Coffee overview per weekly shipment:

Below overview will be updated every Monday afternoon with the latest coffee.

* Monday 20th of October:

Espresso Roast Ethiopia Negele Gorbitu - In my opinion coffee is a lot like music- it’s hard to go wrong by adding some funk. Both also give me heart palpitations under the right circumstances. But I guess they’re also different, because I can’t drink music and I usually don’t dance to coffee. What would decaf music be? Probably the Wii sports theme. Anyways, back to the funk. Negele Gorbitu is back, baby! A long time favorite here at Friedhats, beloved for being a great showing of what we think anaerobic coffees should taste like- complexity, long sweetness, and of course, some delightful funk. I think if the Negele Gorbitu was a song it would be “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder. Expect a funky cup of coffee. With notes of Violet, Peach and Papaya.

Filter Roast Colombia Reserva San Francisco - Reserva San Francisco is the product of 242 indigenous smallholder families tied to Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca. Under this umbrella, they have spent the last half-century advocating for land rights, cultural preservation, and self-governance of the indigenous populations of the region. Additionally, there has been a community led initiative that just in this region has reforested over 2.000 hectares of land. The banding together of these families for processing and selling coffees is the financial backbone for most of the members of this organization, and integral to maintaining independence. Sometimes writing about coffees like this can feel like trying to thread the needle between communicating information and avoiding soap-boxing. In reality, we’re just out here buying coffee we like from people we like, but it’s also important sometimes to remind ourselves of the impact of choosing where we spend our money. We’re not making coffee political- coffee is and has been political since it was spread as a cash crop of colonialism; that’s why it’s important that we not gloss over its use as a tool for independence of the same communities. <3 Tastes like Lemon merengue, Lime leaf and Butterscotch.

* Monday 13th of October:

Espresso Roast Guatemala El Relampago - When Rafael Zamora, the longtime owner of El Relampago farm, was ready to retire, he wanted his longtime friends and collaborators at Los Volcanes to take over his farm. Los Volcanes shared that production in the volcanic soil on the slopes of Volcán de Agua is “really raw” with “coffee growing wild for the most part.” Regardless, growing on the side of a volcano they have managed to catch lightning in a bottle and we’re excited to share it with you, and even more excited with an eye on the future. Sick. ¿A qué sabe? Pleasantly bright with notes of currants and blackberries, rounded out by a classic milk chocolate & floral Guatemalan vibe.

Filter Roast Ethiopia Lalesa Anaerobic - Some things are great when you do them fast. Like running, or driving, or eating a pizza straight out of the oven. Maybe that’s why they say “live fast die young”. Some things are better to do quickly because they’re not so nice, and you just want to get it over with. Like a bad date, pulling a tooth or listening to the latest Justin Bieber album. And then there are things you just need to do slowly. Like riding a skateboard hanging from the back of a motorbike, cooking an aubergine, and, in my opinion, waking up. The people at the Lalesa washing station also like to take things slow. Recently we introduced one of their coffees that underwent a slow drying process. This week we’re introducing one of their naturals that underwent some extended fermentation. Just because they just didn’t want to rush the job. Expect the flavor profile that the Ethiopian naturals became famous for: Fruit funk and cream. You’re in a car, doesn’t have AC, it’s been a hot day but the sun is going down, things are looking up and in your hand is a tropical twist sundae icecream.

* Monday 6th of October:

Espresso Roast Kenya John Kinyanjui - NJ Kinya farm is family-owned and managed by John Kinyanjui and family. It covers approximately 30 acres, under which about 17.000 coffee tress are cultivated. The soils are deep, red volcanic, well-drained and highly fertile. With a climate that is of a perfect microclimate with rainfall and average temperatures 16-26 degrees. Both influence the cup profile given the coffee its distinctive bright acidity and full-bodied character. Tastes like Blackcurrant, Blood orange and molasses.

Filter Roast Colombia Diego Horta Pink Bourbon - Diego not only grows coffee, he also opened a cafe in Santa Maria to bring specialty to more people and that’s someone who really loves coffee - we can relate to that. His farm El Rincon is situated in Huila and sits at 1700 masl, Diego’s a passionate coffee farmer who has taken his family's legacy to new heights, and since 2013 has been dedicated to learning and improving his skills in coffee production. This is a washed pink bourbon so you can expect a fresh and crisp coffee with notes of Plum, Cardamon and Tangerine.

