It’s with a heavy heart that we - Jools, James, and Scott - have decided to bring The Adventures in Coffee podcast to an end. It’s been a wonderful four seasons! In this final epsiode, we have a conversation about the high points in making this podcast and share lots and lots of thanks. Thank you for listening and coming on the journey with us! If you want to follow us on our solo adventures, check out the links below: Jools Instagram - https://bit.ly/39VRGew Website -...

Dear Listeners, How can this be the last episode of Series 4? We cannot believe the diversity and range of Series 4 and we owe so much of it to your fantastic input. Not to mention the lovely James, Jack, and Mijon! Thank you listeners and thanks guys! We are so grateful that we decided to celebrate the season and gift you with a deep dive into making the most delicious coffee cocktail that you’ve ever had! Recipes included! How is this possible? We reached out to two coffee cocktail...

When you picture a coffee farmer, who do you have in mind? For many people, it will be Juan Valdez, the symbol of Colombia’s National Federation of Coffee Growers, with his thick moustache, sack of beans and trusty donkey. But women play a crucial role on coffee farms which often gets overlooked. This week, Jools is diving into the responsibilities they take on, some of the struggles they face and how we can hope to overcome them. She will speak to three women about their stories and...

In Ethiopia, the birthplace of Arabica coffee, Ethiopians spend hours roasting and brewing coffee in their living rooms. But, have you ever heard of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony? If not, you are not alone. Get ready, dear listeners, because James is going to take you, Scott, and Jools out of your regular coffee routine to see how coffee can be drunk quite differently. First, we travel to Italy as James roasts coffee beans with his family’s long-time friend and family helper, a lovely...

Our morning cup of coffee creates a lot of waste, ever wondered what to do with it all? If so, then this episode is for you. Join Scott as he examines three areas of coffee waste and talks to some very clever people about how to reduce our impact on the environment. The Grounds - Soil scientist Linda J Brewer speaks with Scott about whether it’s a good idea or not to use our spent grounds in the garden. The Packaging - Scott rummages through his compost bin, and speaks to Ollie Sears of...

The exquisite latte art. The warm, smiling baristas. The deep, inviting armchairs… If you’ve ever taken a look around your favourite cafe and thought ‘What a wonderful place to spend a day, maybe I should open somewhere like this’, you’re not alone. But is this fantasyland? With guest co-host Chris Deferio (Keys to the Shop Podcast), we dive into the three key aspects of running a coffee shop, to help you better understand the realities behind the dream. The Money - Chris speaks to Michael...

Have you ever noticed that there always seems to be a new plant-based milk? For about 20 years, Scott’s wife Rachel has always been able to enjoy soy milk with her coffee while other plant-based milks have fallen in and out of favor. However, lately, soy milk seems to be disappearing and is being replaced by the “new kid in town”: oat. And, when Rachel asks questions in coffee shops about the move away from soy, she frequently gets told that she should not be drinking soy milk because its...

Jools' dream of owning an espresso machine has come true, but can she become a champion-level barista at home? The stars have aligned dear listeners! Jools has never been shy about the joy she feels when remembering past episodes 'Home Espresso - The God Shot In Your Kitchen' and 'The Beginner's Guide To Pouring Perfect Latte Art'. And, even before Adventures in Coffee, Jools has been dreaming of one day having an espresso machine at home. Thanks to our new sponsor, Rocket Espresso,...

We surveyed you. You asked us for myth-busting (again). So myth-busting you shall get! But, this time, we are not just busting up confusing coffee conundrums; we are introducing a framework (“Ah-Key!”) that will help you bust coffee myths (and all the other misinformation that you will encounter). Now, let’s get to kicking the nuts of those misleading myths. Did you perhaps have too many bevvies last Friday? Did someone offer you coffee to sober you up? If so, you may have indulged in a...

Have you ever noticed your daily caffeine fix tastes that little bit sweeter when you know the coffee has been ethically sourced? The term “direct trade” has cropped up all over the place in specialty coffee in recent years and, on the face of it, would seem to imply just that. But what does “direct trade” actually mean? And has anyone — let alone coffee farmers — really benefited from it? In the final episode of series 3, James takes Scott and Jools on a journey into how coffee actually...

Once upon a time, the simple pleasures of a homemade cup of coffee would have been limited to those in Ethiopia's cool, wet mountain forest regions. Today, a multi-billion dollar global industry means we can sip on an espresso virtually anywhere in the world. But what about coffee's future? Scott, Jools and James embark on a mission into the unknown to each reveal an element of the magical and evolving world of coffee growing. The team (or most of them…) savour a specially brewed coffee...

Jools' investigation into this elusive coffee will leave your taste buds clamouring for the sweet and fruity notes of Blue Mountain Coffee… When was the last time you encountered Jamaican coffee in your favourite cafe? Chances are, unless you frequent the high-end establishments of Mayfair (or happen to be royalty), the answer may well be "never." In this special episode, Jools takes Scott on a poignant personal journey into the land of her paternal heritage while casting light on Jamaican...

