Filter Notes US edition

The Friday Edit

Beans, gear and good finds. Every Friday.

Friday Edit No. 09 · US
18 September 2026
Control the variable

Shopping region

Local availability, prices and fresh coffee sources.

The Friday Edit

Excellent beans. Interesting objects. Once a week.

The new regional edit, every Friday. Nothing else.

01 / The cover story Object of the week

Control the variable

A compact automated espresso machine anchors a US setup that measures before it guesses: one fast grinder, one precisely timed brewer, one aerating server and two fresh Kenyan coffees.

Gear spotlight

Fellow · Machines

Espresso Series 1 — Black

A compact automatic espresso machine designed to manage temperature, pressure and shot timing with a restrained interface.

It treats automation as a way to expose repeatable decisions, not to hide the espresso recipe.

$1,499.95

Available through Fellow's official US store.

Visit Fellow ↗

02 / Fresh coffee 2 bags to know

Beans for the week

A short regional edit of fresh coffees worth brewing now.

Coffee · Natural

Onyx Coffee Lab · Coffee beans

Kenya Kamunyaka AA

Kamunyaka, Iria-Ini Farmers Cooperative Society, Kenya · Natural · Modern filter and espresso · grapefruit, brown sugar, kumquat

A newly listed natural Kenya turns a familiar high-acid origin into a rounder, fruit-led calibration point.

Coffee · Washed

Passenger Coffee · Coffee beans

Thamani

Kamavindi Estate, Kenya · Washed · Light · red fruit, citrus, browning sugars

Passenger's new foundational Kenya provides the clean washed reference beside Onyx's natural lot.

03 / The objects 5 more to know

The gear edit

The objects making brewing more precise, more enjoyable or simply better looking.

Automatic filter

Ratio Coffee · Machines

Ratio Eight Series 2

An automated batch brewer with a timed bloom and controlled pour sequence in a compact sculptural body.

The programmed bloom and pour make repeatability visible without turning morning batch brew into a dashboard.

Grind by weight

Baratza · Grinders

Vario W+

A weight-dosing flat-burr grinder spanning precise filter work and capable espresso adjustment.

Grinding directly to a target weight closes one of the easiest gaps between recipe and daily execution.

Aerating server

Chemex · Manual brewing

Eight Cup ChemAer

An eight-cup Chemex server with an integrated aeration form for serving brewed coffee.

It makes the post-brew pour a visible part of the cup's texture and aroma rather than an afterthought.

Small find

Onyx Coffee Lab · Accessories & oddities

Who We Are Hat

A black five-panel hat carrying Onyx's quality, truth and accountability statement.

The message is unusually direct while the black-on-black execution stays wearable.

Small find

Passenger Coffee · Accessories & oddities

Thamani Enamel Pin

A small enamel pin translating Passenger's new Thamani coffee artwork into a durable object.

It gives the new coffee a genuinely inexpensive, locally specific visual footnote.

Editorially selected, never paid placement. Prices and availability can change; affiliate links are always disclosed.

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