IT’S JUST COFFEE!

Ben Bicknell & Rohan Cooke
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Dec 17, 2025 • 29min

Coffee Cupping Is Easier Than You Think | COFFEE BREAK!

We continue to break down the fundamentals of coffee cupping - we just went deep on our 101 ep this week, so what did we think? From how many cups, passes, and rounds are actually involved, to why identifying defects matters just as much as chasing flavour. Along the way, we connect cupping to everyday brewing, unpacking sensory memory, common faults like channeling and over-extraction, and how temperature and freshness can completely change what you taste. It’s a practical, no-gatekeeping look at tasting coffee better by understanding the basics and trusting your palate. Coffee Break is your weekly inside scoop into the coffee community. Everything from on the fly barista tips, honest and unfiltered cafe reviews, hospitality stories and gate kept coffee secrets. Want more coffee content?  IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236 Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments. Proudly sponsored by  Eco Barista: https://www.ecobarista.com.au/   Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/ Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/  Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/ Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 15, 2025 • 54min

COFFEE CUPPING 101 - A practical guide for baristas, roasters, and home brewers | BEN BICKNELL!

Coffee Cupping 101 - Basics, Benefits & Equipment!We break down the fundamentals of coffee cupping - why it exists, how it’s done, and what you actually need to get started. From setting up a cupping session and understanding ratios, to identifying defects and building sensory skills, this episode walks through the industry’s shared tasting language and why it matters.Guiding us through the process is our main man, Ben Bicknell - World Barista Championship judge, Q Grader, and co-host.This one’s for baristas, roasters, café owners, and curious home brewers who want a clearer way to taste, compare, and talk about coffee.It’s Just Coffee is where the global coffee community comes to think out loud - honest conversations about flavour, business, and the future of coffee.At the end of the day though … it’s just coffee!Want more coffee content? IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments.Proudly sponsored by Eco Barista: https://www.ecobarista.com.au/ Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/ Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/ Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 10, 2025 • 30min

Hydra Honey, Thermal Shock & the Rise of Sour Origin Coffee | COFFEE BREAK!

Hydro-honey, thermal shock… unique processing methods are coming out of Colombia right now, and we need to talk about it! We reflect on our chat with Juan, and discuss the broader coffee industry, including Nestle's potential sale of Blue Bottle Coffee, Fair Trade's overhaul of global standards, and a new initiative in Ethiopia called Best of Ethiopia. Plus, coffee grounds make concrete stronger?! All this and more on your Coffee Break.  Coffee Break is your weekly inside scoop into the coffee community. Everything from on the fly barista tips, honest and unfiltered cafe reviews (eek), hospitality stories and gate kept coffee secrets. Want more coffee content?  IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236 Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments. Proudly sponsored by  Eco Barista: https://www.ecobarista.com.au/   Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/ Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/  Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/ Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 8, 2025 • 1h 18min

Engineering Flavour at Origin | LOHAS BEANS x JUAN PABLO CAMPOS!

Juan Pablo Campos is the founder of Lohas Beans, a company committed to sourcing Colombia’s finest coffee. He’s built relationships with some of Colombia’s most innovative coffee producers, many of whom are engineering value through unique processing methods. Juan joins us today to talk about Lohas Beans’ journey; discussing fermentation, producer-trader relationships, and the future of Colombian coffee. If you're new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day - It's Just Coffee! Explore Lohas Beans here: https://www.instagram.com/lohasbeans/ Juan Pablo: https://www.instagram.com/jpccafe/ the LOHAS accounts and partner producer profiles @lohasbeans @lohascafe_ @jpcafe @jonathangascaserna @jhoanvergaraayure @adrian.lassozuniga @nestornefferlasso @camila_morera @mariajuliana_ardila @fincadiviso @finca_lasflores90 @zarza_coffee.oficial Want more coffee content? IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236 Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments. Proudly sponsored by Eco Barista: https://www.ecobarista.com.au/ Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/ Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/ Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 3, 2025 • 35min

Flavoured Coffee, Fair Prices & Fresh Champions | COFFEE BREAK!

This Coffee Break is all about unpacking the big ideas from Peter Roberts episode. We get into why coffee pricing feels so broken, what the Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide is actually fixing, and how transparency could reshape the entire value chain. Plus: the wild world of flavoured vs infused vs co-fermented coffees (where is the line?), why young drinkers are obsessed with syrups, and Australia’s brand new Barista, Latte Art, and Brewers Cup Champions. Coffee Break is your weekly inside scoop into the coffee community. Everything from on-the-fly barista tips, honest and unfiltered café reviews (eek), hospitality stories, and gate-kept coffee secrets. Want more coffee content? IT’S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236 Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments. Proudly sponsored by Eco Barista: https://www.ecobarista.com.au/ Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/ Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/ Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/ LOVE yah ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 1, 2025 • 1h 14min

The Future of Coffee Pricing | PETER ROBERTS!

If you’ve ever wondered why your green coffee costs what it does - or how the whole system could work better - this episode will completely change how you see the industry. Peter Roberts is a Professor at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and the Academic Director of the Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide (@sctguide) and Grounds for Empowerment. Focusing on making markets fairer and more transparent - especially for coffee producers - after more than a decade studying entrepreneurship, social enterprise, and how organisations behave over time. He helped launch two of the most influential initiatives in specialty coffee. the Transaction Guide and Grounds for Empowerment. Ben and Peter  unpack why coffee prices behave the way they do, why volatility hits producers hardest, and what a new pricing logic for specialty could look like.  If you're new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day - It's Just Coffee! Explore the here  @sctguide and www.transactionguide.coffee Want more coffee content?  IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236 Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments. Proudly sponsored by  Eco Barista: https://www.ecobarista.com.au/   Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/  Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/  LOVE yah ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Nov 26, 2025 • 28min

Free Coffee Ruined a Country’s Coffee Culture | COFFEE BREAK!

