In this listener Q&A episode we talk about: How to use ThermoshockDoes drying pull sugar out of the seed?What labels are important on a coffee bag?How do I prepare my coffee?How to know if you've hit "The One" on a fermentation trialHow do citrus flavors get into coffee?How did a coffee from Panama fool a listener into thinking it came from Ethiopia? RESOURCES Inquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps:...

In this new episode I talk about: A review of how dry process and wet process are differenthow microbes get into our fermentationsWhat I look for in a coffee label, 4 key elementshow I’ve changed my mind about descriptive processing labelsstudies showing contradictory results when they look at altitude in different countries. The Altitude of Coffee Cultivation Causes Shifts in the Microbial Community Assembly and Biochemical Compounds in Natural Induced Anaerobic...

In this new episode with Natali we talk about: Growing up in a coffee producing country, but finding coffee later in lifeFalling into the specialty coffee rabbit holeThe challenges of running a small business while keeping full time jobsDirect trade, fair trade and single originHow Natali chooses what information to put on her roasted coffee bagsWhy Decaf is important for night owls & coffee loversEducating new marketsRESOURCES Inquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation...

You cannot utter a sentence about Vietnam specialty coffee without including the name Will Frith.   In this new episode we talk about: Will’s journey from a coffee purist to being more reasonableMeeting people where they areThe importance of a middle class to support a new coffee categoryWill’s rule of thumb for cheap coffeeWhat he drinks in the morningBeing careful to not bring a western mindset to VietnamFrench occuption and the resulting mash-up cultureRESOURCES Inquiries about coffee...

Today I bring you a long overdue second conversation with Pranoy from Kerehaklu in India. His first appearance on the podcast was EP#34 in May 2021 I have been wanting to catch up with Pranoy for more than 2 years, and after spending a week together processing coffee and learning we were able to sit down in Jakarta after the intense week of FTC and talk.  In this new episode we talk about: How he has found new markets to export his coffeeAdvice for producers attending coffee Expos like SCA...

Today I bring you a conversation with an extraordinary producer: Rani from Java Halu in Indonesia. I do not use this word lightly. Rani is a truly exceptional person and my new coffee crush. I met her because she was the only woman who attended FTC Indonesia in June. Each previous FTC has been minimum 50% female, this is very important to me because so many coffee spaces are still very male dominated.  During our plan for FTC Indonesia, I handed over many of the logistics to the Bandung...

The conversation with Tom Owen is wide ranging, but one main theme we talk about is coffee travel and tourism. How the host and guest dynamics play out including the unintentional burden we may be placing on coffee producers when we visit them. Its an interesting time to be reflecting on the role of travel in coffee, since I just had a major trip to teach coffee fermentation. You’ll hear Tom bring this up when he asks me about FTC being a form of advanced tourism.  Sweet Maria’s is an...

In this conversation I got to ask him how he feels differently about the coffee industry since our last conversation. I highly recommend you listen to Ep #27 first, or as a refresher because we refer to that conversation frequently in this episode In this episode I follow up with him on his thoughts on: coffee certifications and competitionshis relationship with social media and sharing on redditre-investing in the farmlabor availability, what a coffee picker makes in a day in his...

In this episode we talk about: Carbonic Maceration in winemakingCarbonic Maceration in coffee and best guidelines to followHow to process Robusta differently than ArabicaBenefits of fermentation in coffee fruit vs green seed modificationSupport the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal Sign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures. Resources Modifying Robusta coffee aroma...

Vava Instagram Website Coffee Milk Blood Book Paula Instagram Website Lowell Instagram Website Frankie Instagram Christopher Feran Blog Resources: Sign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures. Support the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts. And if you don't want to commit, you can show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal

  Some of the questions I cover on today's episode involve: -how do fruit added fermentations differ from microbe inoculation? -my stance on the usefulness/benefits of probiotics -can we taste yeast in the cup? -what is the future of fermentation for the specialty coffee industry? -we typically ferment cherries or wet parchment but what about fermenting green coffee? -what is honey osmotic dehydration -how can consumers navigate coffee labels when "fermented" coffee produces a wide range of...

