Roaster: Personal Brew Coffee (Germany) (MCL: Luxks)
https://www.personalbrew.de/products/2511-gloria-natural
Farm/Producer: Sakami Coffee, Floria and Garmo Gummerus
Origin: Nabiswa, Kenya
Varietal: SL28
Process: Natural
Tasting Notes: Black Currant, Wine gum, Rose
Roast date: 13.11.2025
https://beanl.ink/l/uoQek4OIaY
This is the first "Special Coffee" in the Advent Calendar. We're happy to feature a coffee from a home roaster who's started through MCL. Special thanks to Luxks for providing an amazing addition to the calendar.
In Germany, December 6th is Nikolaustag (St. Nicholas Day), when children traditionally receive small gifts - especially chocolate and sweets - left in their freshly polished shoes or boots overnight. We've included a small chocolate for you to enjoy on this day :)
Onto the story!
A Journey Through Coffee, Community, and Deutsche Bahn
There are very few things that I'd wake up at 5:06 AM for. My family, coffee, and some slight insane tendencies would be those few things.
But let me back up a bit.
When Plans Change
The best-laid plans sometimes need a backup. When our originally scheduled December 6th coffee hit some logistical roadblocks, I had a decision to make. With a tight deadline to ship coffee to the UK, I couldn't afford to wait for standard shipping logistics. The solution? Go get it myself.
So I reached out to Patrick (Luxks) and told him I'd come down to Karlsruhe personally. He was more than happy to host, and suddenly what could have been a stressful situation became an opportunity for something better—a chance to connect with the people behind the coffee.
Gnopy, a good coffee friend of mine, joined me for the journey. If you're going to navigate Deutsche Bahn for a day, you might as well have good company.
The Karlsruhe Expedition
Speaking of Deutsche Bahn—if you've spent any time on German trains, you already know where this is going. What should have been a straightforward journey turned into a masterclass in patience and platform changes. We arrived at Patrick's place an hour late, slightly frazzled but excited to finally meet him in person.
Patrick welcomed us into his home, and within minutes, we were deep in coffee talk. He walked me through the roast he prepared for the calendar, and we cupped several samples together. Watching him work, hearing his passion for light roasts, and learning about his plans to bring specialty coffee to a local market—it reminded me why I started Bean Bodega in the first place.
The home roasting community in Germany is something special. These aren't just hobbyists tinkering in their kitchens; they're craftspeople who understand coffee in fine detail, obsess over development times and bean density and find potential in every green coffee that crosses their path. Patrick is exactly that kind of roaster, and I left his place with not just coffee, but with genuine inspiration.
From Karlsruhe to Mannheim
With the coffee safely packed, Gnopy and I headed to Mannheim. Since Frankfurt was going to be our final destination for the night, I turned Mannheim into a convenient stopover—a chance to personally hand Pizzaburn the first completed Bean Bodega Advent Calendar.
Over a well-earned beer, he shared his vision for the next MCL meetup. The energy in his voice when he talked about securing locations and the positive response from local roasters wanting to host cupping sessions—that kind of enthusiasm makes this community thrive.
These meetups aren't just about tasting coffee. They're about creating spaces where curiosity is welcomed, where the person who just discovered specialty coffee last month sits next to someone who's been on the Discord server for years, and everyone learns something new.
Late Night in Frankfurt
Word had spread that Gnopy and I were stopping in Frankfurt for the night. Florent, a French MCLer doing an internship in Germany, decided to join us. Over plates of delicious Balkan food, the three of us bonded over the universal experiences that connect coffee people: our shared trauma with Deutsche Bahn's scheduling creativity, and our love for the incredible coffee scene in Paris.
It's funny how coffee becomes the thread that connects these moments. Here we were, people from different places, brought together by a shared passion, swapping stories over ćevapi and discussing the merits of various Parisian cafés. Florent and Gnopy would be spending the weekend exploring Frankfurt's specialty coffee scene—another reminder of how these spontaneous connections lead to new discoveries.
When my alarm went off the next morning at 5:06 AM, I won't lie—it hurt a little. But as I packed my bags and prepared for the journey home to my wife and daughter, I felt energized. The previous day had been a whirlwind of trains, tastings, and conversations, but it had also been a reminder of something important: the generosity of the coffee community.
What This All Means
The Bean Bodega Advent Calendar exists because of people like Patrick, Pizzaburn, and every MCL member who believes that coffee is better when shared. When I decided to turn a logistical challenge into a road trip, I didn't expect the day to unfold quite like this—cupping sessions in Karlsruhe, handing over the first calendar in Mannheim, late-night Balkan food in Frankfurt with friends old and new.
But that's the beauty of this community. You create the opportunity, and people show up. Patrick welcomed us into his home. Pizzaburn made time to connect and share his vision. Florent heard we'd be in Frankfurt and decided to join. These aren't accidents—they're what happens when you build something around connection rather than just commerce.
Next time you're on a delayed Deutsche Bahn train (and let's be honest, there will be a next time), remember that the journey is part of the story. The delays, the scrambles, the last-minute solutions—they all become part of the narrative that makes each coffee in this calendar special.
And if you find yourself wondering whether a coffee adventure is worth a 5 AM wake-up call—trust me, it is.
- Brrruuppp