The CoffeeGeek Podcast

Intro - Tom’s Diner, Suzanne Vega (0:06) If you’re in town this weekend, be sure to visit the Canadian Coffee and Tea Expo and Canadian National Barista Competition, September 24 – 25. (1:25) Interviews (2:03) Tom Owen, Sweet Maria’s (3:08) Tom is profiled in the September/October issue of Imbibe Magazine. - Sweet Maria’s web site: unpretentious and all about what’s in the cup, where thousands of home roasters got their start (3:23) - Exotic coffees: the story of St. Helena coffee, the perception of coffee as culinary, and the growing demand for specialty coffee (5:50) - Sweet Maria’s purchase of Best of Panama 2006 coffees, including the Hacienda la Esmeralda Gesha at the record-breaking price of $50.25/lb (12:56) - Sweet Maria’s home roaster mailing list and the development of coffee communities (18:21) - Coming soon to Sweet Maria’s: Late harvest Esmeralda Gesha to be offered at about $16/lb and a fantastic dry processed Yirgacheffe Idido Misty Valley (28:22) Karen Foley, publisher of Imbibe Magazine (43:39) - The Tom Owen profile (44:34) - Imbibe’s coverage of coffee and readers' response to Mark’s article on french press coffee (48:00) - Mark’s espresso article in the September/October issue and a contest for future articles (see entry rules below) (51:49) - Coming up in the next issue: holiday drinks and gift guides; an article on Prague; coffee origins by Richard Reynolds (1:01:11) - The response to the magazine from the coffee communities and other beverage-related communities (1:03:03) - Comment on Imbibe at their new blog or order a subscription through their web site (1:08:14) Mystery Guest Interview! (1:12:26) - Cafés and coffeehouses in the ‘50s and ‘60s (1:13:45) - Milk (1:19:25) - Mark’s secret shame exposed: Maxwell House instant, pre-ground Folger’s, and blade grinders (1:23:23) - “If I want blueberries in my coffee, I’ll put blueberries in my coffee!” (1:32:22) - The 20 oz cup (1:33:56) Outro – Tom’s Diner, Michigan and Smiley (1:46:02)

Show Notes Black Gold, Superautos and More with Mark and Beata This episode brought to you by 1stincoffee.com, your one-stop shop for anything and everything espresso or coffee related! Intro - Tom’s Diner by Suzanne Vega (0:11) New coffees we’ve tried lately   - West Coast Roasting’s Espresso Torro (4:04) - Intelligentsia’s Kid O is back! (7:21) - Ecco Caffè’s Bolivian 2005 Cup of Excellence and Daterra Espresso (7:57) - Novo Coffee’s wild forest coffees (9:53) Black Gold – Mark and Beata’s review (11:07) - Starbucks’ portrayal in the movie (12:27) - The rise in the New York “C” price  (14:04) - Tadesse Meskela of the Oromia Coffee Farmers’ Coop and building schools in Ethiopia (16:53) - A few criticisms (19:18) New espresso machine news! - La Marzocco GS3 – delivery dates have gone out (23:04) - Krups’ new superauto coming out this fall (26:34) Contest results!  (37:18) - Haiku contest winner: Jeremey Barrett of Sugar Land, Texas (37:43) - Zoka DVD contest winner: Travis from Bellingham, Washington (email us by 9/12!) (39:31) News about CoffeeGeek (40:16) - A fix to the forum search functionality is in the works (40:22) - The Marketplace, a place for advertisers to announce their latest products, is coming (41:19) - The annual Holiday Gift List is returning (hopefully) in mid-November (43:05) Mark’s latest magazine articles - City Food, Restaurant coffee and Mark’s challenge (45:15) - Imbibe Magazine, Espresso 101 (51:43) Wrap up (53:53) - Next podcast: the Imbibe Magazine episode Outro  – Tom’s? by Michael Stipe

