Filter Notes US edition

The Friday Edit

Beans, gear and good finds. Every Friday.

Edition No. 09
18 September 2026

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.

ProcessDry washed

Coffee · Natural

Onyx Coffee Lab · Coffee beans

Kenya Kamunyaka AA

Kenya · Kamunyaka · Dry washed · Moderate · grapefruit, brown sugar, kumquat, mulling spice

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

ProcessWashed

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.

Edition archive

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