Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries

Introducing: Series Two of A History of Coffee

We're back with more stories about the tiny psychoactive seed that changed the world and continues to shape our lives today.In Series Two, we reveal how the invention of the coffee shop revolutionised societies, why colonialism, racism and coffee have kept once prosperous Haiti poor today, how Italy's revered espresso culture was created, and we debunk many myths around America's supposed love affair with coffee.If we want to make coffee a more equitable industry that’s also kinder to the environment, a place to start is understanding the stories and systems that put the coffee into your cup this morning.Press the ‘Subscribe’ button so you don’t miss future episodes. Listen to all the episodes at once on the A History of Coffee podcast channel.A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’. Follow us on Instagram! Jonathan Morris @coffeehistoryjm and James Harper @filterstoriespodcast.This free educational content was made possible with the support of Rancilio, manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for almost 100 years. Join us live at the London Coffee Festival 2023! We have three time slots for you to choose from: Saturday, 22 April, 11:00-11:30 and 14:30-15:00, and Sunday, 23 April,14:30-15:00.

6) Sonic Seasoning

Imagine you’ve got a cup of coffee in front of you. You haven’t tasted it yet. You therefore don’t know what it tastes like, right? Wrong. Some scientists argue that you actually do know what it will taste like (more or less), and the act of tasting simply confirms what you have already imagined it will taste like. And that’s because a growing body of research is revealing that sight, sound and touch all affect your expectation of a coffee’s flavours. In this episode, I explore how certain sounds might make your coffee taste sweeter, while other sounds translate to bitterness. And I expose how some cafe owners might be ruining the flavours of the high-end specialty coffee you paid for without even realising it. In the second half, I show you why so many of our scientific questions about coffee are going unanswered. I take you deep into the future of coffee science by explaining who’s doing research into coffee science, why they’re doing it, how much it costs and how you can get involved. ----------Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram storyWrite a review on Apple PodcastsLeave a 5 star rating on SpotifyExplore the technology behind Fiorenzato’s AllGround home coffee grinderGet more involved in coffee science!Buy Brita Folmer’s The Craft & Science of CoffeeRead the Specialty Coffee Association's 25 Magazine for cutting edge insights into coffee science, business and sustainability, including Charles Spence’s article on sonic seasoningPartner with the Coffee Science FoundationExplore Felipe Reinoso Carvalho’s sonic research, including Diego Campos’ winning World Barista Championship routineApply to study at the UC Davis Coffee CentreDo an online course with ZHAW’s Coffee Excellence CentreSubscribe to Barista Hustle and complete their online coffee coursesBecome a member of the Barista Guild, Coffee Roaster’s Guild, Coffee Technicians Guild and attend their events!Connect with my very knowledgeable guestsCharles Spence - Academic profileFabiana Carvalho - InstagramJanice Wang - LinkedInFelipe Reinoso Carvalho - LinkedInChahan Yeretzian - LinkedInBill Ristenpart - Academic profilePeter Giuliano - LinkedInJenn Rugolo - LinkedInGiulia Bagato - LinkedInDenis Girardi - LinkedInThe Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisationsBWT Water and MoreMarco Beverage SystemsTraboccaEversysOatlyFiorenzato

5) Latte Foam

When was the last time you picked up a cappuccino with a mountain of foam perched on top? Maybe these are the cappuccinos you make every morning at home.I personally really, really dislike them! The foam is cold, raspy, and gets in the way of the actual coffee liquid.How much better would your mornings be if, instead, your cappuccino had that creamy, silky “microfoam” you find in a specialty coffee cafe?In this episode, I take you deep into the bubbles of latte foam to show you what makes them, what destroys them, and how you can craft mouth-melting lattes. Along the way I also settle the big debate: what is the actual difference between regular Oatly and Oatly Barista Edition!? ---------Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram storyWrite a review on Apple PodcastsLeave a 5 star rating on SpotifyTry Oatly Barista Edition (this episode’s sponsor) for yourselfGo deeper into latte foam science!Measure your latte foam’s bubble size! Marvel at tetrakaidecahedra foam for yourselfCheck out Steven Abbott’s brilliant science websiteLearn how to create microfoam with Lance HedrickStudy milk science with Barista Hustle’s online coursesConnect with my very knowledgeable guestsSteven Abbott - websiteRituja Upadhyay - LinkedInNidhi Bansal - LinkedInThom Huppertz - LinkedInSofia Eldhe - LinkedInToby Weedon - LinkedInThe Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisationsBWT Water and MoreMarco Beverage SystemsTraboccaEversysOatlyFiorenzato

