Let's Talk The Fermentation Project | Ep. 40

This week we sit down with the Fermentation Project coffees, a collaboration between James Hoffmann and Lucia Solis, and taste four processing methods from the same Guatemalan farm side by side. Along the way we get into what fermentation, inoculation, infusion, and co-fermentation actually mean, and how we feel about all of it. Check out the Fermentation Tasting Events at Mundos on Friday (10/9 at HQ) and Saturday (10/10 at 305)Fermentation Explained: https://youtu.be/Iq34gq2ihMk?si=kn_nGGG70RFFzpdRFermentation Project Livestream: https://youtu.be/Iy8m7AbZVm0?si=7PdUbXYIZrxCYEyDGrab a box set: https://www.mundosroastingco.com/coffee/p/fermentation-box-set0:00 Intro0:48 What Is the Fermentation Project?2:39 Mundos Tasting Event5:32 Wild Fermentation7:36 Mechanical Demucilage9:10 Lactobacillus Inoculated10:46 Yeast Inoculated13:40 Favorites and Standouts19:44 Why Coffee Is Fermented22:52 Co-Ferment vs. Infusion vs. Inoculation29:07 Our Take on Co-Ferments35:07 Coffee Culture and Quality41:29 Wrap-Up

This week we're doing a deep dive on the AeroPress. Where it came from, why it's stuck around for so long, and why we still think it deserves a spot on every coffee bar. It's different enough from a pourover or espresso, we share our go-to recipes.Nic's AeroPress RecipeInverted1:8.4 ratio25g Coffee210°F (99°C)00:00 - 00:20: Carefully pour to 150gScrew on cap Singular gentle swirl, incoroporating all the grounds.01:05: Flip AeroPressSlowly press without overpressing until all water has left the puckAdd 60g bypassEnjoy!https://aeropress.com0:00 Intro0:41 Forgotten AeroPresses3:34 The AeroPress4:35 What Zero Bypass Means7:07 Origin Story: Alan Adler and the Aerobie9:32 The AeroPress Go11:14 The AeroPress Clear16:28 The AeroPress XL17:59 The AeroPress Premium (Glass)22:32 What Makes the AeroPress Unique28:56 Nic's AeroPress Recipe35:49 Iced AeroPress?41:01 Is It a Must-Have?43:11 The AeroPress Stainless Steel51:17 Wrap Up

New to Specialty Coffee? You're in the right place. On today's episode we go over the 3 stages we'd point anyone towards; Cafe, Learning and Home Brewing. Along the way we get into why "acquired taste" isn't a real argument against a coffee, what to order first, and how much you actually need to spend to brew well at home.Books and resources mentioned:The World Atlas of Coffee by James Hoffmanhttps://www.amazon.com/World-Atlas-Coffee-3rd-explained/dp/1784729868/ref=sr_1_1Cafe Imports ed+uhttps://edubycafeimports.thinkific.comGear:Fellow Stagg EKG Kettlehttps://fellow.sjv.io/kettleBaratza Encore ESPhttps://www.baratza.com/en-us/product/encoretm-esp-zcg495Fellow Opus 2https://fellow.sjv.io/opus-2Hario v60https://www.hario-usa.com/products/vd-01tKalita Wavehttps://kalitausa.com/products/kalita-wave-185-stainless-steel-coffee-dripperFellow Espresso Series 1https://fellow.sjv.io/series-1Meraki Espresso Machinehttps://tidd.ly/4ukKTDh0:00 Intro1:11 Drinking Cortados Tonight3:25 Getting Into Specialty Coffee4:52 You Don't Have to "Acquire" a Taste7:56 Stage 1: The Cafe9:12 What to Look For in a Good Cafe13:01 Talk to Your Barista14:13 The Free Coffee Bet16:00 Milk Drinks vs. Filter Coffee23:58 Start a Coffee Notebook30:34 Stage 2: Learning36:20 Stage 3: Home Brewing39:09 Building a Budget Setup45:33 Why Water Matters48:35 Dialing In Your Recipe53:26 Knowing What You Like55:16 The Best Cup of Coffee57:50 Wrap Up

We catch up after a short break, recap Roast Retreat 2026 in Detroit, run through a wave of new coffees currently at Mundos, and share details on the Fermentation Project.Fermentation Box Set: https://www.mundosroastingco.com/coffee/p/fermentation-box-setJames Hoffmann Fermentation Project Video: https://youtu.be/Iq34gq2ihMk?si=B3W4Q_zYt2HF2jH5Podium Coffee Club: https://tidd.ly/4qo2NCs0:00 The Fermentation Project0:33 Intro4:43 What We're Drinking8:20 Coffee Bag Design Talk12:21 Roast Retreat 2026 Recap20:30 What's New at Mundos22:31 Tangent: Why Cold Drinks Taste Sweeter32:37 Rabbit Hole43:39 What is The Fermentation Project?53:44 Box Set, Tasting Event59:22 Outro

We tackle one of coffee's most argued-about habits: rinsing your paper filter before you brew. Through a series of taste tests, we try to figure out whether it actually changes anything in the cup, or if it's just something we all do out of habit.Do you rinse your paper filter before brewing?0:00 Intro1:23 Does Rinsing Your Filter Matter? 3:19 Setting Up Test 6:56 Tasting the Rinse Water 12:19 Do Different Filters Change the Outcome? 15:17 Does Pre-Wetting Affect Filtration? 17:01 Hot Rinse vs Cold Rinse 24:42 What We're Drinking 32:00 Brewing the Real Test 41:56 Blind Taste Test: V60 47:26 Round Two: Kalita 54:20 What Actually Caused the Difference?

