The Coffee Show with Kirk Pearson

Jak Michael Ryan, originally from Australia, is the United States Barista Champion. Jak is one of the most unique personalities you will find anywhere in life. Jak is a professional dancer, dedicated boxer with ambitions for great things and just casually, the best barista in the USA. This podcast looks into his journey and discipline and the many years of hard work it took to reach this point. Jak and Kirk discuss the emerging US coffee scene and what is going on back home in Australia, and Kirk goes nuclear on 'foodie' creators.Like this podcast? Subscribe, like and tell a friend!Music by prettyjohn1 from Pixabay

Davy Ball is the Founder of Draped in Blue and one of the Co-Founders of Now and Then, a now closed coffee bar that provided a fine dining coffee experience. In this podcast Davy and Kirk are recording in Chef Sean Brock's office in Nashville with all of his cook books, as you can see there are many! Kirk and Davy discuss how fine dining and coffee can work together and the future of coffee experiences of that nature.Like this podcast? Subscribe, like and tell a friend!

Kirk has reached the means streets of Calgary, Alberta in Canada. In Calgary one of the worlds most reputable specialty coffee roasters is there, Rosso Coffee Roasters. Rosso was started by David Crosby who is a 2x World Barista Championship coach, coaching both Mikael Jaisin and Boram Um to victory in consecutive years. David and Kirk have been friends for years now and it was great to catch up at the Rosso roastery. This is a crossover podcast where we both interviewed each other really and makes for an excellent listen. Like, subscribe, tell two friends and enjoy!

George Howell is the Founder of George Howell Coffee and one of the most influential forces in the coffee industry ever. Many know him as the man who created the Frappuccino, which he sold the rights of to Starbucks. Such was his influence in the 90’s he sold all of his venues to Starbucks as well, and has devoted his entire life to the betterment of the specialty coffee industry. In this podcast Kirk and George discuss tech in coffee, what concerns him and what the future holds. Plus, Kirk and George reflect on his life, which he is writing about in his biography. Things get emotional when we look back and ponder the world he will leave behind. A bucket list moment for Kirk, an extraordinary podcast for you. Enjoy.

Nemesis Coffee are based in Vancouver and have multiple venues spanning specialty coffee focused venues and bakeries. The owners Jes and Albert blew Kirk away with the coffee quality and service throughout the Vancouver leg of the 'Freedom Tour!'We sat down in their Great Northern Way store and spoke about the origins of Nemesis and the near terminal challenges they faced along the way. An excellent podcast for all!

Dr Doran Pennington is a former student of someone the coffee industry knows well: Dr Christopher Hendon. Doran and Chris story has shades of Good Will Hunting, Doran the former student recruited his teacher to form a start up that has the change to change the beverage industry as we know it. It is called Overpotential.In this episode Kirk visits the ‘Engine Room,’ a start up accelerator within the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the #1 ranked university on the planet by many. While walking through the building Kirk was even introduced to someone making lasers for mini nuclear reactors. Only startups with extremely high potential are accepted to work within the Engine Room.Doran and Chris are working on machines that will alter the chemical composition of liquids and thus their flavour. Kirk was lucky enough to try some altered instant coffee by Nescafé and it was very nice. The group spent too much time looking at cool stuff at MIT that there was only room for a small interview over some Turkey sandwiches, which were delightful. Among topics discussed were startups, innovation ecosystems, water for coffee and more. Not an episode you want to miss!

Last year the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) announced sweeping changes to what is known at the Coffee Value Assessment. Coffee professionals were furious that a seemingly functional system of assessing a coffees quality was being replaced by a system that was far more complex. Craig Simon is Australia's leading coffee trainer who was one of two certified Q Grade instructors in the country. Craig has embraced the new changes and teaches the course at Criteria Coffee, his co roasting and education space. Kirk and Craig discuss the new form and whether or not it is practical. Among other things, Craig recounts a notorious incident involving chocolate milk and orange juice and the pre batch topic comes up.... Again!

'Breakfast Shirts' or Mark Crotti is a content creator who travels Australia as a touring musician and cafe connoisseur. Mark has compiled some data from a survey sent out to his followers. It seeks to find out: Who is Australia's favourite coffee roaster? What is Australia's favourite coffee order? And where is the best breakfast in the country? Kirk and Mark discuss all this week on The Coffee Show!!

