Making Coffee with Lucia Solis

Welcome to the next installment of terroir in coffee.This one little word contains a whole world of history and has an important role in the economic viability of certain agricultural products.After the last episode I heard from some of you who wished I had talked about soil minerals and plant nutrition from soil. Others also asked about the wine making regions like Bordeaux where Terroir is regulated by french law. I cover both of these concerns in todays episode before we get to discuss what I really wanted the episode to be about: microbes and morality.There is an unspoken understanding that products that express terroir are more moral than others.I wanted to give you an episode that focused on microbiology, that talked about the yeast and bacteria that contribute to a "taste of place" but I couldn't do it without including the human perception that products that express terroir, products that are "transparent" are superior.  I think we need to be really careful because science doesn't support this view. Any moral component of terroir is a choice to see it through a religious and political lens.I want to challenge your views on "transparency" and "intrinsic quality".To pick future podcast topics, get access to the scientific papers, ask questions that I answer on the podcast, and help me continue making episodes: consider supporting the show by Joining Patreon HereMentioned on the podcast:The historical origins are from the book Terroir and Other Myths of Winegrowing by Mark A Matthews.How to Use a Pressure ChamberDemeter Fragrance Library

This podcast explores the concept of terroir in the coffee industry, discussing its relevance and potential pitfalls. It delves into the debate surrounding the definition of terroir and whether or not it should include the human element. The episode also examines the historical roots of terroir and its application in marketing. Additionally, it challenges the conventional belief about fruit ripening and discusses the conflict between Old World and New World labels in the wine industry. The discussion also explores the expanding definition of terroir beyond soil elements.

In this podcast, the host answers listener questions about coffee fermentation, post-harvest processes, and introducing foreign yeast to coffee farms. They discuss the effects of temperature and time on fermentation, the relationship between coffee processing methods and density, and the risks of introducing foreign yeast. The host also explores the differences between yeast in breadmaking and coffee fermentation, as well as sourcing green coffee and partnering for small quantities.

For those who know, it may not come as a surprise when I share how much I love tea. But professionally, today is the day I come out of the tea closet. I drink logarithmic levels of tea compared to coffee, and the more I confess that, the more other coffee professionals share with me that they too love specialty teas.Unfortunately I think coffee and tea are often lumped together in similar categories but they have very different histories and I think it’s worth trying to de-couple these beverages.Today's episode serves as an introduction the basics of specialty tea and will be the first of many episodes exploring the processing and history of this beverage.Our guide through the world of tea is my friend Aurora Prehn. She is a researcher of people and plants. Her undergraduate work was a double major in Anthropology and environmental studies. She worked at Rishi Tea and Botanicals as a tea educator. In 2018 she then left to do a masters in ethnobotany in Canterbury, England, which she finished last fall. Support the show on Patreon and get Aurora's curated tea flights.If you are inspired to learn more about tea check out the following resources:Tea Reading List 2020 located at worldcat.org, curated by Aurora PrehnThe True History of Tea, Victor H. Mair & Erling HohThe Tale of Tea: A Comprehensive History of Tea from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day, George L. Van DriemThe Soul & Spirit of Tea, Phil Cousineau & Scott Chamberlin Hoyt (Editors)Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties, Kevin Gascoyne, Francois Marchand, and Jasmin DesharnaisPlants, Health and Healing: On the Interface of Ethnobotany and Medical Anthropology, Elisabeth Hsu & Stephen Harris (Editors)Rishi Tea & Botanicals’s Lookbook https://journal.rishi-tea.com/catalogs/How to Store Tea, Tea Epicure https://teaepicure.com/how-to-store-tea/US Grown Tea, Specialty Tea Alliance https://specialtyteaalliance.org/world-of-tea/us-grown-tea/

In this podcast, the host discusses the confusion and misuse of terminology surrounding anaerobic fermentation in the specialty coffee industry. They explore the complexity of language in describing coffee processes and the need for standardized definitions. The speaker proposes an alternative term, 'microbial demucillegination', to accurately describe the process. They also emphasize the importance of understanding fermentation's role in coffee production and challenging misconceptions about achieving specific flavors. Lastly, they highlight the importance of education and avoiding commoditization in the coffee industry.

