Skip to main content

Journal

Tips, recipes, and notes from the roastery. How we brew, what we are drinking, and the stories behind the coffees we pick.

Filter paper: HIFLUX and SOLO SPIN
#19 — September 2026 · 6 min

Filter paper: HIFLUX and SOLO SPIN

One brewer's observations on HIFLUX paper in SOLO SPIN. Four ways to place the paper, what changes in the cup, and why I connect paper shape with the...

Understanding SOLO SPIN
#18 — September 2026 · 2 min

Understanding SOLO SPIN

What the SPIN base actually does, how to install it, and why it is made only for SOLO. A guide to the details that are easy to miss.

Two ways to brew with SOLO SPIN
#17 — September 2026 · 1 min

Two ways to brew with SOLO SPIN

The two SOLO SPIN recipes we brew every day. Two phase moisture extraction, my competition recipe, and PIP extraction for a clean, expressive cup.

The making of SOLO SPIN
#16 — September 2026 · 1 min

The making of SOLO SPIN

Why we went for immersion, why we refused to redesign SOLO to get there, and the year and a half of molding, testing, and rejecting that led to...

Print your own SOLO tools
#15 — September 2026 · 1 min

Print your own SOLO tools

Our 3D printable parts for SOLO are open and free to download. Print the folding tool and more at home or at a local print shop.

One lot, twelve roasters
#14 — September 2026 · 1 min

One lot, twelve roasters

A washed Geisha from Elida Estate, secured at the Lamastus First Light auction together with eleven roasters around the world. Our share is coming to Prague.

The number one natural at Taste of Harvest
#13 — August 2026 · 1 min

The number one natural at Taste of Harvest

At AFCA Taste of Harvest 2026 in Addis Ababa, one hundred natural coffees were on the table. The one that stood first, Gargari Gutity from Yirgacheffe, is ours.

Iced filter for summer lots
#12 — August 2026 · 1 min

Iced filter for summer lots

A flash-chill recipe that keeps the fruit bright without going thin.

The two-phase pour, step by step
#11 — August 2026 · 1 min

The two-phase pour, step by step

Jackie's competition method, simplified for the home brewer. First a penetration phase so water reaches every particle evenly, then a slower development phase that builds sweetness, texture, and...

The Finca Sophia release box tied with twine
#10 — July 2026 · 2 min

Three lots from a tiny harvest

Finca Sophia released its entire 2026 harvest, 151 kilograms in 44 nano lots, through a single private auction. Mazelab Origin secured three of them.

Coffee is a red liquid
#09 — February 2026 · 1 min

Coffee is a red liquid

When a light, well developed coffee is extracted properly I do not see brown. I see a deep amber, almost ruby. Hold the server to the light and...

Fold your filter for a low bypass brew
#08 — September 2025 · 1 min

Fold your filter for a low bypass brew

A small ritual with a purpose. Two ways to fold the paper against the wall, why it matters for the water path, and why I call it low...

Why rinsing changes everything
#07 — June 2025 · 1 min

Why rinsing changes everything

Rinsing is not really about paper taste. Watch the brown stain climb a dry filter during the bloom and you can see what you are losing.

How I fold and rinse every kind of filter paper
#06 — June 2025 · 1 min

How I fold and rinse every kind of filter paper

SOLO is a flat bottom dripper, so wave paper is the natural choice. But trapezoid and conical work too, with a little folding and a proper rinse.

From fish nets to coffee beds
#05 — June 2025 · 1 min

From fish nets to coffee beds

A memory from breeding fish explained something I kept seeing in the dripper: how a thin layer changes the way water moves.

A tissue under the dripper
#04 — June 2025 · 1 min

A tissue under the dripper

The smallest habit in my routine, and one that keeps stray rinse water out of the brew.

Listening to the bloom
#03 — April 2025 · 1 min

Listening to the bloom

Brewing on the road without a temperature controlled kettle taught me to read water temperature from the bloom itself.

Why resting coffee changes the cup
#02 — March 2025 · 1 min

Why resting coffee changes the cup

Degassing, roast style, filter quality and grind all shape how water flows. Here is how I think about resting, and the pour structure I return to.

How to flatten wave filter paper with the Pressor
#01 — September 2024 · 1 min

How to flatten wave filter paper with the Pressor

A quick demo on flattening wave filter paper against the dripper walls to reduce bypass and even out extraction.