134 | What It Takes To Compete in US Brewers Cup

We continue our podcast series on how to level up in coffee. In this episode, we're diving into what that looks like for baristas. We cover things like going above and beyond in your job, paying close attention to what happens behind the bar, why might need to leave your current job, and so much more. This episode gets very practical for baristas and sets you up to grow in your craft. Shop Our Coffee: https://bit.ly/36gPLRU Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/

We're starting a podcast series on how to level up in coffee. This series is all about what we can do as those working in the coffee industry to get better at our craft. We're hoping this series is filled with practical steps that you can start making immediately in your coffee journey. This episode is an introduction and general overview of how we're approaching leveling up and covering the basics. In the following episodes, we'll go very specific into unique rolls and positions in the industry.

A little less than 50% of businesses fail in their first five years. As we approach 5 years as a business, we're reevaluating where we're at, whether or not we want to keep doing this, and what it will take to keep going for the next five years. In this episode, we give a few pointers for reevaluating your coffee businesses and how to decide when to quit.

Taboo coffee orders. The drinks you get on a rare occasion that you don't want to be caught secretly really enjoying. In all seriousness though, does it have to be that way? Do syrups in drinks have to be looked upon? In this episode we take about some of our taboo coffee orders and the role specialty beverages play in coffee shops!

There's been a lot of buzz around co-fermented coffees lately. With new regulations allowing these coffees to be used in competition, it's becoming increasingly controversial as the industry opens its doors to this processing method. Despite progress in this direction, it's not coming without a lot of push back. In this episode, we talk about what folks are saying as well as sharing our take on co-fermented coffees.

It's SCA Expo season! Unfortunately, we weren't able to make it, but we did hear all the talk about the latest coffee gear released this year. We have thoughts. In this episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions, we cover some of the releases that stood out to us at SCA Expo 2024.

Most coffee shops offer pastries with their beverages, and it's becoming popular to have a breakfast food menu as well. Is having a food menu necessary? In this episode, we talk about some of the great experiences we've had at coffee shops as well as what are some of the businesses pros and cons of serving a food menu.

Narrative Coffee, here in WA, models excellence very well. Everything from their coffee program to their food menu is refined for a very pleasant experience. Alex Scariotta, the new owner of Narrative Coffee, shares more about what it they're doing at Narrative, his personal story of growth in coffee, and how important it is to build an exceptional team in coffee.

Starting a coffee shop or a coffee roastery are both challenging and a risk. After having started a roasting company and helped owners start cafes, we've noticed some of the differences between these two coffee businesses. In this episode, we take apart the pros and cons of starting both a coffee shop and a roasting company.

This past week, decaf coffee got the spotlight and it happened to be at the US Brewers Cup Championship. The 2024 USBrC winner, Weihong Zhang, wins first place competing with a decaf coffee. This is a huge turning point to see decaf crush at a competition and it wasn't even a Gesha! In this podcast episode, we talk about decaf, where we see this going, and some of our favorite decaf coffees we've had in the past.