This Ethiopian specialty coffee comes from Hambela in West Guji, produced by smallholder farmers. It is a high-intervention anaerobic natural processed coffee, described as dessert-forward and fruit-heavy. The coffee displays distinctive notes of blackberry, tangerine, and strawberry wafer with a clean, refreshing sweetness. Due to its low density, the roaster approached the roast gently. The coffee performs well across brewing methods, shining as both pour-over and espresso.
Anchorhead was founded in 2013 by Jake Paulson and Mike Steiner, who started roasting in Steiner's garage in Seattle with no prior coffee industry experience. The company originally launched as the city's first bottled cold brew operation before opening its first café in 2016, and it won America's Best Espresso at Coffeefest Portland in 2015. Roasting now takes place at a central facility in Duvall, Washington, supplying four retail coffee bars across the Seattle metro area. Their flagship espresso blend combines 70% natural Ethiopia Guji with 30% washed Brazil, and the Narwhal Blend pairs Guatemalan and Sumatran coffees grown between 1,000 and 2,200 metres elevation. All orders are roasted fresh and hand packed by the team.
