Welcome to Bean Bros, the May subscription! How Are You Brewing this month? Well, one thing we know, you will be using some great beans from Poland based HAYB!
Thank you for trusting us with your brews and enjoy your subscription!
Tell us a bit about the team
Hey, it's Dawid here – Head of Coffee at HAYB. The whole HAYB team is about 30 people, but when it comes to production, I’m the one picking the coffees and making the profiles. There are also three other coffee wizards roasting with me, and they’re a crucial part of the quality control squad. And then there’s Michał, our logistics genius, who makes sure your coffee (or anyone else’s) lands on time. 😊
What are you looking for when selecting coffee.
When it comes to picking coffee at HAYB, my main goal is to buy it from friends. Yep, pure buddy system, hehe. I mean, I try to visit at least two countries a year where we source our coffees, I go to events like the World of Coffee, and stay in touch with farmers and importers. I don’t want to sell you a coffee that I can’t stand behind with a solid story. Every bag we sell has a backstory, no exceptions.
How is your speciality effortless!
Ha! And that’s a good (and common!) question. For me, effortless specialty coffee is about picking a coffee and roasting it in a way that, when you brew it, you don’t start questioning life choices. Like, “Hmm, should I brew it at 3°C lower? Maybe I need different minerals in my water?” Nope. The coffee we choose is top-notch, roasted to be sweet, well-rounded, and full. So, you can brew it effortlessly and enjoy it.
What are your plans for 2025?
I’m definitely looking forward to HAYB’s birthday – it’s our 7th, and my 6th with the team! It’s always a time for new, exciting coffees and lots of creativity. I’m also super excited for the advent calendar. Working on it is always a blast – I get to work with other roasters (because we invite some guest roasters too!), and when I’m picking out coffees, I feel like a DJ picking tracks for a huge festival headliner set. (Yeah, I know, rockstar vibes, haha.) Oh, and somewhere in the back of my mind, a trip to Ethiopia is brewing. It’s been on my coffee bucket list forever.
What are you enjoying drinking at the moment and go to brewing method?
And this last question pretty much sums up my approach. Right now, I’m drinking coffee from my good buddy Raul Pérez in Guatemala, from his farm La Soledad. His partner exports coffee from Central and South America, so we get the most direct connections possible. I brewed it in a Kalita – super juicy, sweet, bright, fruity, but also really coffee-forward. It’s the best kind of balance.
The coffee this month:
Colombia El Indio
This coffee was a no-brainer for our lineup, as obvious as adding avocado to brunch. It’s juicy, tropical, complex, yet clean, like a mango in a tuxedo. We've worked with Cofinet for years, buying everything from co-ferments to naturals and even decaf. We trust each other, so when I got samples from this lot, I didn’t hesitate — I booked it right away.
Brew-wise, this one’s a juicy bomb, so I love it on the Aeropress.
Here’s my go-to recipe:
17g of coffee, 200g of water at around 98°C. Inverted method. Pour it all in, stir five times like you mean it, wait until 1:30, then flip, give it a spin (both Aeropress and server, like you're doing coffee ballet), and press through until around the 2-minute mark.
Rwanda Gicumbi
This coffee hits different because I’ve actually been to the region — visited it with Wiktor (founder of HAYB) two years ago. We've been buying Rwandan coffee since day one. Honestly, I had my doubts before going, expecting poor organization and harsh working conditions, but the reality was the opposite. Clean, well-run farms with happy folks all the way from pickers to wet mill managers. Their smiles and hustle helped build the bridge we’ve been constructing for years between Poland and Rwanda.
I brew this one on a Kalita.
18g coffee, 300g water, split into three equal pours of 100 ml each, every 35–40 seconds. The water’s all in by about 1:20, and total brew time lands around 2:00–2:30. Quick and breezy — just like the coffee itself.
Guatemala La Soledad
As I mentioned before, this one’s from “my guy” — Raul’s an absolute legend. When he sent me some samples, the Anacafe 14 stood out like a unicorn in a herd of donkeys. I’d never tasted anything like it. I reserved it immediately. The coffees arrived a while ago and still taste amazing. I’m genuinely stoked about this one.
My recipe? Same as most of my brews:
18g coffee, 300g water, poured in 3x100ml intervals, 35–40 seconds apart. Pouring ends at about 1:20, total brew time hits max 2:30. Simple. Effective. Delicious.
Grinders & Water Stuff
For all pour-over methods, I use either a Comandante (for 300ml brews, I grind between 18–24 clicks) or a Fellow Ode Gen 1 — usually somewhere just before or after the number 3 dot.
Water? Usually 96–98°C — basically right after the Hario kettle finishes its dramatic boil.
Any closing remark you would like to make to our subscribers?
After all these years in coffee, I’m firmly in the “less is more” camp. Keep it simple and delicious. Okay, maybe I geek out a little for Brewers Cup — but at home or the roastery? We keep it chill.