4) Espresso Technology

A good espresso is a sublime experience: rich, sweet, and wonderfully caffeinated. But, who woke up one morning and thought to themselves, ‘I’m going to build a contraption that forces a tiny amount of super hot water with incredible pressure through a bed of very finely ground coffee’?Well, the fact is, the first “espresso” machine built 150 years ago was awful in almost every way. Worst of all, if you gave that coffee to anybody on the street, nobody would say it’s even an espresso!But, over the decades, problems begat solutions that begat more problems that culminated in espresso machines like Eversys that produce gorgeous espressos at just the push of a button. And it’s got me wondering: what is the perfect espresso machine? How far can we go?But, before clicking play, be warned: this story gets explosive and bloody!-------Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram storyWrite a review on Apple PodcastsLeave a 5 star rating on Spotify Learn more about how Eversys espresso machines (this episode’s sponsor) produce high quality espressosListen to my A History of Coffee podcast series with Prof. Jonathan MorrisPictures of the espresso machines featured in this episodeAngelo Moriondo (1884, “Big water boiler with gnarly bits”)La Pavoni Ideale (1905, "Fire hydrant")Gaggia Tipo Classica (1947, “Lever”)Faema E61 (1961, “Retro 60s toaster”)Eversys (2022, “push button”)Want to go deeper into espresso machine technology? Coffee Technician Guild’s Educational CoursesBarista Hustle’s The Espresso Machine courseRead Prof. Jonathan Morris’ book ‘Coffee: A Global History’Do your own coffee museum tour in Italy!MUMAC (Milan)Rancilio Officina 1926 (Milan)Accademia del Caffè Espresso (Florence)Connect with my very knowledgeable guestsJonathan Morris - InstagramHylan Joseph - LinkedInGiorgio Rancilio - LinkedInAnna Cento - LinkedInCarlos Gonzàlez - LinkedInSilvia Bartoloni - LinkedInJonathan Besse - LinkedInThe Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisationsBWT Water and MoreMarco Beverage SystemsTraboccaEversysOatlyFiorenzato

3) Plant Genetics

How can you make better coffee at home? Well, an easy way is to buy higher quality beans. But, I’m concerned this is going to get harder and harder for you in the future. Climate change is making coffee taste worse while also pushing farmers into financial hardship. In this episode we explore how genetic development can produce a coffee tree that might save the day. Is there a wild coffee tree happily growing in the forests somewhere that could be our silver bullet? What about if we mix existing documented species together? But, the big problem is that genetic research is slow, and farmers can’t wait around. So, in the second half, we learn how coffee farmers in Kenya are trying to fix the problem right now. And I’m actually tentatively hopeful the beans you brew in the morning are not going to get worse. But, it all depends on you, me and the coffee industry making a couple of changes right now. —---Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story - https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0OWrite a review on Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/3sf87MVLeave a 5 star rating on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3yHkjcVLearn more about how Trabocca, this episode’s sponsor, works with coffee farmers: https://bit.ly/3Tjn8bVSupport the work of World Coffee Research: https://bit.ly/3VtyoV6Become a member of Kew Gardens: https://bit.ly/3yFZ8b0Find some of Alvans Mutero’s (https://bit.ly/3T0NHTy) and Thiriku’s (https://bit.ly/3CCxHQJ) coffee to taste for yourselfLearn more about cloning coffee plants on my other podcast, Adventures in Coffee - https://bit.ly/3EFBmzGWant to listen to more documentary podcasts about coffee? Check out Filter Stories - https://bit.ly/3zb5vnOConnect with my very knowledgeable guests: Sarada Krishnan - LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/3rW9dwB) and Research Gate (https://bit.ly/3VvzDTq)Aaron Davis - Kew Gardens (https://bit.ly/3CAicZg)Hanna Neuschwander - LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/3MvW2Mi)Bernard Gichimu - LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/3VrOIFJ)Learn more about the coffee varieties discussed on this episode: SL 28 - https://bit.ly/3MvNIw6SL 34 - https://bit.ly/3rTX2QXRuiru 11 - https://bit.ly/3CXmDPfBatian - https://bit.ly/3EEls8MThe Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:BWT Water and More - https://bit.ly/3EEpuxNMarco Beverage Systems - https://bit.ly/3T2YDzYTrabocca - https://bit.ly/3Tjn8bVEversys - https://bit.ly/3CBkp6XOatly - https://bit.ly/3exvlKSFiorenzato - https://bit.ly/3T3nmUQ