Show Notes Massive Email Show with Beata, Live to Tape! Featuring two prize Giveaways! Two prize giveaways are buried in the show - the excellent "Zoka Way" Instructional DVD for home baristas, and an autographed copy of "Cafe Haiku" – listen to the podcast for details on how to win! Deadline is August 31, 2006, and entries should be sent to beata.s at coffeegeek dotter com. The questions: - What is a “sweet” shot of espresso? (2:00) Mark talks about supertasters, the characteristics of a sweet shot of espresso, and what might cause excessive bitterness.(4:03) - I need a grinder for $100 to $120 US, can you recommend some options? (7:39) Mark suggests a Solis Maestro Classic or Solis Maestro Plus for that price point, but his real recommendation is – don’t skimp on a grinder! (8:31) - I get iced coffee at Ritual Coffee, it’s everything I wish iced coffee could be! Could you explain how to make this? (10:30) Mark describes two devices for cold brewing made by Hario and Toddy and gives his recipe for iced americanos. (11:22) - Where can I get a replacement for the frothing tip on my Francis! Francis! X1? (16:11) The frothing aid tip is proprietary and can’t be removed easily, but Mark discovered that there is a way to produce latte art quality microfoam with the froth aider. (16:50) - How can I develop my ability to accurately taste coffees and describe what we are tasting? (19:32) Mark suggests the Le Nez du Café kits from the SCAA, if price is no object, or a simpler method: visit a farmers’ market. (20:27) - Do you have any ideas for home roasting single origin coffees for espresso? (23:40) Mark, who is anti-single-origin espresso, suggests creating an espresso blend using different roast levels with the same coffee. (26:35) - A suggestion for a future podcast – discuss coffee house culture in other cities, especially Montreal. (30:22) Mark names streets in Montreal known for their really cool cafés and recommends one café in particular: Caffe Art Java. (31:20) - Why use anything but a perfectly flat tamper? (33:10) Mark discusses the theories behind convex bottoms, Euro curves, American curves and the C Flat, and his work with Reg Barber on a new tamper design. (33:49) - Where does Kona stand in the world of specialty coffee? (37:51) Mark buys Kona directly from Smith Farms, but cautions that the name Kona doesn’t guarantee quality. Too delicate for an espresso blend, Kona can be memorable when brewed in a vac pot. Find a small farmer and buy green from them direct. (38:48)

Show Notes Today’s Special Guests: Stephen Morrissey and Jen (0:33) - Stephen is a barista trainer and apprentice roaster for Bewley’s in Dublin and Jen is his lovely girlfriend! (2:56) - Stephen’s assessment of Ireland’s current café culture and where it’s going (4:54) - Stephen lists some good cafés in Ireland: Avoca Café, Bewley’s, Karl Purdy’s cart, Donnybrook Fair, and Dunne and Crescenzi; and Mark talks about Danny, an altie in England who operates a propane-run 3-group Gaggia lever machine on his coffee cart (8:40) - Stephen’s first modelling job – for Mark’s upcoming Imbibe Magazine article (12:50) - Stephen’s reaction to home espresso machines and the Solis SL-70 in particular (13:42) - Steaming milk, froth aiders, crema enhancers, and consumers today (14:52) - Latte art and drink quality (17:46) - Mark says Marzocco the dog can activate the steam wand on a La Marzocco! - Places Stephen’s checking out while he’s here: Wicked Café and Intelligentsia Coffee (22:37) - Jen’s impressions of the café scene here as opposed to Ireland and wireless vs. non-wireless (24:25)

Show Notes Intro (0:40) - Where are episodes 40 and 41? (0:46) - This episode sponsored by Whole Latte Love! (1:29) - Leave us voicemails! (2:20) Today’s Special Guest: Arthur Wynne (3:36) - From carpentry to coffee, Sydney, 1997-1998 (4:23) - The move to Ireland and Bewley’s, 2004 (7:12) - The coffee scene in Dublin today; how it compares to the rest of Europe and Australia (9:52) - James Hoffman’s WBC signature drink(14:59) - Bern: WBC accreditation (16:55); the show floor, meeting coffee people (18:15); the city of Bern (22:25) - Latte art championship: how Arthur learned, his first good pour, his strategy for Berne (23:25) - What Mark loved about Bern – meeting people with a passion for all things coffee (30:09) - Arthur and Mark’s latte art tips for consumers – talk to your barista, texturing milk, the process step-by-step (31:29) - Whole Latte Love’s latte art contest (40:32) - Is the double shot basket a crutch? Amp up your skillz with a single shot basket! (42:30) - Alcohol and coffee: Nuts and Berries, Seduction di Mezzanotte, coffee and tequila, espresso martinis, Irish and Spanish coffees (46:52)

