A Brief History of Espresso: This is the seventh episode of our Espresso for Beginners series. In this episode, we share a little bit of the history of espresso - based on our own research as well as research by others before us. We touch on the very early history of coffee in general, and then dive deeper into the latest "waves" around coffee/espresso. As part of that research, we cover the strong ties between Italy and espresso so we also share part of an interview with one of Christian's...

Gadgets and Accessories: This is the sixth episode of our Espresso for Beginners series. We share with you our favorite gadgets that we've acquired (or hoarded?) over the years that help the process of making espresso a bit easier. We also share what we have and why we have it or not have it. The purpose of the gadgets in this episode is to help make your workflow easier. Since this is Espresso for Beginners, we want to keep it simple and just focus on the ease of making espresso. The gadgets...

Milk for Your Espresso: This is the fifth episode of our Espresso for Beginners series. We dig into the basics of steaming milk so that you can recreate your favorite espresso drinks at home. We cover the process for steaming milk and some pointers we've learned along the way. We don't delve into latte art because we feel that is a more advanced topic. We also discuss alternative milks and the challenges behind steaming them. Our next episode will cover some nice to have but non-essential...

The Process (Part 2): This is the fourth episode of our Espresso for Beginners series. We (after much discussion) finally get to pulling an espresso shot and some of the steps that would happen after you do that. We review shot timing, weighing, tasting, etc. Our next episode will cover the aspect of steaming milk so that you can begin creating your favorite espresso based drinks at home too! Visit our website: http:///coffeebreakpod.com Follow us on Instagram: @coffee.break.podcast E-mail...

The Process (Part 1): This is the third episode of our Espresso for Beginners series. We review the first few aspects of pulling your first shot. We discuss selecting beans, grind sizes, water, distribution, tamping, etc.  All those steps leading you to actually pulling a shot  But, as always, we got lost in conversation and we weren't able to get to the point of actually pulling your shot. So... for the sake of brevity, our next episode (Part 2) will cover the remainder of the process...

Gearing Up for Espresso: This is the second episode of our Espresso for Beginners series. We discuss (and somewhat disagree) on some suggestions for getting your espresso game started. We cover some machine and grinder suggestions and considerations that you should think of before spending your hard-earned money. Our next episode in this series will cover getting started with pulling your first shot once you've purchassed your espresso gear! Visit our website: coffeebreakpod.com Follow us...

To Espresso or Not To Espresso? This is the first episode of our Espresso for Beginners series. We intend to get you started in your espresso game so that you can start making great espresso at home. In this episode, we discuss whether you want to get into making espresso at home, the financial challenges/benefits of it, and the time/effort commitment it will take. We break down the cost of buying your espresso drinks versus making them at home (while improving your coffee game!). Our next...

Decoding Espresso Drinks: In this episode, we discuss and explain the common and not-so-common espresso drinks you will find at coffee shops and we help you try to make sense of them so you can hopefully find another favorite drink. We also discuss some of the variations you may encounter from coffee shop to coffee shop and the challenges that you may run into when trying to make these at home and how to avoid frustrations when this happens. Follow us on Instagram:...

Cold Brew Chronicles: In this episode, we discuss everything about cold brew: what it is and it's benefits, why restaurants charge you more for it (and no bottomless refills!?), how to make it with gadgets or on a budget, what we recomment for starters, the nitro cold brew craze, and whether we love it or not. Follow us on Instagram: @coffee.break.podcast E-mail us: [email protected]

Slowpokes Interview (Part 2): In this episode we continue our conversation with Victor and Ethen from Slowpokes. In this second half of the interview we got to discuss many things such as: Our continued discussion about roastingThe future of coffeeThe Slowpokes brand/theme/imageryOur favorite/go-to methodsFavorite thing about working at SlowpokesFavorite menu items at Slowpokes Follow us on Instagram: @coffee.break.podcast E-mail us: [email protected] Slowpokes is an awesome small...