2) Coffee Extraction

How you brew your coffee dramatically affects what you taste. And I do mean dramatic! Brewing up the same bag of coffee beans can taste like a slice of heaven, or a slap in the face. So, what exactly is happening at a microscopic level when water swirls through coffee grinds? Why does boiling water extract certain flavours, while letting the kettle cool for five minutes make it taste markedly different? In this episode, we dive deep into the academic research conducted at the UC Davis Coffee Center so you can choose your flavour adventure: Do you like your coffees when they’re a sour bomb? A floral caress on the lips? A smokey drag on a pipe? Or a treacle of sweet syrup? We also explore why it can be so difficult getting the same flavours from the same beans consistently. And finally, I equip you with tools so you can begin finding your perfect brew. —---Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story - https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0OWrite a review on Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/3sf87MVLeave a 5 star rating on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3yHkjcVExplore this episode’s sponsor Marco Beverage Systems SP 9 brewer and how it delivers consistent brews in the cafe (https://bit.ly/3Tgh18r)Listen to the Adventures in Coffee episode about making dramatically different brews using the Aeropress: https://bit.ly/3TghsQ7 Want more to listen to more documentary podcasts about coffee? Check out Filter Stories - https://bit.ly/3zb5vnOWant to go deeper into coffee extraction? Mackenzie Batali’s fractionation research - https://bit.ly/3CFnvH0UC Davis’ brewing control chart research - https://bit.ly/3CLoiGzTake courses on coffee brewing with the Specialty Coffee Association - https://bit.ly/3EQFoVVStudy at the UC Davis Coffee - https://bit.ly/3TwSgodRead ‘The Craft and Science of Coffee’ - https://bit.ly/3zb7bN8 Connect with my very knowledgeable guests: Samo Smrke - LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/3EKrjtg) and Instagram (https://bit.ly/3IdrfRz)Bill Ristenpart - Academic profile (https://faculty.engineering.ucdavis.edu/ristenpart/)Mackenzie Batali - LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/3s7VRxr)Peter Giuliano - LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/3yT66tv)Danny Pang - LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/3Sd9mqq)David Walsh - LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/3VEH7Uo)The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:BWT Water and More - https://bit.ly/3EEpuxNMarco Beverage Systems - https://bit.ly/3T2YDzYTrabocca - https://bit.ly/3Tjn8bVEversys - https://bit.ly/3CBkp6XOatly - https://bit.ly/3exvlKSFiorenzato - https://bit.ly/3T3nmUQ