Carlos Escobar is back - but this time with us for Coffee Break! We get into Colombia’s free-coffee culture, why it’s holding the industry back, and how roasting at origin is changing everything. Plus - Who actually drinks the most coffee per capita? Why are competitors waving water? And Carlos sees into the future, calling the shot, Brewers Cup Champ is Simon from Apax Lab! Coffee Break is your weekly inside scoop into the coffee community. Everything from on the fly barista tips, honest and unfiltered cafe reviews (eek), hospitality stories and gate kept coffee secrets. Want more coffee content?  IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236 Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments. Proudly sponsored by  Eco Barista: https://www.ecobarista.com.au/   Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/ Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/   Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/  LOVE yah ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Nov 24, 2025 • 57min

Freshness Starts at Harvest | CARLOS ESCOBAR!

Carlos Escobar is the founder of DIFFERENTE Coffee in Colombia, an educator and community builder who has spent his career bridging the gap between producing countries and consuming markets. Carlos grew up on a Colombian coffee farm that his family lost - a moment that shaped his entire family's relationship with coffee. Years later, after moving to Australia and discovering a completely different café culture, he returned home with a mission - keep more value at origin, reshape the idea of “freshness,” and make producers the centre of the story. In this episode we explore why most of the best Colombian coffee never stays in Colombia, why origin baristas often learn faster than those abroad, how roast-date culture misunderstands freshness, and why blends can hide the people who grow our coffee. “This is why we do the podcast.” If you're new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day - It's Just Coffee! Explore {GUEST DEETS} here: LINK Want more coffee content?  IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236 Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments. Proudly sponsored by  Eco Barista: https://www.ecobarista.com.au/   Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/   Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/ Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Nov 20, 2025 • 26min

Heart Health, Daybright & Mazzer’s New Tech | COFFEE BREAK!

We start with Aussie burgers and pineapple-on-pizza, then dive into why Colin Harmon from 3fe is one of the most influential operators in modern coffee, and end up talking about café toilet logs in his first book. The boys break down Colin’s journey from finance to four-time Irish Barista Champion, the philosophy, and what we know about his new book dropping this December. We also get into some NEWS, with a new study from the University of Adelaide suggesting that one coffee a day might actually protect your heart, Chick-fil-A rolling out a specialty beverage concept called Daybright, and Mazzer’s latest grinders featuring dual chambers and magnetic portafilter IDs. There’s even a plan forming to try a $980 cup of coffee when we’re in Dubai. Coffee Break is your weekly inside scoop into the coffee community. Everything from on the fly barista tips, honest and unfiltered cafe reviews (eek), hospitality stories and gate kept coffee secrets. Want more coffee content?  IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236 As always, send us your questions, hot takes, café stories, or anything you want us to unpack next week. Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments. Proudly sponsored by  Eco Barista: https://www.ecobarista.com.au/   Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/ Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/   Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/ Thanks for listening!  We start with Aussie burgers and pineapple-on-pizza, then dive into why Colin Harmon from 3fe is one of the most influential operators in modern coffee, and end up talking about café toilet logs in his first book. The boys break down Colin’s journey from finance to four-time Irish Barista Champion, the philosophy, and what we know about his new book dropping this December. We also get into some NEWS, with a new study from the University of Adelaide suggesting that one coffee a day might actually protect your heart, Chick-fil-A rolling out a specialty beverage concept called Daybright, and Mazzer’s latest grinders featuring dual chambers and magnetic portafilter IDs. There’s even a plan forming to try a $980 cup of coffee when we’re in Dubai. Coffee Break is your weekly inside scoop into the coffee community. Everything from on the fly barista tips, honest and unfiltered cafe reviews (eek), hospitality stories and gate kept coffee secrets. Want more coffee content?  IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236 As always, send us your questions, hot takes, café stories, or anything you want us to unpack next week. Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments. Proudly sponsored by  Eco Barista: https://www.ecobarista.com.au/   Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/ Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/  Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/ Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Nov 19, 2025 • 1h 28min

Should You Even Open a Café in 2026? | COLIN HARMON!

Colin Harmon is a four time Irish Barista Champion, founder of 3fe in Dublin, and author of ‘What I Know About Running Coffee Shops.’ Starting his coffee journey by serving coffee out of nightclub, he entered his very first barista competition… and he won. And he didn’t stop winning. 15 decorated years later, Colin has built cafés, a roastery, and a legendary coffee brand, and has just finished his 2nd book, “What I Know About Growing a Coffee Business.” releasing in a few weeks. In this episode we talk about what it really takes to run a sustainable coffee business today - from opening your first shop to managing multiple venues, staying cohesive, and making the small improvements that actually move the needle. We also asked Colin the tough questions - Irish milk vs Australian milk?  Also, what’s the deal with cocktail glassware in cafés? This episode is for anyone wanting to build their next location, or open their first coffee business with the right foot forward.   If you’re new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we’ll always remind ourselves at the end of the day  It’s Just Coffee! Check out Colin here: https://www.3fe.com Instagram: @3fecoffee - @colinharmon Want more coffee content?  IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236 Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments. Proudly sponsored by  Eco Barista: https://www.ecobarista.com.au/   Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/   Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/ Thanks for listening!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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