Totally Dissolved

When we started Totally Dissolved, we wanted to put out a resource for coffee professionals that would go beyond  the 'basics' of coffee, to provide info out there to further develop as a coffee professional, AND have fun doing so. After 2 Seasons (!!!) we hope we've provided that for you all. We certainly have been getting inspired and having such a good time conversing with other lovely coffee peeps and humans. This episode, you ask us the burning questions.Thanks for listening!

We had a fabulously fun and enlightening conversation with Bailey Arnold and Becky Reeves. They both give insight on the importance of building and nurturing relationships and finding a path of work that is both fulfilling, fun, and true to yourself. Bailey Arnold is above all else a seeker of sensory delight. After wearing several hats in the coffee industry for nearly a decade she now works for Oatly as the Northeast US Market Development Manager, also working cross-functionally with Oatly’s Product Development team on sensory projects. She is Past Chair of the Barista Guild and sits on the Specialty Coffee Association’s Board of Directors. She could probably pick you up and carry you around for a little while, and is generally regarded to be a “good time.” Becky Reeves is a multifaceted coffee, events, and brand strategy professional who doesn’t want to be defined by any of these things. More importantly, she’s a dedicated Formula 1 fan, can beat anyone (ANYONE) at Connect 4, and has legendarily good taste. Currently working in hospitality in Austin TX, Becky is passionate about experiencing new places, building connections, and embracing her fearless creative style. She’s hopeful that her next big move will synthesize all three.”

We're going to chat about oat milk and we do, but really we talk about business with Michelle Johnson. She has been a force and and inspiration in Specialty Coffee. It was amazing to talk to her about being a Founder and what's it's like creating a product for communities often not considered. Michelle is the founder of The Chocolate Barista, a coffee culture platform and creative consulting agency for coffee businesses and other ventures in the F&B space. Her decade-long experience as a coffee professional includes a little bit of everything: barista, manager, educator/trainer, marketing and communications, coffee sales, journalist, and event organizer. At the end of 2020, she shifted her primary focus from coffee to alternative milk and co-founded Ghost Town Oats. They officially launched this year in cafes and small markets across Southern California, Phoenix, and Chicago. #coffee #alternativemilk #entrepreneur #blackownedbusiness Resources: <https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/oat-milk-market> https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthiest-milk https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/which-vegan-milk-is-best-for-the-environment/ https://wholeearthsea.com/blog/ranking-milk-based-on-sustainability/ https://www.themanual.com/food-and-drink/environmental-impact-of-different-types-of-milk/?amp

We take some time this week for a lovely conversation with Anita Tam on the tools we as coffee professionals use. It was inspiring and refreshing to discuss her take on design, functionality, and intentional use of supplies and tools we use daily, but often overlook. Anita Tam is the Founder and Owner of Slow Pour Supply - a specialty coffee equipment distribution company based in Houston, TX. Anita serves as the current Chairperson for the United States Latte Art Championships member of the US Coffee Champs Strategic Group, and formerly Lead Technical Judge for US Barista Championships. A former classical musician, she is passionate about community, latte art and how tools can provide a better workflow for baristas.

What makes a memorable cafe experience? We all love going out to cafes and coffeeshops for a variety of reasons. This episode, we chat with Jaymie Lao not only about her favorite experiences, but her willingness to share how these experiences helped her shape cafe experiences for others. Jaymie Lao is a coffee human based in Los Angeles who has spent 14+ years in the coffee industry. Most recently she was the Director of Cafe Experience for Go Get Em Tiger where she delighted in opening new cafes, coaching leadership, and training baristas and customers alike. While coffee drew Jaymie to working in cafes, it's the humans in those spaces that inspire her and have kept her interest in the coffee industry and hospitality at large. These days, when she's not dreaming of a new cafe experience, you can find her lounging with her dog Wrathbone and playing Magic with friends.