Today's Making Coffee Podcast episode is a continuation of the theme of coffee pickers and their role in quality.In the previous episode I shared my surprisingly difficult experience trying to source red ripe coffee cherry. It was surprisingly difficult to pay the farmers more for a different quality than they were used to picking because of the established system, a system that developed over decades as a response to chronically low coffee prices.It's important for me to share this with you because I don’t believe enough of us who enjoy drinking coffee realize how fragile our coffee supply is. Coffee is such a staple in our daily lives that I believe we simultaneously revere it for making our mornings more enjoyable and take it for granted. For example, many businesses offer free coffee, free coffee refills or free coffee with food. If you look around hotels, restaurants and gatherings you can often find more than 1 “FREE Coffee” sign. We expect that there will always be coffee. It seems so abundant that there is a real disconnect between the effort it takes to get that cup into our hands and what we are willing to pay for that work. Many of us would be turned off by a $5 cup of coffee but have also likely paid $15 to $20 for a glass of wine. Additionally, it's a lot less common to expect free wine.To Support this Podcast and become a Patron CLICK HERE

Today's episode is part 1 of a 2 part series talking about the people who pick our coffee.In episode 15 we went deeply into how a molecule of sucrose in the coffee cherry pulp becomes a flavor compound like banana or peach and gets into the coffee seed.Flavor is an accessible entry point for specialness.However, I don’t like talking about flavor and coffee too much.  I don’t think coffee flavor is what’s going to help the industry move closer towards long term stability. I think it’s most often a distraction of the larger picture. My concern is the coffee farmers, the people at the source of the value chain. I think focusing on flavor distracts us from the larger threats to coffee, like climate change, pests and diseases and—what I want to talk about specifically today—availability of labor.Sitting down to collect these interactions is possible through the support of Patreon. I’m grateful for the 31 individuals who currently support this podcast and it’s through their generosity that I can make it available to you all. As a thank you, I create additional resources on the Patreon account.To Support this Podcast and become a Patron CLICK HERE

Today's episode is very special because it was picked by the Making Coffee Podcast Patrons. I sent my patrons a poll on what they wanted to hear about next and the topic most people wanted to hear about was HOW fermentation impacts coffee flavor. How can the same yeast that makes bread rise also make my coffee taste like apricot or jasmine?Maybe you’ve thought that farmers added fruit to the coffee (and while this sometimes happens—it’s not the kind of flavor we are talking about today). Maybe you thought those flavor differences came from the different plant variety or that different countries of origin explains those differences. Those are important factors but that’s not the whole story.In this episode we will go deep into the biochemistry of how a yeast or bacteria can turn the glucose in the coffee fruit into various flavors ranging from lemongrass to mint to raspberries.There is also a question at the end about how baristas can communicate flavor in a simple way (without having to give a 30 minute science lecture) to their customers.To pick the next episode, get a copy of the scientific paper that I reference in this episode and ask questions that I answer on the podcast, check out: https://www.patreon.com/makingcoffee

George Howell, coffee expert and co-founder of Cup of Excellence program, discusses topics like coffee pricing, processing styles, craftsmanship, additives in processing, kamikaze farmers, and more. They also cover the flaws in fair trade, promoting coffee, exploring flavors, and the role of yeast in coffee production.

Hello friends,Today I want to share an interview with Sofia Handtke from Mapache Coffee in El Salvador. I recorded this last November at the end of my time with them. That was my second season working with them and designing fermentation lots at their mill. Over the last 2 harvest seasons we've done about 40 different batches combining 4 strains of yeast, 3 cultivars and various lengths (# of hours in the tank) in an effort to create additional flavor options.I wanted to interview Sofia and Jan Carlo together but they have a small mill team and a lot of responsibilities so I caught them when I could. In the interview with Jan Carlo we spoke about how Mapache is embracing vertical integration, how he believes this current generation is more open to sharing information, and some of his struggles like disease pressures and how climate change has impacted his farming philosophy. You can catch my conversation with him HERE.In this conversation I ask Sofia to share her Q Grader experience and talk about her background in coffee. She believes that getting coffee producers and buyers using the same standard language is very important but unfortunately it’s still out of reach for many producers in Central and South America—this is a topic that deserves it’s own episode and it's in the works. She shares what it was like growing up in a coffee farm and how she and Jan Carlo are engaging their two teenage children to inspire them to see the coffee industry as a career option, unlike her parent’s generation, many of which had to abandon the industry because it was no longer a viable way to make a living.She shares some fantastic insights about coffee branding and marketing and the coffee gear she takes when she travels.To Support this Podcast and become a Patron CLICK HERE