* Monday 29th of September:

Espresso Roast Ethiopia Tibebu Roba - Last December, we met Tibebu on his farm near Gedeb. A most joyful man that fills his days with positivity, songs and prayers. And producing great coffee of course. Both from smallholders in the area and from his own coffee trees, where the ripest cherries are hand picked every day. We had the opportunity to try these ripe cherries, which grew in the shades of big false-banana trees. After a tour, we shared a massive cake with honey from his farm. And since we had his coffee last year as well, we were able to make him an Aeropress with his own coffee. There’s something about actually meeting the producers of the coffees we sell. It sounds silly but it feels better somehow. It’s like having a picture of the Eiffel Tower that you bought from Ikea VS one that you actually went to France for to see. Not that you should go to Paris for the Eiffel tower, better go to Motors for a coffee. Anyway, we will try and meet more producers in person because our coffees taste good because of them, and that is pretty awesome. Tastes like tropical fruits and milk chocolate.

Filter Roast Peru Quiquira - So apparently the legend goes that many years ago there was this giant snake called Quira. One day this snake crossed this area taking everything and everyone in its path. This path of destruction opened a new road that the families later used to transport gold, rubber and later even husk to cure malaria. The community of Quiquira thanks its name to this epic snake. It’s not really related to this coffee per se, but we just wanted to share this snake story with you. About the coffee though: it’s from a small group of producers in Puno where we got a lot of small lots from this season. It’s a washed bourbon from Peru so you can expect a fresh and crisp coffee with notes of yellow plum, ceylon tea and a vanilla sweetness.

* Monday 22nd of September:

Espresso Roast Colombia Wilmer Moncayo - When Wilmer took over the farm from his parents, it had exclusively grown Typica and Caturra since at least their purchase of the land in 1967. Over the past 6 years he ambitiously replaced all of the existing trees with Tabi, Gesha, Pink Bourbon, and Papayo- a massive undertaking. Now with all 6 hectares of his land freshly populated with new varieties, he has turned his eye to experimenting with processing. Tastes like Bergamot, Blueberry and Toffee.

Filter Roast Colombia Carlos Artunduaga - Juan Carlos has been helping set the standard of specialty coffee production in Huila for over three decades now. On his farm, he grows a range of varieties and practices all manner of processing- but he is renowned for his mastery of naturals. For this particular lot, the cherries undergo a controlled fermentation of 100 hours before drying in marquesinas for 20 days. The resulting coffee is explosive with a tropical fruit funkiness and dark chocolate.

* Monday 15th of September:

Espresso Roast Ethiopia Lalesa Anaerobic - This is the Anaerobic processed Heirloom variety from Lalesa. The great news is that the Slow-Dry Natural is already available to enjoy. Anyways this is an anaerobic from Lalesa, Gedeb lot, grown at an elevation of 2150-2200 masl. The coffee is naturally grown under the shade of trees, primarily Ensete (false banana tree). The coffee undergoes fermentation in plastic barrels for nine days, followed by a drying period of 13-18 days. So how does this coffee taste? Like a Sunset Tropical Twist Sundae Recipe :)

Filter Roast Guatemala Gonzalo Pablo - Gonzalo Pablo Garcia inherited the land where his father grew corn back in 2018, and out of curiosity planted 600 coffee seedlings to see if he could successfully grow coffee at his high altitude, considering it’s also a somewhat cold microclimate. After 3 years of tending and waiting, his first return was disheartening- small beans of poor quality. Thankfully, Gonzalo reached out to an agronomist who advised him on how to properly fertilise the soil in his conditions, and things took a turn for the better. Now he handles all of the farming and processing quite literally in-house with his family. We’re very grateful to be able to share this coffee with you, and hope you’ll appreciate it as we do with each sip. Hints of Apricot, Caramel and Vanilla.