Sustainability in coffee has many facets and the industry has made progress or has it? Tyler Duncan of Coracle Coffee shares his views on sustainability in terms of the growing market of convenience and how to make Specialty Coffee more accessible for all. Tyler has been in the industry for around a decade. Beginning at Starbucks and then Topeca Coffee Roasters, he now owns an instant coffee business called Coracle Coffee. He’s been a barista, manager, chief cinnamon roll eater, and educator. He’s also volunteered at events like Barista Camp and Expo, as well as Roaster’s Guild Retreat and Access. He likes cooking for people and has a terrible case of threshold syndrome, where you walk into another room and crossing that threshold makes you forgot what the heck you were doing in the first place. <www.coracle.coffee> <https://www.gofundme.com/f/scale-coracle-coffee-into-its-next-phase> <https://www.faire.com/brand/b_q5nn2gjvnr?refS=coracle>

Technological developments in coffee has created some drastic changes in the Specialty Coffee industry. Tune in as Marcus Young helps us distill how technology has helped make Specialty Coffee what it is today and where it can continue to grow. Marcus Young has spent nearly twenty years in coffee. He is motivated to create sustainable economic opportunities throughout the coffee supply chain. Marcus manages education and content at coffee software company Cropster, which sets the bar for software that allows coffee pros to create better coffee. Prior to Cropster he spent five years running Boot Coffee Campus as a trainer, director, and consultant, teaching nearly 300 roasters and cuppers each year. He consults with roasters as a green buyer and quality manager, retailers, and coffee producers to grow their businesses through continuing coffee education and experimentation, customer engagement, and coffee-centric events. He is a certified Q Grader and Authorized SCA Trainer.

This episode takes us on an enlightening discussion on taste, smell, and how we can better develop our palates for tasting. Supertaster Candice Madison helps us understand the hows and whys of taste and how we can all benefit from exploring different tastes and smells. Candice Madison has worked in specialty coffee for almost 15 years, as an accomplished barista, roaster, green buyer, and instructor. They are a Q Arabica Instructor for the Coffee Quality Institute which awards the highest sensory certification in the professional coffee industry. They are also an experienced Authorized Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Trainer, teaching on SCA-certified campuses, as well as at the annual SCA Event, World of Coffee, and Coffee Roasters Guild Retreat. A past World Coffee Events Head Judge, Candice began work on their own project, Kandake Boutique Coffees, which expects to launch in the winter of 2022.  Previously a member of several SCA committees, including the Equity Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, Candice is the outgoing Vice President of the Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity (CCRE). They continue to partner and consult with multi-national corporations, and smaller companies, all the way through to home enthusiasts. This approach, they believe, democratizes the coffee industry, ensuring that all consumers feel welcome, seen, and heard, enjoying all coffee has to offer.  A published writer, Candice embraces a range of topics concerning technical aspects of specialty coffee itself and the industry in general. Their work has been featured in a range of national and international publications. In addition, they have also been the subject of interviews, podcasts, and book contributions. But their core mission is not to advance themselves but to engage and collaborate with those who look to ensure quality in specialty coffee throughout the supply chain. Most important to Candice’s work is that they ultimately support sustainable livelihoods for farmers, producers, and all of those along the supply chain, recognizing the invaluable role that women and people of color play. Their vocation is the unceasing quest for the highest quality of coffee and the constant, sustainable improvement in the quality of the lives of those who produce it.

We get in-depth and science-y with Christopher Hendon discussing water. This was a fun conversation that challenged us, we learned lots, and gave us better insight on water for coffee. To the boundaries of science! Dr. Christopher H. Hendon is a Professor of Computational Materials Chemistry at the University of Oregon. His interests are in energy materials and coffee science.  Prof. Hendon’s interest in coffee began during his PhD, and since then has published several peer-reviewed articles and a book, Water For Coffee. He enjoys washed African coffees, dry Rieslings, and east coast oysters. Resources: <https://pages.uoregon.edu/chendon/>

Our inaugural episode for Season 2 we spill the tea with the spirited and lovely Tricia Lu of Spirit Tea. We chat tea, community, and what's it like being in a coffee adjacent field. Tricia Lu (she/her/hers) is the West Coast sales manager for Chicago based tea company Spirit Tea and has been part of the coffee industry for over ten years. Before she was tea she was coffee and her background in the industry ranges from dishwasher to barista to educator to consulting to sales. You've probably seen her at the after parties of Coffee Fest and SCA with a Miller High Life in hand. Her passion is community and helping people and brands that she believes in. When she isn't drinking tea or coffee she is watering her plants, eating Korean bbq, and hanging with her fam.