Nic Petrie is the Head of Coffee for Born and Raised, a Melbourne based coffee roasting supplying cafes and sharpening their focus to go direct to consumer. Nic has been one of the lead agitators with pre batched coffee, something Kirk is very familiar with. Additionally, Nic has been big on Co-Fermentation. Kirk and Nic discuss the potential problems that Co Ferments could create and also discuss future UFC match ups for those that are interested. Kirk also delivers a nuclear hot take in the 'Grind My Bean' segment that may well and truly get him cancelled! If you're reading this, like, subscribe, tell a friend and leave a comment. Helps us keep this podcast FREE!!

Ryan Caisley is an ‘Oat Dealer’ from Oatly based in Melbourne Australia. When working in London, Ryan would often serve some of the biggest name actors and sports stars, leading to him eventually featuring in a Hollywood film! Kirk and Ryan discuss famous stars like Jimmy Butler and Emma Chamberlain entering the specialty coffee industry with their own brands that are doing very well. Sustainability also gets a mention as it seems to not be a priority in the context of foreign wars and the cost of living crisis. And finally, Kirk wants Google reviews abolished!!Like this podcast? Like, subscribe and comment to help a brother out!!

Think of this podcast as a 100 minute lesson on how to make espresso. Whether you're a beginner at home or in the cafe, you're going to get something out of this. 2022 World Barista Champion Anthony Douglas sits down with Kirk to go through espresso making.What is the best equipment to use if you're on a budget? Where should you allocate your money for buying home coffee equipment? Plus, Anthony makes an exclusive announcement on the podcast that you may just love! Like this podcast? Share with two friends! Order beans here: www.projectzero.coffee

Kirk is getting international heat, again! Firstly, Kirk and Jack caught up during the week and sorted out their drama from last week, which ended in a really pleasant reunion. There are some looming articles to come out soon where journalists have been seeking alternative opinions on pre batched espresso. Potential hit pieces in the works? What are Kirk's philosophies on coffee service? Find out on this weeks episode of The Coffee Show With Kirk Pearson.

This morning, World Barista Champion Jack Simpson took to Instagram, rebuking the idea of pre-batched espresso.The post came as a complete surprise to Kirk. Jack had previously played a role in helping set up the café, yet there was no prior conversation or warning—just a post pontificating on the inferiority of pre-batched espresso.In this episode, Kirk responds. He revisits why he started pre-batching coffee in the first place, unpacking the practical realities behind the decision. He also contrasts this approach with his earlier experience operating Sub-Zero Coffee, offering insight into how his thinking has evolved over time.

James Coburn is the man behind one of the most hilarious coffee content creations currently going. You might know him as Human Tobasco, and after nearly a decade living and working in New York, he's taking a brief stint living and working back home in Melbourne Australia. James is as hilarious in person as he is online, but most of all he is very down to earth. Many of his video ideas arose from seeing things from a perspective of being grateful. Plus, Kirk and James also talk about things that GRIND THEIR BEANS!!! Like this podcast? Leave a like, comment and tell some of your friends!

Can you imagine going to a coffee shop and getting told to fuck off by the server? Well, that now exists thanks to a whimsical bunch of lads in the United Kingdom. Tom Noble, Will Sudlow and Charlie Hurst are the three founders of Flat White or Fuck Off, a pop up that came about thanks to British figure Rory Sutherland, who spoke of this idea on another podcast. Charlie Hurst loved the idea so much he came up with some concept designs, then Tom Noble and Will Sudlow decided they wanted to bring the idea to life, and just like that the idea was born! In this podcast we discuss in depth how the idea came about, what their goals are and why they all love coffee so much, despite not working in the industry previously. How much further can they go? And should they try pre-batching their espresso? Find out in this weeks episode of the Coffee Show! Tell two friends, subscribe and leave a like. Help a brother out!Website: https://flatwhiteorfckoff.com/

Zac Smith is a former Aussie Rules player who played for both the Gold Coast Suns and Geelong Cats. In the final years of his football career, Zac began to fall in love with coffee, and once he retired decided that he wanted to do this for a living after football. Zac now owns Tallboy Coffee in Queensland Australia, where the weather is pretty much perfect all year round, he sees opportunity to disrupt the cold brew market into the future, particularly in his neck of the woods. Zac and Kirk discuss what it takes to make a career out of coffee, and just how hard it can be. A good portion of the episode is also spent touching on Zac's AFL career, what it is like being a professional athlete and who the most vicious competitors are. Please don’t forget to like, subscribe and tell 2 friends about this podcast so we can continue to grow the channel!

