October, and autumn has properly settled in across Northern Europe, with darker evenings and every excuse to linger over a second cup. Thank you, as always, for being part of the Bean Bros family. This month we’re in Bucharest with GUIDO, the city’s second specialty roastery, who have spent more than a decade building a bridge between everyday coffee drinkers and great coffee. Brew something good, settle in, and take their motto to heart: never settle for average coffee again.
The GUIDO story
GUIDO was founded in 2014 as the second specialty coffee roastery in Bucharest. At the time, specialty coffee in Romania was still more of a curiosity than an established industry.
Our founder, Adrian Simion, came from a background in computer science, advertising, capital markets and consulting. His interest in coffee grew out of a fascination with its complexity and diversity of flavours, and a desire to understand every stage of its transformation.
GUIDO began with that passion, rather than with a market opportunity. We didn’t wait for specialty coffee to become familiar; helping people discover it became part of our work from the beginning.
How we won over our first customers
Education and patience were central to our approach. We organised free cuppings, offered training and helped people make the transition from commercial to specialty coffee gradually. More than 500 people have taken part in our free educational events since 2014.
We have never believed in gatekeeping quality. Our role is to build a bridge between where someone is today and what specialty coffee can offer them.
Accessibility matters just as much. We believe good coffee should belong to everyday life, not only to special occasions, so we aim for a balance of quality and value that makes sense for both the person drinking it and the business serving it.
What guides our sourcing and roasting
We want our coffees to express where they come from. Origin, variety and processing all contribute to a lot’s character, and our intention when roasting is to reveal that character rather than make every coffee fit a single house profile.
The majority of our green coffee is sourced through direct-trade relationships or producer visits. Traceability from farm to cup is an operational requirement for us, not simply something we put on a label.
We use an air roaster with short profiles of around five to eight minutes, designed to preserve brightness, clarity and the distinctive character of each lot. Our approach is adaptive: the coffee guides the roast, rather than the other way around.
What partnership means to GUIDO
Our first major café partnership in 2014 brought together coffee, equipment and training. That complete approach remains central to how we work today.
Rather than treating a partnership as a coffee order, we build our support around each café’s concept, volume, team and ambitions. Sometimes that means helping a business start from scratch; sometimes it means providing training and ongoing support as it develops. This model has helped launch more than 100 cafés across Romania since 2014. For us, the relationship extends well beyond the beans: it includes the people preparing the coffee and the person who eventually enjoys the cup.
Care beyond the cup
One project we support is the transformation of a historic rural railway station in Maramureș, in northern Romania, into a permanent cultural and community space. We contribute coffee, professional equipment and barista training to help create a welcoming place for education, film, art and local connection. The project also creates a professional opportunity for a woman from the local community, trained as both a barista and a custodian of the cultural space. It is a meaningful example of what we hope coffee can do beyond the drink itself: bring people together and support something lasting.
What is the experience we still try to recreate today?
Coming from commercial coffee, discovering the diversity of flavours and acidity in specialty coffee was unforgettable. It felt like the beginning of a worldwide movement.
That sense of discovery is what we still try to recreate: the true character of each coffee, including its taste, flavour, aftertaste - the whole specialty coffee experience.
At the same time, we never forget that everyone deserves good coffee at a reasonable price. Bringing out a coffee’s character and keeping it accessible are equally important to us. A limited budget shouldn’t mean missing out on a good cup.
A message to Bean Bros subscribers
We hope you find both pleasure and a little curiosity in these coffees.
For us, specialty coffee is about care: care for every step from green beans to roasted coffee, and care for the person enjoying the result. We hope some of that comes through in your cup.
Thank you for making GUIDO part of your day. And, as we like to say: never settle for average coffee again!
Is there a real Guido behind the name?
There’s no actual Guido! He’s more of an imaginary coffee geek, passionate about guiding people through the different flavours and tastes of coffee. The name is a playful nod to that idea of being a guide.
October Coffee Selection
Ethiopia - Aroresa - Washed
From the Aroresa district in Ethiopia’s Sidama region, this Grade 1 coffee showcases the exotic side of Ethiopian coffee. The traditional Heirloom variety grows in fertile soils, where the beans develop slowly, building complexity and sweetness. Sourced through Melesse Mekuria, who works closely with local farmers, this lot combines careful cultivation with the clarity that makes washed Ethiopian coffees so distinctive.
Bright grapefruit acidity leads the way, followed by juicy passion fruit and sweet papaya, creating a lively, tropical profile with a syrupy body. Roasted specifically for espresso, Aroresa delivers a dynamic, concentrated shot that balances citrus brightness with ripe fruit sweetness. It’s equally enjoyable with milk, where its exotic character continues to shine.
Origin: Sidama, Ethiopia
Varietal: Heirloom
Processing: Washed
Roast: Espresso
Flavor notes: grapefruit, passion fruit, papaya
Kenya - Kamwangi - Washed
This lot comes from the Kamwangi washing station, operated by the New Ngariama Farmers' Co-operative Society. Grown in volcanic soils at high altitude, the coffee benefits from slow maturation, helping develop dense, complex beans. After depulping, it undergoes controlled fermentation for 24 to 36 hours before being density-graded and slowly dried on raised African beds. This careful process preserves the clarity and vibrant acidity characteristic of Kenyan coffee.
The cup opens with juicy pomegranate acidity, followed by the rich sweetness of blackberry syrup and a refreshing tropical note of pineapple. Roasted for filter brewing, Kamwangi is particularly well suited to manual methods such as pour-over, where a gentle extraction highlights its crisp acidity and clean, fruit-forward character.
Origin: Kenya
Washing station: Kamwangi
Producer: New Ngariama Farmers' Co-operative Society
Processing: Washed
Roast: Filter
Flavor notes: pomegranate, blackberry syrup, pineapple
Colombia - Pink Bourbon - Washed
Grown at Finca Las Marias as part of the Café 1959 agricultural project, this Pink Bourbon is prized for its sweetness and aromatic complexity. The washed processing brings precision and clarity to the cup, allowing the variety’s vibrant fruit character to shine while keeping the profile clean and balanced.
Bright grapefruit acidity meets juicy raspberry, while a delicate touch of cinnamon adds warmth and depth to the silky finish. Thanks to its omni roast profile, this coffee works beautifully across different brewing methods. As a filter, it highlights citrus clarity and fresh fruit, while espresso extraction brings more texture to the body and gives the raspberry and cinnamon notes extra intensity.
Origin: Colombia
Farm: Finca Las Marias
Varietal: Pink Bourbon
Processing: Washed
Roast: Omni
Flavor notes: grapefruit, raspberry, cinnamon
