EP 881 Ian Fretheim - Tools for Assessing Coffee Quality - Map It Forward Middle East Podcast Lee Safar episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 25, 2025 · 20 MIN

EP 881 Ian Fretheim - Tools for Assessing Coffee Quality - Map It Forward Middle East Podcast Lee Safar

from MAP IT FORWARD Middle East · host Lee Safar

This episode is brought to you by Raw Beverage Trading - Your hospitality supply chain partner. Connect at [email protected]••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••This is the first of a five-part series featuring Ian Fretheim, Director of Sensory Analysis at US-based coffee importer, Cafe Imports, on The Map It Forward Middle East Podcast, hosted by Map It Forward Founder Lee Safar.This series originally aired on the global podcast and is a companion series to our discussion with Reza Kosar on this Middle East Podcast that aired last month. Both series follow the same discussion flow.In this series, Lee and Ian will explore the question, "What is Quality in the Coffee Industry?".The titles of the 5 episodes of this series are:1. Tools for Assessing Coffee Quality - https://youtu.be/5iEIRX6pU182. How Do We Define Quality? - https://youtu.be/PxpoXDy2YNk3. Quality, Hype, and Coffee Competitions - https://youtu.be/6ll7-9yy8-Q4. The CVA Won't Fix Anything In Coffee - https://youtu.be/yA0s1aGZ2Yw5. Q Graders, Cuppers, and Technology - https://youtu.be/w57Wv5DY18UIn this episode of the series, Lee and Ian discuss the tools used to assess coffee quality, including cupping forms, gadgets, and the essential role of people. Ian shares insights from his extensive experience at Cafe Imports and highlights the industry's broader issues of defining and measuring coffee quality.This episode also covers a discussion about the current state and effectiveness of the Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) in the specialty coffee industry. Ian critiques the CVA for being inadequate in its claims and emphasizes the distinction between specialty coffee professionals and food technologists. Connect with Ian Fretheim and Cafe Imports here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-fretheim-31628323/https://www.cafeimports.com/north-america/sensory-analysis/coffeerose••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••Connect with Map It Forward here: Website | Instagram | Mailing list💡Support this podcast on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward📽 Watch the podcast on Youtube: https://bit.ly/3ouyFYW🎙 Check out the audio version of our podcast here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify🧐 Find out more about Map It Forward Mastermind Groups here: https://mapitforward.coffee/groupcoachingLooking for a business advisor for your established coffee business or startup? Email us here📧 email: [email protected]

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EP 881 Ian Fretheim - Tools for Assessing Coffee Quality - Map It Forward Middle East Podcast Lee Safar

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