Show Notes Andrew Barnett of Ecco Caffe, Nick Cho of Murky Coffee and the portafilter.net podcast, and Mark broadcast in the wee hours from the Piazza della Repubblica, Firenze (Florence), Italy. (2:57) The trio discuss Bern and its café culture as compared to North American culture (4:56) About the 2006 World Barista Championship where Nick emceed, Andrew and Mark judged (8:40) - Reflections on the non-finalists (11:43) - Jhonni Gonzales of Guatemala (13:02) - Tatiana Elizarova of Russia (14:19) - Luciano Marcolino of New Zealand and David Makin of Australia, whose coffee was used by his hotel (15:34) - And props to finalist James Hoffmann of the UK (18:44) Back to Bern, the hotel and café culture… (20:17) Andrew talks briefly on judging and the WBC finalists (25:26) About their visit to the La Marzocco factory and La Marzocco’s hospitality (27:59) Mark’s reflections on a memorable trip and their visit to Torrefazione in Milano (32:24) Wrap-up: final sentiments, Coffeegeek-branded merchandise, and thanks again to our primary sponsor, Rocket Coffee Roasters for helping to make the trip possible (38:35)

A show that was live to tape from Berne Switzerland, originally recorded on May 17, but published on June 1

I can't believe we crammed this much into a show just over an hour long - WBC talk, calls to Australia, a new magazine's launch, interview with a publisher, voice mails, and even a Beata segment. Crammed!

Show Notes Intro: Beata and Mark – Live to tape once again! (3:39) 2006 SCAA Conference Recap (7:16) - Rob Stephen, podcasts and forums, and the SCAA Town Hall meeting - The Clover 1S: How Mark finally found body and pleasing aftertaste in a Clover cup, thanks to Oliver at Batdorf and Bronson's booth an their Colombian CoE coffee! (13:15) - Social parties, Mark’s "mission"; also lots of pulled pork and fried chicken (23:56) - The USBC and Matt Riddle, the Renaissance man (Congrats, Matt!!!) (26:42) Ambush Interview! – Doug Zell, Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea (28:07) - Intelligentsia’s presence in barista competitions in general and the 2006 USBC (29:20) - About Matt Riddle (32:18) - The Intelligentsia blends used at the competition (35:23) - Matt’s media appearances (37:27) - Next: the World Barista Championship (40:39) - Major props to Billy Wilson! (42:26) - About Intelligentsia’s soon-to-be-opened third location (45:35) - Elevating coffee, from seed to cup (47:26) - Cool cupping spoons (50:13) Mark explains the "Cobra Kai" references everyone's saying these days (53:51) SCAA Financial Situation (55:21) - Background of the situation (55:56) - Town Hall meeting (58:09) - Beata reads questions and answers from the meeting: how much money was lost; criminal/civil action; relationship of involved persons with the SCAA; financial position of guilds; donating specifically to the guilds; how "first responder" funds were used; how far back theft occurred; why more is not heard about actions taken by the board; the status of the criminal investigation (58:31) - Mark’s suggestions: guild donations being more direct and the SCAA doing regional events (1:08:07) Changes on the CoffeeGeek web site (1:09:20) - Hiring a new content editor (1:09:31) - More new articles (3 or so a week) from industry folks and regular columnists (1:11:31) - Beata’s suggestions for new content (1:14:34)

Show Notes Interview with Rob Stephen, 2006 SCAA Conference Chair How Charlotte was chosen as the location for the 2006 conference (2:29) Conference attendance (5:06) The culinary track and conference programming (5:58) What the Conference Chair does (8:31) Getting back to the business of coffee (11:38) The business growth track (14:13) Mark asks Rob some hard questions regarding the future of the SCAA: - About regional events and diversifying revenue sources; setting the stage with more transparency and new avenues of communication (17:18) - Where will the SCAA be in terms of satisfaction by next year’s conference? (26:51) - A brief interlude as Nick Cho crashes the podcast… (28:19) (that bastard! ;)) - Looking to Long Beach (29:38) - The SCAA's Chronicle (print and PDF newsletter) to return (30:43)