Slowpokes Interview (Part 1): In this episode we got to sit down with Victor and Ethen from Slowpokes. In this first half of the interview we got to discuss many things such as: Their experience in the service industrySlowpokes getting into roasting their own coffeeThe Slowpokes' team dynamic and cultureThe passion that the Slowpokes team has for what they do... coffee, food, and serviceExploring the coffee community around Houston and getting inspiration from othersHybrid concepts of coffee...

We had a chance to sit down with Victor and Ethen from Slowpokes and have a long discussion about coffee. We will break this up into multiple episodes that will be released starting on 1/16; however, we wanted to get you a small teaser of what's to come. We hope you enjoy this short snippet of our conversation. Slowpokes is an awesome small coffee chain in Houston, TX. They are doing some amazing things and as you'll hear in future episodes they (and us) are excited about all the great stuff...

Holiday Drinks: In this episode, we get festive and we discuss our favorite holiday drinks... purchased and homemade, coffee based and not, unalcoholic and alcoholic. A simple lighthearted episode to get us into the holiday mood. Follow us on Instagram: @coffee.break.podcast E-mail us: [email protected]

Dialing Our Espresso In: In this episode, we discuss our espresso journeys over the last 1+ year and how upgrading our set-up has had a major impact in our coffee journey. We cover the previous machines we used, the challenges we faced with them, our new machines, how are those helping us, our favorite gadgets, and more! We apologize for the lengthier episode, we got carried away with our discussion! Follow us on Instagram: @coffee.break.podcast E-mail us: [email protected]

We were able to get our hands on some Gesha coffee from Finca el Injerto in Guatemala thanks to Jose's cousin. In this episode, we share our experience and some of the raw audio of the tasting we did. We hope you enjoy something a little bit different from us this Thanksgiving! Fun fact: Gesha (or Geisha) coffee does not have Japanese ties. The name refers to the Gesha region in Ethiopia from which this varietal comes from. Follow us on Instagram: @coffee.break.podcast E-mail us:...

Wrap-Up and Stragglers: In this episode, we wrap up our "Beans for Beginners" series. We cover some of the aspects of improving your coffee game that we haven't yet covered. We cover: water quality, grind sizes, better coffee without a grinder, other methods we haven't covered, and how else you can branch out and learn more about coffee. Follow us on Instagram: @coffee.break.podcast E-mail us: [email protected]

The Confusing Coffee Label: In this episode, we cover all the information that you may find in a coffee label that is not immediately descriptive of the quality and flavor of the coffee. We cover things like Fair Trade, Organic, varietal types (i.e. Arabica, Bourbon, Gesha, etc.), origins, and processing methods. All in hopes to make your coffee buying experience and easier one. Follow us on Instagram: @coffee.break.podcast E-mail us: [email protected]

A Tale of Three Methods: In this episode, we deviate a bit from our scheduled episodes based on your feedback. We used this episode to spend a bit more time discussing the 3 methods (aside from coffee machine) that we mentioned two episodes ago (Coffee on a Budget). So, we delve into the Aeropress, French Press, and Moka Pot to discuss what are the differences in brewing and results when you use these methods. Follow us on Instagram: @coffee.break.podcast E-mail us: [email protected]

Jose made a little mistake and uploaded the wrong episode audio file. This week's episode was supposed to be "A Tale of Three Methods" in which we delve deeper into the three methods we've mentioned in our previous episode. But, since a few folks have already listened to the audio, well just keep this audio and release "A Tale of Three Methods" in two weeks.  We apologize for the confusion! So, on to this episode... Roasts Explained: We go into the different coffee roasts available, what do...

This is our first episode in a multi-part series we're calling "Beans for Beginners".  Coffee on a Budget: In this episode we cover tips and tricks for getting good coffee while not breaking the bank. We cover the methods that we've used starting up that have yielded good results and that you can hopefully try out too without making a big investment.  Follow us on Instagram: @coffee.break.podcast  E-mail us: [email protected]

We  introduce you to our new podcast and what it's all about. Then, we each go over our coffee journeys and how we got to loving coffee so much today. We discuss the cultural aspects of our upbringing that introduced us to coffee and how that exposure evolved as we grew up in the United States. NOTE: This episode is a bit longer than our intended regular episode length. We just felt we needed to share more with y'all.