio chart on your fridge
One page with grams, level tablespoons and scoops for every cup size and for coffee makers from 2 to 14 cups. Leave your email and the download link appears right here.