1) Water For Brewing Coffee

Water really matters when you’re brewing coffee. Different waters can dramatically change how a single coffee will taste. But what is the right water for the best coffee? In this episode I will give you the answer, but I will first take you back billions of years to tell you the story of a single mineral and how it's responsible for making our coffees taste lame. Because here’s the thing: water science is chemistry, and chemistry is very complicated and easily forgettable. But with a great story, I’m hoping you’ll remember!In the second half, I show you why Christopher Hendon’s book Water for Coffee made a big splash in the coffee community, but also why some academic chemists are critical of the book, and how this all manifested in the creation of the Specialty Coffee Association’s Water Quality Handbook. And, to cap it all off, I offer you some environmentally conscious ways to get hold of good water for coffee, so your coffee brews can finally explode in flavour. —---Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story - https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0OWrite a review on Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/3sf87MVLeave a 5 star rating on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3yHkjcVDiscover this episode’s sponsor BWT’s water filtration products. I use their Penguin cartridges (http://bit.ly/3Xiuq2a) and cafes can use their BestAqua ROC (https://bit.ly/3EPLIx9)Read Marcia Bjornerud’s amazing book, Reading The Rocks: https://bit.ly/3EQIYj4Want more to listen to more documentary podcasts about coffee? Check out Filter Stories - https://bit.ly/3zb5vnOWant to go deeper into water chemistry? SCA’s Water Quality Handbook: https://bit.ly/3TyWM5X BWT White Paper on the effects of magnesium (German): https://bit.ly/3TqOFbqHow to add magnesium to your soft water out of the tap (scroll to bottom): https://bit.ly/3s5WYOmChristopher Hendon’s Water for Coffee: https://amzn.to/3Tbo3LSCertificate of Advanced Studies at Zurich’s Coffee Excellence Center online course: http://bit.ly/3xlIOel Read ‘The Craft and Science of Coffee’: https://bit.ly/3zb7bN8 Barista Hustle's Water course - https://bit.ly/3z8zSKAJames Hoffman's water video - https://bit.ly/3Duxn8fConnect with my very knowledgeable guests: Samo Smrke - LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/3EKrjtg) and Instagram (https://bit.ly/3IdrfRz)Chahan Yeretzian - Linkedin (https://bit.ly/3S4emO1)Frank Neuhausen - LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/3gg4Fie)Marcia Bjornerud - Academic profile (https://bit.ly/3eCYuEi)Christopher Hendon - LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/3EXULMe) and Instagram (https://bit.ly/3eAUuo3)The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:BWT Water and More - https://bit.ly/3EEpuxNMarco Beverage Systems - https://bit.ly/3T2YDzYTrabocca - https://bit.ly/3Tjn8bVEversys - https://bit.ly/3CBkp6XOatly - https://bit.ly/3exvlKSFiorenzato - https://bit.ly/3T3nmUQ

Introducing: The Science of Coffee

The Science of Coffee is a journey into coffee's hidden microscopic secrets to help you make even better coffee at home. Across six episodes, documentary maker and coffee professional James Harper takes you deep into the world of water for coffee, coffee extraction, plant genetics, espresso technology, latte foam and sonic seasoning. Subscribe to The Science of Coffee here: https://bit.ly/3TdDnHOThe Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories. Follow James on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0OListen to Filter Stories: https://bit.ly/3zb5vnOThe Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations: BWT Water and MoreMarco Beverage SystemsTraboccaEversysOatlyFiorenzato

Coffee’s Ticking Time Bomb

Sri Lankan coffee has delicious notes of chocolate and caramel. But it’s basically impossible to find, and we’re going to bet you’ve never drank it. But that's really odd, because Sri Lanka has the perfect climate to grow coffee, and was once one of the biggest coffee growing countries in the world. But Sri Lanka was the victim of an ecological ticking time bomb. And this bomb is still ticking, and is going to explode again. In this special episode of Adventures in Coffee, producer James Harper takes co-hosts Scott and Jools on an adventure back in time, across Ethiopia, Yemen, Sri Lanka to trace the origins of this ticking bomb, and what it’s going to take to defuse it. —Subscribe to Adventures in Coffee here: https://bit.ly/300V4jSSign up for the 2022 Barista League's High Density (free!) conference here: https://bit.ly/3BjAI78Read Stuart McCook’s excellent book, Coffee Is Not Forever: https://bit.ly/3320robAnd follow his Instagram: https://bit.ly/3sJ2OVIFollow Hansa Coffee on Instagram: https://bit.ly/3sOyLfrListen to James’ stories about El Salvador here: https://spoti.fi/3Lcnuhg Help other people find the show by leaving a rating on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3JYduHY Help others find the show by creating a screengrab of this episode on your podcast player and sharing it on your Instagram stories. Tag us and we’ll reshare it!Scott Bentley / Caffeine Magazine: https://bit.ly/3oijQ91Jools Walker / Lady Velo: http://bit.ly/39VRGewJames Harper / Filter Stories: https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0OA massive thanks to Lawrence Goldberg of Hansa Coffee, Ajantha Palihawadana, Professor Stuart McCook and Harm van Oudenhoven.

Is really expensive coffee really worth it?

Would you ever pay £75 for 100g of coffee beans? Today I'm sharing the most popular episode from Adventures in Coffee, a sister podcast to Filter Stories that I co-created. I'd love to know what you thought of these Adventures in Coffee episodes so we can make an even better show for series 2. Just drop your thoughts in this 5 minute survey here: http://bit.ly/AIC_SurveyYou can listen to more episodes from Adventures in Coffee here: https://bit.ly/300V4jS