I mean, the title says it all, doesn’t it? It’s no secret that we here at Fellow crush hard on some of our favorite coffee purveyors. And when, if not February, could be better to spill our hearts? We’re spellbound by the synthesis of time, relationships, heart, dedication, and skill these roasters have lovingly put into their craft, and we want to shout it to the world!
All month long we’ll be featuring coffee from the following heartthrobs:
BLIND TIGER COFFEE ROASTERS
Philadelphia, PA | Founded in 2013 by Charlie Biando
Fun Fact: Charlie is also an accomplished breadmaker and offers his homemade bread at his coffee pop-ups.
Coffee/Origin: “Flowers Vol. 2” (Ecuador)
Variety: Caturra, Typica, Yellow Catimor
Process: Washed
Notes: Sweet magnolia, jasmine, cherrywine
“Finca Angamaza is located in Conganama, Loja, Ecuador and run by Angel Capa Carrion. The farm sits at an elevation of approximately 2,080 m.a.s.l. and consists of 19 hectares in total, 2 currently in coffee with plans to plant another 2 hectares. Of those 2 hectares currently in production, 25% are planted with Caturra, 10% Typica, 40% in San Salvador and 25% in Yellow Catimore. Upon arriving at the wet-mill, the coffee is fermented for 36 hours and after washing, the coffee is dried from anywhere between 8-10 days, depending on the weather conditions. Around that time, a local association of growers was formed to help market and find buyers for their coffees; they even brought in agronomists and technical assistance as offered by the local municipality. This was a huge factor in motivating Angel to produce higher quality coffees. He succeeded and is now receiving higher prices for his lots. for buyers who value and appreciate his efforts.” – @blindtigercoffee
BRANDYWINE COFFEE ROASTERS
Wilmington, DE | Founded in 2013 by Todd Purse
Fun Fact: All of Brandywine’s bags are stamped and screen printed by hand with original designs by Todd himself!
Coffee/Origin: “Romance Coffee” (Ethiopia)
Variety: Heirloom
Process: Natural and Washed Blend
Notes: Green gummy bear, mango, bing cherry, and milk chocolate
“Romance Coffee is a limited release blend paying homage to the artists of the romance comics of the ’50s and ’60s. This sweet blend of Ethiopian coffee brings out a silky smooth body and flavors of strawberry that you can’t get enough of!” –@brandywinecoffeeroasters
GARDELLI SPECIALTY COFFEES
Forli, Italy | Founded in 2014 by Rubens Gardelli
Fun Fact: Rubens is a consistent heavy-hitter in the Italian coffee competition scene and even placed 2nd in the World Brewers Cup in 2014!
Coffee/Origin: Uganda Mzungu Project
Variety: SL 14, Nyanzaland
Process: Natural
Notes: Cherry, prune, blueberry, dark chocolate, kiwi, and rum
“Competition leads to innovation and this coffee is the fruit of that labor. 2 and 1⁄2 years after his pioneering World Brewers Cup single tree lot, Rubens Gardelli is proud to present this unique coffee from Uganda. Forging close links with the farmer Alex and forming an export company with close friend Dison has allowed complete traceability and control from tree to cup. Originally a small competition lot, this project grew to encompass all of five small farmers production. A natural processed coffee, intensely sweet, with lots of dark chocolate and cherry — it’s a delicious and an amazing representative of Ugandan specialty coffee. The indigenous nyanzaland varietal and SL14 are grown at 1900 masl and processed using a proprietary natural method which is completely new and unique to Uganda. This coffee was presented for the first time by Rubens Gardelli during the 2017 Italy Brewers Cup and it was brewed by Michael Manhart, where they won first place!” – @gardellicoffees
HEART COFFEE ROASTERS
Portland, OR | Founded in 2009 by Wille and Rebekah Yli-Luoma
Fun Fact: Before moving from Finland to the US and starting Heart, Wille was a professional snowboarder!
Coffee/Origin: Ethiopia Halo
Variety: Heirloom
Process: Washed
Notes: Honeysuckle, jasmine, sugarcane
“This is Heart’s second year purchasing Halo and we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome it back. We received this sample and it was reminiscent of all the things we loved about this coffee in 2017 and we’re sure you all will love it too! It’s florally and sweetness can only be topped by the fact that it is such a wonderful contrast to other Ethiopian coffees on our menu. The Halo Bariti co-op was founded in 2012 by former members of the work co-op. Halo is located in the southern part of Ethiopia’s Gedeo Zone. This remote, wild, part of the country has been mostly untouched by modern development. Members of the Halo co-op bring coffee to the washing station from land as high as 7550 feet above sea level. This extremely high altitude produces some of the most amazing coffees in the world.” – @heartroasters
PASSION HOUSE COFFEE ROASTERS
Chicago, IL | Founded in 2011 by Joshua Millman
Fun Fact: Besides specialty coffee, Joshua is also deeply passionate about music and attempts to weave this into operations at Passion House wherever he can. Sometimes he will let an employee create a playlist to accompany a particular coffee offering, and then sell it with a thumb drive of the music!
Coffee/Origin: “Cafe con Amor” (Costa Rica)
Variety: Caturra, Villa Sarchi
Process: Honey
Notes: Honey, Sweet Cream, Milk Chocolate
“Café Con Amor is a high-altitude farm in the mountains of Naranjo, Costa Rica. The volcanic soil is perfect for growing Caturra and Villa Sarchi varieties of specialty coffee. Growing under the shade of orange, mango, níspero, guaba, lemon, guayaba and sweet plantain, these tropical trees add rich organic material that transfer to the aroma, complexity and citrus notes of this amazing coffee. Café Con Amor is a high-altitude farm in the mountains of Costa Rica, grown in rich soil under the share of many tropical trees. The volcanic soil is perfect for growing Caturra and Villa Sarchi varieties of specialty coffee. Orange, mango, níspero, guaba, lemon, guayaba and sweet plantains add rich organic material that transfer to the aroma, complexity and rich notes of this specialty coffee. The final product is a clean cup with a smooth honey sweetness, citrus tones, and balanced acidity” – @passionhousecoffee
For more great coffee, check out what's new in our coffee collection.