EPISODE · Jan 5, 2026 · 50 MIN
We Built This City…On Coffee: Hamburg and the making of Europe's coffee trade
from A History of Coffee · host James Harper
On a long walk through Hamburg, somewhere between the fish markets and giant cranes, you might stumble a giant bronze coffee bean looks like its crash landed from space. But this giant coffee bean represents a staggering fact: one in every three cups of coffee drunk in Europe has passed through Hamburg. In the first half of this episode, we explore the many profound ways coffee shaped one of Europe’s most important cities. But then the story flips because, once coffee changed Hamburg, Hamburg began to change coffee. Series 3 of A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’. Please spread the word about A History of Coffee! Follow us on Instagram - James (@filterstoriespodcast) and Jonathan (@coffeehistoryjm) - and tag us in an Instagram story. Write a review on Apple Podcasts Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by Mahlkönig, manufacturers of world-leading coffee grinders for 100 years for your home and cafe. Read Jonathan’s book, ‘Coffee: A Global History’ (https://amzn.to/3dihAfU) Support James’ work directly by buying him a coffee at Ko-fi.com/FilterStories Pick up a copy of Margrit Schulte Beerbühl’s book, Kaffee Ist Fertig! Read James’ article on Frederick the Great’s attempt to ban coffee in Standart Go on your own Hamburg coffee tour! Giant bean Speicherstadt Museum Burg Coffee Museum in the Speicherstadt Becking, 100 year old coffee roasters 1950s Rebuilt Coffee Exchange - and an Instagram post coming on @filterstoriespodcast Go deeper into the story of Mahlkönig’s grinders Early EKs - post coming on @filterstoriespodcast DK (aka Donkey Kong Dreiphasen Kaffeemühle) Grind-by-Sync espresso grinders EK Omnia Guatemala Matt Perger WBC routine demonstrating the EK Filter Stories episode on grinding curves Check out Standart, the award-winning coffee magazine. Get a free magazine and a free bag of coffee by clicking here. Office coffee = easy recurring revenue. WMF’s Elevation 10 and Peak 50 do the work for you. Learn more here. "Seize the Moment", the tabletop device from DiFluid that guides your customers through their coffee as it cools. Use code FILTER and this link to get 10% off.
What this episode covers
On a long walk through Hamburg, somewhere between the fish markets and giant cranes, you might stumble a giant bronze coffee bean looks like its crash landed from space. But this giant coffee bean represents a staggering fact: one in every three cups of coffee drunk in Europe has passed through Hamburg. In the first half of this episode, we explore the many profound ways coffee shaped one of Europe’s most important cities. But then the story flips because, once coffee changed Hamburg, Hamburg began to change coffee. Series 3 of A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’. Please spread the word about A History of Coffee! Follow us on Instagram - James (@filterstoriespodcast) and Jonathan (@coffeehistoryjm) - and tag us in an Instagram story. Write a review on Apple Podcasts Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by Mahlkönig, manufacturers of world-leading coffee grinders for 100 years for your home and cafe. Read Jonathan’s book, ‘Coffee: A Global History’ (https://amzn.to/3dihAfU) Support James’ work directly by buying him a coffee at Ko-fi.com/FilterStories Pick up a copy of Margrit Schulte Beerbühl’s book, Kaffee Ist Fertig! Read James’ article on Frederick the Great’s attempt to ban coffee in Standart Go on your own Hamburg coffee tour! Giant bean Speicherstadt Museum Burg Coffee Museum in the Speicherstadt Becking, 100 year old coffee roasters 1950s Rebuilt Coffee Exchange - and an Instagram post coming on @filterstoriespodcast Go deeper into the story of Mahlkönig’s grinders Early EKs - post coming on @filterstoriespodcast DK (aka Donkey Kong Dreiphasen Kaffeemühle) Grind-by-Sync espresso grinders EK Omnia Guatemala Matt Perger WBC routine demonstrating the EK Filter Stories episode on grinding curves Check out Standart, the award-winning coffee magazine. Get a free magazine and a free bag of coffee by clicking here.Office coffee = easy recurring revenue. WMF’s Elevation 10 and Peak 50 do the work for you. Learn more here. "Seize the Moment", the tabletop device from DiFluid that guides your customers through their coffee as it cools. Use code FILTER and this link to get 10% off.
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We Built This City…On Coffee: Hamburg and the making of Europe's coffee trade
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