Gabe Boscana has spent 26 years in specialty coffee, from barista at Gimme! Coffee to National Roasting Manager at Intelligentsia, Green Coffee Director at Sightglass, founder of his own roastery Máquina, and now Green Coffee Buyer at Bellwether Coffee. In this episode, we sit down with Gabe to talk about what it really means to buy green coffee, why the C-Market doesn't tell the full story, and what cafe owners need to understand about where their coffee actually comes from. One of the more honest conversations we've had on this show.0:00 Intro 0:57 Gabe's 26-Year Career in Specialty Coffee 3:19 What Drew Gabe to Green Coffee Buying 12:06 The Real Impact of Fair Prices on Farmers 16:58 Should Roasters Rename Coffees to Make Them Marketable? 22:11 Curating Bellwether's Coffee Marketplace 35:06 Why Coffee Costs What It Costs 42:43 How the Rising C-Market Affected Quality 48:56 What New Roasters Underestimate 59:04 What Cafe Owners Should Understand About Green Coffee 59:46 If Gabe Could Change One Thing About Pricing 

Batch espresso scares us. Not because it's bad, but because what if it's actually good? When Valor Coffee posted that they were testing batch espresso, it got us thinking about the "shots die" rule and whether any of that actually holds up in a blind taste test.We get into the tradeoffs, the perception problem on the cafe side, and what you're really giving up when you pull the barista further from the drink. What We're Drinking: https://www.mundosroastingco.com/coffee/p/colombia-cesar-ledesma-pink-bourbonSay hi: [email protected]:00 Intro02:29 What We're Drinking10:14 Valor Coffee11:35 The Batched Espresso Dillemma13:44 Blind taste test16:00 First Attempt20:15 Round 222:52 Results27:31 Batch Espresso vs. Cold Brew Concentrate32:03 Speed, Quality, Perception34:20 The Barista Experience37:39 Wrap Up

Meraki Gen 2: https://tidd.ly/4ukKTDhPodium Coffee Club: https://tidd.ly/4qo2NCsWe got our hands on the Meraki Gen 2 espresso machine and have been using it daily. Built-in grinder, dual boiler, integrated scales for both grinding and brewing. On paper it has everything. In this episode we share our honest first impressions, break down what makes it stand out, and compare it to other machines in the same price range. Meraki sent us this machine but did not sponsor this video. Full review coming soon.0:00 Intro1:33 Are We Espresso or Milk?6:33 Podium Coffee Club7:07 What We're Drinking8:21 Potato Defect Tangent9:40 Tasting the Coffee10:50 Meraki Gen 213:08 Ease of Use & Build Quality14:02 What's Included in the Box16:06 Meraki vs ES118:10 Built-In Grinder19:35 Integrated Scales25:10 Dual Boiler Benefits29:09 Steam Wand Performance33:10 Temperature Probe & Auto-Stop Feature39:04 Menu Settings & Customization41:51 Pre-Infusion Settings43:39 The Car Analogy: Where Does the Meraki Fit?45:21 Who Is This Machine For?47:04 What's Coming Next

Morgan Eckroth: 2022 US Barista Champion, content creator, and Onyx Coffee Lab team member, sits down with us for an honest conversation about what it takes to compete at the highest level of coffee, how she builds signature drinks from scratch, and why hospitality is the thing she cares about most. Find Morgan at @morgandrinkscoffee on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and on Substack at Coffee for Here.0:31 Introductions1:41 What We're Drinking4:33 Who is Morgan Eckroth?7:40 What is the US Barista Championship?10:03 How Morgan Prepares for Competition12:17 Bringing Competition Drinks to Cafes14:06 Coffee Meets Cocktail Culture16:49 Morgan's Creative Process20:20 Culinary Influences in Coffee21:29 Widening the Lens Beyond Coffee22:44 From Barista to Career24:10 When Coffee Became More Than a Job25:55 Making Competition Accessible27:40 The Power of Coffee Community29:46 Advice for Aspiring Competitors33:39 Defining Your Own Success34:53 Morgan's Favorite Drink37:44 Savory & Umami in Coffee40:31 Fostering Creativity in Your Cafe42:30 Barista League & Lowering Barriers43:47 How to Start Preparing Now45:25 The Future of Specialty Coffee47:18 The Importance of Hospitality49:19 Where to Find Morgan

Fellow Espresso Series 1: https://fellow.sjv.io/series-1We've had some time with the Fellow ES1. Enough to move past first impressions and actually talk about it. In this episode we get into everyday home use, steaming, shot consistency, the price conversation, and where we think home espresso is heading. ☕️ What We're DrinkingColombia Finca El Chaferote II from Prodigal Coffee RoastersAiden Profile: https://brew.link/p/8jC2Firmware video: https://youtu.be/2CS3TP-9aBE?si=Gv7b46Kch5plRh4c0:00 - Open1:12 - Intro2:53 - What We're Drinking7:24 - Owning the ES18:35 - Milk Steaming10:33 - Full-size steam wand & drip tray thoughts13:04 - Shot-to-shot consistency at home15:18 - Why the ES1?18:43 - App Integration Ideas19:26 - The Bluetooth Lever Tangent22:17 - Rabbit Hole26:16 - Features we want to see fixed/added27:30 - The hidden hot water spout.33:46 - Who should (and shouldn't) buy this machine38:33 - The home espresso grinder gap41:22 - Fellow Opus 2 first thoughts46:03 - Where home espresso is heading49:34 - Outro