Next time you set about making your morning coffee, take a moment to peruse the info on your bag of beans. What do you notice? The variety of beans? Flavour notes? Technical details on where the coffee was grown? They're not so different from the sort of blurb you might find on the back of a wine bottle in many ways. And that’s intentional. Specialty coffee has taken a lot from the world of wine. But could the increasing overlaps be a problem for coffee farmers — or even dangerous? In...

Can a secondhand popcorn popper really be used to roast delicious coffee…? The answer to that question may (or more likely, may not) surprise you! Scott falls back in love with an old hobby as he embarks on a mission to separate the bean from the chaff with the IKAWA Home Roasting System. On a personal journey of coffee-roasting discovery, Scott learns to find the sweet spot between first and second crack, and reveals just how much difference the way your beans are roasted makes to the...

It’s every coffee drinker’s worst nightmare. You’ve rushed to that important morning meeting, but everything’s feeling a little hazy. You’re struggling to concentrate, and a nagging headache starts to creep in before you know it. Then it hits you — you haven’t had your daily caffeine fix! So what is it about this mysterious substance that can derail your whole day if you don’t have it? In a bid to find out, James conducts a cruel experiment with Scott and Jools, depriving them of coffee for...

Ever noticed how your “carbon neutral” coffee tickles the taste buds just that little bit more than your bog standard brew? From coffee producers to cafes, the industry is falling over itself to show us how much it cares about the future of our planet. But all is not always quite as it seems… So in this episode we’re delving into the murky world of “greenwashing.” What is it? What’s being done about it? And with so much else going on in the world, is it really that big of a deal? To...

Dear listener, beware! When it comes to buying coffee-making gear, ‘upgrade-itis’ is real. And it’s been hitting the pockets of coffee lovers everywhere. Early symptoms include questioning whether to stick or twist, bewilderment at the range of choice, and uncertainty if spending those extra pounds on your kit can be tasted in your morning cup. But, dear listers, fear not — because help is at hand. In this episode, Jools figures out where that golden sweet spot is when buying grinders,...

Close your eyes, and imagine taking a sip of thick espresso. What flavours would you hope are dancing on your tongue? Dark chocolate? Caramel? How about lemon? What if the coffee is so acidic, you may as well be sucking on lemon juice? This acidity is often the result of roasting a coffee quite lightly, and specialty coffee loves this acidity. But the weird thing is specialty coffee isn't obsessed with acidity because they necessarily enjoy acidic flavours. It goes waaaaaay deeper. So...

Dear Listener... We asked what YOU wanted to hear when we returned, and we LISTENED... so we're kicking off Series Three by busting some coffee myths! The coffee world is absolutely filled with fables! Although we couldn't smash them all, the triple-threat of Scott, Jools and James take on the top three myths and separate the bean from the chaff to bring you the truth! Is the fridge the best place to store your coffee? Jools gets on the line to Samo Smrke - an actual Coffee Scientist - to...

Sri Lankan coffee has delicious notes of chocolate and caramel. But it’s basically impossible to find, and we’re going to bet you’ve never drank it. But why is Sri Lankan coffee so hard to find? It shouldn’t be because Sri Lanka has the perfect climate to grow coffee, and was once one of the biggest coffee growing countries in the world. But Sri Lanka was the victim of an ecological ticking time bomb. And this bomb is still ticking, and is going to explode again. Producer man James...

Picture this: you're at the supermarket, perusing the wine aisle (after checking out the coffee one, of course), trying to choose between a £8 Spanish Rioja and a £10 French Merlot. Sound familiar?! In this episode, we’re decanting the secrets of the wine world with Susie and Peter, creators of the Wine Blast podcast! Scott and Jools don’t know much about wine but realise their biggest questions about it are the same ones they get about coffee. I.e. is really expensive wine is worth it?...

You’re at the supermarket and you’re looking at coffee bags. You read “Fruity Organic Single Origin” but the one next to it reads “Creamy Fairtrade Colombia Blend”...which should you choose?? But worry not! In this episode, we’re helping you figure out which coffee to buy and, more importantly, where! (Hint: it ain’t the supermarket). Jools speaks to Andrew Pautler of Pull and Pour Coffee to get the basics squared away: blend or single origin? Supermarket, online or in a cafe? How fresh...

Every high street now has at least five great looking coffee shops. But chances are only one or two actually make a truly great coffee. But how are you supposed to know which without trying them all out first? In this episode Scott, Jools and James are quite literally putting in the work to help you understand how to identify a good coffee shop, and hack your way to café nirvana! Self-crowned King of Caffeine Scott has what he believes is the ultimate hit-list of what to look for when...

Pods promise the seductive smoothness of an espresso, just minus the faff! But is this for real? And should you buy a pod machine for your relatives this Christmas? We look at the case for pods from every possible angle. We cut them up, time them, try to recycle them and taste them! Jools is open to the idea of pods, but can she convince Scott, the planet’s biggest pod-hater, that pods might actually have a place in our kitchens? To help settle the bickering, James speaks to Nathan...