Totally Dissolved

We're back and (finally) ready for a new season! Coming to you next week, season 5 begins and we've got another excellent lineup of guests. Can't wait for you to hear the upcoming episodes.

Community and coffee are synonymous. Coffee brings people together into shared spaces and through sharing stories and experiences. This week we chat with Double J on how he builds community through Black Rabbit and sharing coffee, culture, and stories through his new project Coffee Breath.

Join us as we ask 20 questions with our new Marketing Manager, Ashley Allen. We talk coffee, sparkling water, Nick Jonas, coffee tools, and generally keep it pretty silly to wrap up season 4. Thanks for joining us for another great season of Totally Dissolved, and we’ll catch you on the next one!

Trying to educate oneself about coffee can be daunting and confusing. This week we chat with Hailie Stevens from Fellow and gives us some great perspectives on educating consumers on Specialty Coffee.

Grant Gamble and Suneal Pabari, co-founders of Leaderboard: The Coffee Game, dive into the world of specialty coffee. They discuss the fun yet complex journey of coffee tasting, emphasizing palate development and unique processing methods, like the washed thermal shock for Colombian coffee. The duo shares insights on lesser-known coffee roasters and innovative tasting experiences while highlighting the power of community in coffee culture. With engaging anecdotes, they blend education and play, transforming how we appreciate flavors in coffee.

In this engaging discussion, Chris Hendon, a computational materials chemistry expert and author, and Robin Bumbaugh, a PhD candidate and researcher, dive into the thrilling science behind coffee. They explore experimental findings on the effects of grind particle size and moisture on electrochemistry during coffee grinding. Topics include tribo-electrification, the role of salt concentrations, and innovative techniques for improving coffee quality. Listeners will learn how chemistry enhances our daily brew while enjoying anecdotes about favorite drinks and the joys of coffee culture.

In this episode, David Chou, Customer Success Manager at Eversys USA and coffee education expert, shares insights on the evolution of espresso technology. He discusses how automatic machines are revolutionizing coffee preparation and enhancing the barista experience. David explains the balance between automation and the human touch, pointing out the significant advancements in machine performance and connectivity. Listeners will also discover innovative brewing techniques and the practical benefits of understanding espresso equipment.

We interview each other about Training, Education, and Barista-ing. We both love being in the Specialty Coffee Industry and sometimes you just need to chat it out to learn more and also appreciate how much has changed and evolved over time. Tell us what you think about being in the role you do in Specialty Coffee and bonus points for also sharing fun kid pics and stories and your ideal day. #coffee #coffeepeople #specialtycoffee

We continue our discussion on SE Asian Coffee with Will Frith. We get into the history and rise of Vietnamese Coffee and it's modernization. Will Frith is an American of Vietnamese descent who grew up in Texas. He first came to Vietnam in 2004 to meet his maternal grandparents, and has subsequently split his time between Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. He got his start in the coffee business as a barista at MOD Coffeehouse in Galveston, Texas. In 2007 he was hired as a Production Assistant at Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters (now Dancing Goats Coffee) in Olympia, Washington, and would eventually become Production Roaster and QC Specialist at Olympia Coffee Roasters. In 2013 he moved to Vietnam to contribute to the development of specialty arabica. He is largely credited with sparking a movement in specialty coffee there. With the exception of a year at The New Black in Singapore and three years with Modbar as its west coast US rep, he has since lived and worked in Saigon, dedicated to changing the way the world views Vietnam's coffee. In 2019 he co-founded Saigon-based Building Coffee, a coffee company at origin that believes in Better Coffee for More People. He opened Building Coffee's flagship cafe BEL with Building Coffee partner Kel Norman in 2021. Ed Leebrick, owner of Seattle's legendary Lighthouse Roasters, joined Building Coffee in 2021. The brand launched in the USA at the Specialty Coffee Association's 2023 Expo in Portland, OR. <www.willfrith.com> <www.building.coffee> #coffee #coffeepeople #vietnam #vietnamesecoffee

October is FilAm History Month and this week's episode we get to know what is special about Philippine Coffee. Paul Barreto is local to the LA area (Long Beach represent!) and is one of the burgeoning FilAm Specialty Coffee Roasters specifically working with Filipino Coffee and Filipino Coffee Farmers. We (especially Bronwen) are so excited to share this conversation with you all and share a little about Philippine Specialty Coffee. Paul Barreto is one of the co-founders of Out of Office Roasters. As a hobbyist, he began roasting on a Whirley Pop in his apartment kitchen. After several fire alarm incidents, and a trip to Mexico City seeing coffee culture in a coffee origin country, the idea for Out of Office Roasters arose and he was inspired to produce coffee on a larger scale. Out of Office Roasters aims to connect coffee, art, and people while providing a platform for Asian and Asian-American creatives. Paul’s passion is in showcasing the amazing creative work by AAPI artists, and in building community with other AAPI and BIPOC business owners in the Long Beach and Los Angeles area. Paul recently finished his first documentary, Ma'am Tere, which explores Philippines specialty coffee and the work of the farmers, mill managers, and importers in the Philippines. The film is an official selection for the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest in 2023. Out of Office Roasters continues to source coffees from the Philippines and hopes to bring more attention to the unique flavors of the coffee, as well as the people and relationships behind it. #coffee #coffeepeople #roaster #pinoy #philippinecoffee