Now Brewing: August 2025
Introduction
August was a unique month for me, as I celebrated the coveted 30-year milestone, where I fulfilled the cliché of buying an espresso machine. I did this in time for my birthday celebration where I turned my apartment into a record cafe. This has been a goal of mine for a while, and I’m happy I got to do it with my closest friends in Düsseldorf on such a special day.
The good news is that we already had somewhat of a cafe setup in the kitchen and a record setup in the living room. The majority of the work was spent on the design, ingredient sourcing and of course…cleaning. To spare you the boredom, I’ll stick to talking about the coffee.
This event was a valid excuse to stock up on some good coffee. I focused on supporting local coffee shops, but also sourced based on the drinks I wanted to prepare. The best thing I did was to send out a survey prior to the event because, to my surprise, the majority of my friends preferred matcha. But for my coffee lovers, there was no shortage. I offered a range of espresso and filter coffees for all kinds of tastes, which I’m more than happy to talk about.
Roaster: Friedhats 🇳🇱
Country of Origin: Colombia 🇨🇴
Variety: Gesha
Notes: Elderflower, Blood orange, and White peach
Friedhats is one of the most recognizable coffee roasters in Europe, not only for its quirky and unconventional packaging, but also for how beloved their coffee is. As soon as I see their label at a coffee shop, I immediately shift my attention and try to get my hands on their beans. My friend gifted me this Gesha as they were the guest roaster at my local coffee shop, Stoak. Now while Gesha’s are known for their complex flavours and high price tag, this one was unlike any Gesha I’ve tried. While I expected fruity notes, I got a lot of tea-like notes leaning into the early grey direction, with a subtle citrus aftertaste. The body is light and easy on the tongue, making for an enjoyable sip as an everyday coffee.
Roaster: Five Elephant 🇩🇪
Country of Origin: El Salvador 🇸🇻
& Brazil 🇧🇷
Varietal: Red Bourbon/Catuai
Process: N/A
Notes: Cocoa nibs, orange, chamomile
If you’re planning on getting your first home espresso machine and are considering Sage (or Breville), what might tip you over the edge is knowing you get two free bags of 250g beans. I was fortunate enough to receive the house blend from one of my favourite Berlin-based roasters, Five Elephant. They are very well-known worldwide and attract a wide range of coffee lovers. This blend is very approachable and a great bean for me to make mistakes with. From dialing in the espresso grind to learning how to make latte art, the “free” beans made me feel less guilty about the waste.
In terms of taste, it has a chocolatey note with a subtle hint of acidity, which may catch you off guard if you’re accustomed to a darker roast. I found it pairs a lot better with dairy milk compared to dairy alternatives, as the sweetness can bring out too much acidity for my liking.
Roaster: Rösterei Vier 🇩🇪
Country of Origin: Yemen 🇾🇪 & India 🇮🇳
Varietal: Heirloom 🇾🇪 & SLN 274 🇮🇳
Process: Natural & Washed
Notes: Nuts, Dried fruit, Spices
For those based in Düsseldorf, you should be aware Rösterei Vier. I dubbed it “The most complete coffee shop in Düsseldorf” for a reason. Their coffee range is approachable to most and caters to connoisseurs. They roast in-house, have a solid record setup, have strong enough wi-fi to work remotely, and have a wide range of seating.
This bean was specifically recommended to me by co-owner Mateusz Petlinski, whom I’ve gotten to know recently. When I asked for a dark roast that caters to a wide range of coffee drinkers for my batch brew, he recommended this one with no hesitation—and I can see why.
As a batch brew, it received compliments from my friends, but when I ran out of the Five Elephant beans, it was my go-to espresso blend. I believe the label, progressive, was chosen as it is typically enjoyed as an espresso but tastes just as good as a filter coffee, blending (no pun intended) into all sorts of brewing methods.
You really can’t go wrong with any of their beans, as they put a lot of care into every roast, the origin story of the bean, and above all, serve their customers with a smile, especially Mateusz.
Roaster: DAK 🇳🇱
Country of Origin: Ethiopia 🇪🇹
Varietal: Heirloom
Process: Washed
Notes: Lemon sorbet, Peach iced tea, White flowers
Crossing the border into the Netherlands is the powerhouse roaster, DAK, out of Amsterdam. This household roaster is one of my all-time favourite roasters based on the high quality they bundle up into their minimal packaging. Most beans are packed into a white and black box, so this one caught my eye. The name “Saint Tropez” and the yellow stripes immediately gave me summer vibes, and that is exactly what I wanted for my cold brew.
I recently purchased the Hario Cold Brew Coffee Pot Mizudashi, which prepares up to 1L of refreshing cold brew coffee, and I have zero regrets doing so. The setup is extremely easy and serves an excellent cold brew with the right bean. The Saint Tropez roast offered a refreshing citrus taste with a bold body and notes of peach. The coffee hit of the day was our Cold Brew Yuzu Tonic, which paired excellently with this bean’s notes. Whether enjoyed cold or hot, I can recommend this roast all year round (assuming it’s in harvesting season, of course).
Roaster: Das Cøffe 🇩🇪
Country of Origin: Colombia 🇨🇴
Varietal: Castillo
Process: Sugarcane Decaf Washed
Notes: Orange, nuts, caramel
One type of bean I try to have in stock is a decaf roast to curb my caffeine addiction. When visiting my favourite local coffee shop, Cøffe, I knew I would find something I would enjoy. This roast is an omni roast, which tastes great as a filter and is an excellent espresso roast as well. As an espresso, it tastes slightly lighter than what I prefer and as a filter, it tastes darker than what I prefer. However, as a decaf omniroast, there have to be some sacrifices. Nevertheless, I can’t complain about this roast’s versatility and its contribution to my good nights of sleep.
Roaster: Lightroast 🇩🇪
Country of Origin: Peru 🇵🇪
Varietal: Mixed
Process: Washed
Notes: Green apple, Lime, Bergamot, Orange, Marzipan
The innovative local roaster, Lightroast, has no shortage of experimental roasts. However, this bean doesn’t use a roasting process that takes up two lines of text to explain. It’s a simple washed bean that gives off a pleasant acidity and doesn’t come with a high price tag. I purchased this towards the end of July and kicked off my August with a bang, in preparation for my birthday cafe experience. It’s light, bright and juicy, as the name suggests, and is an excellent everyday coffee.
