Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries

Deep inside your coffee grinder, tiny changes can have massive consequences.  This episode takes you deep inside Mahlkönig’s grinders to show you how coffee is ground and the importance of particle sizes on flavour.  If you’re a home coffee lover, you could easily spend thousands of dollars on your coffee grinder. But after diving deep into the R&D of grinder manufacturing, I learned that after a certain point spending more probably won’t produce a better tasting cup of coffee for you! ---------Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee! Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my Substack newsletter. Write a review on Apple PodcastsFollow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram storyLeave a 5 star rating on Spotify Explore Mahlkönig’s range of world leading grinders, trusted by baristas globally. Go deeper into the world of grinding Take Barista Hustle’s Advanced Espresso courseLearn from Lance Hedrick where the sweet spot is for buying a coffee grinderGet super nerdy with Jonathan Gagne’s writings on grindingRead up on Samo Smrke’s work on coffee fines Connect with my very knowledgeable guests Arnaldo Rodrigues - LinkedInLuca Lange - LinkedInChris Meier - LinkedInDario Burger - Instagram The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations: BWT Water and MoreMarco Beverage SystemsROESTSustainable HarvestMahlkönig The Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories

For your coffee to taste its best, it’s crucial you buy fresh roasts and grind fresh.….….Or maybe not. When I began creating this episode, I was convinced that ‘fresh is best’. But, after delving into the science of coffee freshness, I don’t believe that anymore. This episode goes deep into how diffusion and oxidation changes a coffee’s flavours.You’ll learn what it takes to store your coffee grounds unbelievably well. So well, that if you do it right, you will struggle to taste the difference between two month old coffee compared to those same beans freshly ground!But here’s the weirdest thing: Maybe, just maybe, you will prefer old coffee more than the fresh stuff.----------Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my Substack newsletter. Leave a 5 star rating on SpotifyFollow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram storyWrite a review on Apple PodcastsExplore Mahlkönig’s range of world leading grinders, trusted by baristas globally.Dive deeper into the science of coffee freshnessDo a Certificate of Advanced Studies with the Coffee Excellence CentrePick up a copy of the SCA’s Coffee Freshness HandbookConnect with my very knowledgeable guestsSamo Smrke - Instagram19 Grams Coffee Roasters in Berlin - InstagramArnaldo Rodrigues - LinkedInThe Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:BWT Water and MoreMarco Beverage SystemsROESTSustainable HarvestMahlkönigThe Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories

In the last episode, I discovered that rinsing my Chemex filter papers was a waste of time! As a result I’ve managed to claw back over seven days of my life left on earth. But why stop there? The coffee industry is full of elaborate ways of brewing and savouring coffee: fancy drippers, cold metal balls, “slurp-able” cupping spoons.These are very fun, but how many of them actually affect the flavour of our coffee?I fear elaborate coffee gear is wasting our time and money. They're distracting us from the existential crises in coffee that actually require all our attention now. For example, the issue of farmers who grow delicious coffees quitting the business because it’s just getting too hard. But to figure out whether a popular new coffee tool was actually waste of time or not, I needed to think like a scientist. This episode is the journey I went on to rewire my brain: I had to learn what good evidence looks like, what to do if I can’t find good evidence, and why it’s important to focus mostly on experimental results while resisting the allure of a compelling theory. Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my Substack newsletter. Leave a 5 star rating on SpotifyFollow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram storyWrite a review on Apple PodcastsDiscover this episode’s sponsor BWT’s water filtration products. I use their Penguin magnesium filter cartridges and cafes can use their BestAqua ROCDive deeper into the science of slurping, water and Signal Detection TheoryDo a Certificate of Advanced Studies with the Coffee Excellence CentreRead Georgiana’s paper on soup slurpingLearn more about Signal Detection TheoryExplore BWT White Paper on the effects of magnesium (German)Browse Christopher Hendon’s book Water for Coffee Take Barista Hustle's Water course Watch James Hoffman's water videoConnect with my very knowledgeable guestsMorten Munchow - Coffee Mind websiteJeremy Nelson - LinkedInSamo Smrke - InstagramGeorgiana Juravle - Google ScholarYoung Baek - InstagramFrank Neuhausen - LinkedInSergio Barbarisi - LinkedInAlessandro Genovese - LinkedInThe Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:BWT Water and MoreMarco Beverage Systems ROEST Sustainable Harvest MahlkönigThe Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories

Should you rinse your filter paper before making a filter coffee? Almost everybody in coffee internet says you should. But what if most of coffee internet was wrong?In this episode, I show you how I try to answer this question like a professional sensory scientist would. It’s hard. It’s frustrating. But ultimately, it’s worth it because I end up saving seven days of my life left on earth!Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my Substack newsletterLeave a 5 star rating on SpotifyFollow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram storyWrite a review on Apple PodcastsBring out vibrancy in your coffee with BWT’s magnesium water filters for the home and cafeDive deeper into sensory science methodologiesTake Becky Bleibaum's free introductory sensory science course! Set up a triangulation yourself with DragonflySci’s worksheetsUnderstand Rose Marie Pangborn’s three step process better with Morten Münchow (“Pangborn’s Razor”)Do a Certificate of Advanced Studies with the Coffee Excellence CentreConnect with my very knowledgeable guestsMorten Munchow - Coffee Mind websiteBecky Bleibaum - LinkedInSamo Smrke - InstagramSophie Vo - LinkedInThe Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:BWT Water and MoreMarco Beverage SystemsROESTSustainable HarvestMahlkönigThe Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories

Farming coffee organically is amazing because soils are more alive, birds and insects are more plentiful, farmers avoid getting sick with agrochemicals. But, if it’s so great, why is less than 10% of the world’s coffee grown organically?The fact is, going organic is hard. Much harder than growing coffee conventionally. In this episode I show you the story of one of Central America’s most successful organic coffee cooperatives, RAOS, and the four big hurdles that stood in the way of their early founders who all dreamed of converting their farms to organic.This story changed my understanding of farming and is now the reason I choose organic specialty coffee whenever I can. Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my Substack newsletterFollow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram storyWrite a review on Apple PodcastsLeave a 5 star rating on SpotifyDive deeper into organic coffeeLearn more about Sustainable Harvest’s Most Valuable Producer programme, their cupping app Tastify, and explore their range of certified organic and Fairtrade coffeesExplore RAOS (Cooperativa Regional Mixta de Agricultores Organicos de la Sierra)'s story for yourselfAre you a coffee farmer? Get in touch with Lalo Perez VaraonaConnect with my very knowledgeable guestsLalo Perez Varaona - LinkedInJorge Cuevas - LinkedInAndrea Futterer - GEPA websiteOsman Contreras - LinkedInRoberto Rene Gonzales - Farm websiteThe Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisationsBWT Water and MoreMarco Beverage SystemsROESTSustainable HarvestMahlkönigThe Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories