This episode developed thanks to Nick, who thought it would be a good time to revisit a bit of my history in coffee to reconnect with long-time listeners, and to share a bit more about myself with new listeners. We started this podcast about 6 years ago, and if you've been through all 72 episodes, you probably have a good idea about my coffee philosophies. But I also know that not everyone enjoys, or maybe even has the time to go back and start at the very beginning of a podcast. So we thought it would be a good opportunity to give you a bit of my coffee origin story, and a manifesto of sorts, all under one roof.Resources:Inquiries about coffee sales or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.Cover Art by: Nick HafnerIntro song: Elijah Bisbee

Today's episode offers a behind the scenes view of how I approach a coffee producer's first time using yeast for their coffee fermentations.We run through all of the potential variables to pay attention to when designing your first trials with commercial microbes. From cost of production to work-flow and data collection.This conversation was recorded during a recent Office Hours session through our private Discord community. If you would like to be a part of this community, join Patreon and come participate in the discussion.View the decision flow-chart hereResources:Inquiries about coffee sales or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.Cover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee

Resources:Inquiries about coffee sales or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.Cover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee

Some of the questions in this episode:What typically happens to the water, along with cascara and whatever else is part of a fermentation, after the fermentation has been completed?Cascara is sometimes processed into a secondary product, cascara tea. Are there other secondary products that are made?As a roaster, what should we put on our bags to better point towards the farm?What's the consensus on adding flavor descriptors to bags? Do or don't?How can I store coffee cherry for 2–3 days without creating high damage?Resources:Inquiries about coffee sales or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.Cover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee

This episode is a final harvest update and the behind the scenes of performing whole cherry fermentation with various microbes in an attempt to create a Dry Process/Natural coffee that I want to drink.Resources:Inquiries about coffee sales or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.Cover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee

I have wanted to make this episode for a long time, but I wasn't sure how to make it work. Finally some research for Dr. Flavio Borem helped crack the topic for me and the result is today's new episode. Things we discuss on this episode:Washed processed that tastes like a naturalProcess-forward coffees, funky coffeeNeutral processing The need for speed, & gentle dryingDrying is not just removing waterBiggest producer mistakes, not upgrading the dryingFallacy of terroir 

In this episode we talk about:How Ana decided to join the family business after pursuing a career in art.The advantages and drawback of growing coffee in a "Full Sun" system.The future of coffee picking and the role of Mechanical Harvesters.Brazil's 6 different biomes.How technology helped Brazil  jump from 6 coffee bags/hectare in 1960 to 29 bags/hectare in 2023How climate change has affected the cropHow Precision Agriculture is helping the farm use resources efficientlyTattoos!ResourcesAna's Precision Agriculture Presentation on Coffee Knowledge Hub (you will need to make an account but it's free!)Anacafe Presentation on Price Volatility (by Albert Scalla in Spanish)Picture of Mechanical HarvesterInstagram

I was going to create a new episode about Infused vs Inoculated Coffees, but much of what we established back in Episode #39 is still relevant. So I am pulling a Taylor Swift and going to re-release a new version of episode 39, keeping what still works and adding some new perspectives from the last 3 years. In this episode I talk about:The sugar and acid additions that French and California winemakers useHow adding mango to a fermentation tank is completely different from adding passion fruit or citrusHow to tell when a coffee is infused with a flavorCinnamon flavor in a coffeeInoculation vs Infusion vs Co-FermentationThe role of enzymes in removing mucilageGravity!Inquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.Cover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee

On today's episode I will be updating you on the coffee we made this harvest season and speaking of the importance of blends.If you’ve listened to even 1 other episode of this podcast, you’ll know that I'm usually trying to discourage the coffee industry from blindly adopting wine culture. Usually I share my thoughts that adopting a wine model benefits consumers more than producers and further accentuates inequality between the coffee buyers and coffee producers. Usually I believe the wine mode does more harm than good.But here is a rare occasion where I think coffee could truly benefit from the wine model.In this episode I talk about:Identity shift from a wine person to a coffee personWhy coffee could benefit from adopting the wine vintage modelHow I approach blending coffee lots in the seasonIs Coffee Hunter an outdated term?My risky coffee sales strategyInquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.Cover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee

This episode also comes on the heels of our recent trip to London. Our very first stop was the Nagare coffee shop in Shoreditch in North London. Nick and I do what we usually do when we step into a coffee shop and order the pour overs. They had 2 different coffees on the menu for a pour over so we got one of each and sat back at our cute little table in a cozy cafe, and it was only when we looked down at our empty Kinto ceramic cups that we finally realized we had paid 18£ ($23 dollars!) for 2 small cups of black coffee.I experienced sticker shock because we have been living on farms in Colombia and Guatemala for the last 4 years and we are very out of touch with big city prices. I knew London was going to be expensive but I was not emotionally prepared to spend $11/cup on our daily coffee.Nick and I needed more coffee that morning but if we got 2 more cups at Nagare, we would be close to $50 and we hadn’t even had breakfast yet. In my head, a voice was saying, dang $11 is an expensive cup of coffee. And then immediately another voice said, hold on.... "don’t we want the price of a cup of coffee to rise?"Aren't low coffee prices a big part of the problem with our supply chain?The conversation about the price of a cup of coffee is one I have often. What should coffee cost? Who gets to set the price? How does price reflect value?The conversation about price and value is often at the forefront of my mind because there is such a disparity between what a coffee producer gets paid for growing and processing the coffee and what a consumer pays for a cup of coffee made from their raw material.Resources:https://www.macrotrends.net/2535/coffee-prices-historical-chart-datahttps://ourcountrygarden.co.uk/british-gardening-statistics/https://www.carelink24.org/doctors-prescribe-gardening/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/02/21/headway/peat-carbon-climate-change.htmlInquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.Cover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee

Today I bring you a third installment with Pranoy from Kerehaklu. In this new episode we talk about:The pros and cons of commercial strains vs wild microbesThe over-complication of fermentationsThe drawback of high altitude farmingThe drawback of honey processAn alternative to adding fruit to your tank Terroir vs Ecological nichePranoy's approach to cultivating his local microbesAnd much more... RESOURCES#56: Finding Work/Life Balance as a Coffee Producer w/ Pranoy Thipaiah from Kerehaklu in India#34: Robusta, Tropical Fruits and Mechanical Drying. Visiting India w/ Pranoy of KerehakluInquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.To connect with Pranoy:Pranoy's InstagramKerehaklu InstagramWebsiteCover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee

RESOURCESInquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comBoss Barista SubstackBoss Barista PodcastSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.Cover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee

 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?RESOURCESInquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comhttps://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/13/1920 forEffect of Six Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains on Physicochemical Characteristics, Antioxidant Activities and Sensory Properties of Fermented Orange Juiceshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740002021000538 for Production of volatile compounds by wild-type yeasts in a natural olive-derived culture mediumSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.Cover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee

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 FermentationsRESOURCESInquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.Cover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee

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 marketsRESOURCESInquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.To connect with Natali:InstagramWebsiteCover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee

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 cultureRESOURCESInquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comVietnam: A New Vocabulary VideoSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.To connect with Will Frith:InstagramWebsiteCover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee

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 2021I 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 and MICEThe impact of climate change on his farm, including the changing monsoon season.His approach to biodiversity.How Covid revived an interest in Indian farm lifeThe lingering prejudices of the Indian caste systemHow Australian culture has influenced his life philosophyRESOURCESInquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.To connect with Pranoy:Pranoy's InstagramKerehaklu InstagramWebsiteCover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee

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 Coffee Exchange team. It was only after 23 tickets were sold that I looked at the roaster and saw 22 males and 1 female. I thought this might make Rani a bit shy but I couldn’t have been more wrong. In this episode we talk about:How her past influences her presenthow she developed her business acumenturning waste into new moneycivet coffee without civetsthe contradiction of “specialty wet-hulled” coffeewhy women are important to the sucess of her businessthe importance of getting research out of the lab and into the farmsRESOURCESInquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.To connect with Rani:Rani's Instagram Java Halu InstagramWebsiteLeo and Lisa Cover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee

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 incredible resource for curious coffee nerds who want to learn about home roasting basics, green coffee quality, roast profiles and cupping. The website has an extensive coffee library and resource page, so I highly recommend you check it out if these topics interest you. In this episode we talk about:why he keeps traveling to coffee farms after 26 yearswhat is the role of travel in coffee when can we use Zoom & WhatsApp instead of hopping on a planewhat is his approach to sourcing coffeehow he is like a personal shopperetiquette when visiting a producer, what questions to ask ourselves before we visitthe coffee hunter trope and caricatures of our industryRESOURCESSweet Maria's Podcast episode #38-#39Inquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps: info.luxiacoffee@gmail.comSupport the show on Patreon  to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos.And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPalSign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures.To connect with Tom:Instagraminfo@sweetmarias.comCover Art by: Nick HafnerInto song: Elijah Bisbee