In this episode we talk about: Coffee production in KenyaThe similarities between latin and african coffee productionHow we consumers perceive coffee producers vs how coffee producers would like to be seenThe success paradox, when too much financial success can turn off some buyers Resources: Support the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal Sign up for the newsletter for behind the...

Today’s episode is a little different. I am sharing a conversation that I had with Katrien of OR Coffee, A specialty coffee roastery & training center in Belgium. This episode is a little different because I’m not interviewing her, She actually interviewed me for her new podcast, Puur Koffie.  Fermentation Training Camp: January 2023 OR Coffee Website   OR Coffee Instagram Puur Koffie Podcast Cafesmo

In this episode we talk about: Plastic Grocery bags vs PaperRwanda's Plastic Bag banCoffee Processing GlossaryPower dynamics in coffee buyingSupport the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal Sign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures. Resources Life Cycle of Bags 128 Page Report NYT Article - New Jersey Bag Ban NYT - Brad Plumer "Paper or Plastic" NYT- The Cotton Tote...

In this episode we talk about: The months of making EP 44Gas Station Cuisine$17 cup of Yemeni coffeeA winemaker's role and a coffee maker's roleFormula 1 Racing, go karts and TennisWhat does it mean to love coffee?Support the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal Sign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures. Resources: Cover Art by: Nick Hafner Intro song: Elijah Bisbee

In this episode we talk about: Coffee consulting in BrazilWhat is a quakerMatching coffee processing with roasting How Eystein roasts high and low density seedsExtraction and Brewing techniques to maximize acidityHow Eystein would prepare a coffee to show off orange, chocolaty notes Preparing our bodies and palate to be more sensitive to flavorsSupport the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution:...

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? Flavor 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 this...

In this episode we talk about: The class system in ColombiaSpecialty coffee shops in coffee producing countriesExtended fermentations, 500 hoursGermination of dry processed coffees, what is going on?Overview of the role of amino acidsHow do we measure stress in coffee cherries?Stressed grapes vs stressed coffee cherriesSupport the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal Sign up for the...

In this episode we talk about: The long geographical chain of custody for a cup of coffeeWhy do wet process and dry process coffees taste differentlyCoffee seeds: orthodox vs. recalcitrant seedThe yeast metabolism case for quality vs the plant metabolism case for qualityCacao seed germination vs coffee seed germination  Support the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal Sign up for the...

In this episode we talk about: Crossing borders on footMy recent trip to Guatemala and Honduras w/ 2 new producer clientsBrewing coffee as a love poemHow instant coffee has a similar problem to instant cake mixesWhen is effort a virtue and when is it a drawback? Support the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal Sign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes...

Welcome to the first episode of the new year and season 3. In this episode we talk about: If sugar follows the direct of water flow, does sugar evaporate out as coffee dries?The difference between sugar in mucilage and inside the seed.Can sugar be a preservative?The benefits and drawbacks of adding cascara to the fermentationHow to inoculate for freeHow to control the fermentation in a hot environment vs a cold one. Support the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts. And if you...

As many of you know, we've started doing live hang out after the episodes on Discord a week after the podcast comes out. I find this valuable because I get to hear from listeners and we create our own podcast after the podcast together. In the most recent gathering I had Felipe, Jose and Lucas from Ep 38 on the discussion so listeners of the podcast could ask them questions directly. A few things stuck out to me from that conversation that I want to share here because what started as a fun...

Today's episode features Lucas, a Patron and exporter with Unblended who sold a Kombucha coffee. I invited him and the producers he works with, Felipe and Jose to talk about their experience reverse engineering a $5 castillo. They started with the end goal in mind, the picked the price, the flavor profile they wanted and then created a process to hit their target. In this episode you'll hear from 3 passionate coffee professionals about: What a successful relationship looks like between...

Today I am joined by Jamie Isetts, Sourcing Consultant.  In this episode we cover: What a green buyer doesHow Jamie became a green buyerHow to organize a coffee contractCommunication red flags between producers and green buyersStrategies for long lasting relationshipsGet in touch with Jamie Isetts Support the show on Patreon And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal Sign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures. Cover Art by:...