* Monday 8th of September:

Espresso Roast Peru Quiquira - Quiquira owes its name to a legend that tells that many years ago, there was a giant snake named Quira. One day this snake crossed this area taking everything in its path. This opened a path that the families later used to transport gold, years later rubber, and finally husk to cure malaria. This wide road made by Quira originated with the name Quiquira. With a name inspired by the legend of a giant snake, this coffee matches up to that pretty well we think. This washed Bourbon is sweet, yet balanced. Hints of dark chocolate and stonefruits.

Filter Roast Colombia Yacuanquer - Harvesting coffee is a laborious process; the diligent work of picking through thousands and thousands of cherries to pluck only the most ripe, from tree to tree until you’ve finished a long day of work. The timing of your hire is dependent on the readiness of a farmer to initiate harvest. This is why Manos al Grano have teamed up with Azahar to create the Pickers Project. This is a team of 35 pickers and 20 farms (so far) who have banded together to create a system that is mutually beneficial. This gives farmers access to dedicated and skilled workers who are working in a system of full-time employment with fair wages, benefits, and compliance with labor laws. We are incredibly happy to be able to share coffee with you from this project- something that as we all support benefits everyone along the chain and improves the industry we all care about. So how does this coffee taste? Notes of Vanilla cream, Nectarine and Lemon peel.

* Monday 1st of September:

Espresso Roast Colombia Yacuanquer - Harvesting coffee is a laborious process; the diligent work of picking through thousands and thousands of cherries to pluck only the most ripe, from tree to tree until you’ve finished a long day of work. The timing of your hire is dependent on the readiness of a farmer to initiate harvest. This is why Manos al Grano have teamed up with Azahar to create the Pickers Project. This is a team of 35 pickers and 20 farms (so far) who have banded together to create a system that is mutually beneficial. This gives farmers access to dedicated and skilled workers who are working in a system of full-time employment with fair wages, benefits, and compliance with labor laws. We are incredibly happy to be able to share coffee with you from this project- something that as we all support benefits everyone along the chain and improves the industry we all care about. So how does this coffee taste? Notes of Vanilla cream, Nectarine and Lemon peel.

Filter Roast Ethiopia Bisrat Melaku - At stunning heights of 2240 meters above sea-level, you find the Uraga Bisrat washing station in the Uraga Woreda, Guji zone. Bisrat Melaku is the proud owner and founder of the Uraga Bisrat washing station. Besides running the station, he has a small coffee farm that enjoys the cover of the natural Guji canopy. By both farming and processing coffee, Bisrat proves that he is an active coffee entrepreneur. His drive for coffee started years ago while he strolled through the coffee garden of his grandparents. After successfully expanding his farm, Bisrat opened the Uraga Bisrat washing station in 2014. He installed cement fermentation tanks, a six disk pulper, and 150 drying beds. Bisrat uses water from the small Tebie River to wash and ferment his coffees. That’s great, but what does it taste like? It tastes sweet and clean. Delicate and clean. Like summer :)

Previously weekly coffee:

* Monday 4th of August:

Espresso Roast Peru Cruz Pata - Puno, a land of high and rough lands, and rich with folklore that continues through tradition today. This lot we have from Puno comes from the Cruz Pata community, a community that has made agriculture their main economic activity despite the rough terrain. They have eight producers each with around 1.5 hectares of land and, despite the rough terrain, they have been growing coffee traditionally for the past 50 years. With farms at 1950 - 2060 masl, their altitude makes them the perfect ground for cultivating Bourbon. Ok cool but what does it taste like? White Peach, Cane Sugar and Dried apricot

Filter Roast Rwanda Intego - Of the nine lots produced by Gasharu Coffee, they cite Intego (meaning “resolution”) as their bid to enter the European coffee market with the highest quality coffee, and an internal culture of innovation and sustainable practices. This eye on innovation is being spearheaded by many of the younger members of their team, keen to create the best coffees through experimentation with burgeoning processing methods. In the end, this lot is the result of a 60 hour anaerobic fermentation in steel tanks, finished with 30 days of drying on raised beds. We’ve got to say, we love this coffee, and their resolution was a rousing success! That’s great, but what does it taste like? In the cup we find tons of red fruits and tropical fruits, reminiscent of wine while hot, jammy on the cool.