Project Zero 2.0 has opened which has captured attention globally. There are really only two camps of people on this, those who are open to new ideas and innovation, and those that think the definition of espresso was written in the Magna Carta era.Joining Kirk is Hany Ezzat, the man responsible for posting a viral reel that has caused many to have a melt down. Hany is the founder of Ni Wares, a coffee ceramics brand that make specialist cups for coffee brewing.But what is this point of all this? How is it done? And where will it lead? Kirk also goes on a Karen rant in a new segment called “What Grinds My Beans!”Please don’t forget to like, subscribe and tell 2 friends about this podcast so we can continue to grow the channel!

Lucia Solis is a fermentation and coffee processing specialist who is now based in Guatemala. Lucia is also hosts an award winning coffee podcast called 'Making Coffee with Lucia Scolis' which recently won Sprudge Podcast of the year. Lucia's first line of work was as a wine maker. After studying Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis she worked in California's esteemed Napa Valley. These days Lucia commits her life to teaching others techniques to process their coffee, urging them to see 'processing as an opportunity to add value.' In this podcast Kirk asks guide for some of the basics when it comes to coffee processing. Kirk and Lucia unpack key terms, big words and debunk some myths about coffee processing. Like this podcast? Leave a review and please tell two of your friends!Link to Lucia's website: https://www.luxia.coffee/

Christopher Feran is coffees is the author of coffees most detailed and forensic blog. Chris has many years of experience working as a post harvest and green bean consultant, helping roasters of many different sizes with their sourcing and blend formulation. Chris also has a brand called Aviary Coffee where he roasts and sells one different coffee monthly, allowing him to develop sutainable partnerships, and roast the coffee really damn well! In this episode Chris and Kirk talk about sourcing, the Scott Rao wars, Luckin Coffee, SCA, competitions and Chris time at the FBI! Leave a comment about Kirk's Eevee shirt, it just might make his day! Like this podcast? Leave a review and please tell two of your friends!

Though he would never own up to it, Andrew Kelly is one of the Four Horseman of Melbourne's specialty coffee industry. Andrew is the Founder of Small Batch Coffee, a seminal Melbourne roastery and Sharesource, which sources coffee that ensures farmers financial sustainability and aims for better outcomes on farm. The key contention of this podcast is how do we as an industry better communicate to consumers why buying ethically sourced coffee is a good thing. Have we been selling the message wrong? Have we been to prone to lecturing the public instead of having a better discourse?Kirk and Andrew also discuss why being 'delusional' is very important for a young entrepreneur or anyone wanting to make a change in the world. Also, does Melbourne make better Pizza than Italy? Like this podcast? Leave a review and please tell two of your friends!

Scott Rao is the most recognised coffee roasting expert in the world. Through his consulting work he has helped countless coffee roasters to improve their roasting and day to day operations. The who's who of coffee all look up to him. Kirk and Scott cater to roasters that are at the beginner, intermediate and advanced level of roasting, so if you roast coffee already or you want to learn, this is the best podcast you can listen to. Scott and Kirk both tell some horror stories of workplaces they have had in previous years. And has Scott become a co-ferment guy? Like this podcast? Leave a review and please tell two of your friends!

WARNING! This podcast has nothing to do with coffee. Pokemon is the most successful game/movie/merchandising franchise in the world by a long way, and in recent times that has gone to a whole new level. In the podcast we are joined by Jonathan D'allessando of Card Bot AU, a company that sells cards through vending machines. What started as a hobby for his brother CJ, ended up becoming a thriving business that cannot stock their machines quick enough! Regular listeners to this show know that Kirk LOVES Pokemon, so here is an opportunity to have some fun on a different topic.So what caused the Pokemon card wars? And how will they end? Like this podcast? Leave a review and please tell two of your friends!

The World Coffee Championships recently unveiled their new sponsors, with Ceado now being the grinder sponsor for the barista category and Option O for brewers cup.Coffee competitions have always been costly, but this year they're going to a new level and the frequency at which the sponsors change make it hard for would be competitors to budget accordingly.Perhaps the most shocking change is that for the Brewers Cup competitors will now be required to use the same grinder for compulsory and open service which is a massive change that has already upset many competitors.Plus, Kirk apologises to Ceado for singling them out in a previous post.Like this podcast? Leave a review and please tell two of your friends!

On the weekend US President Donald Trump and his administration captured Nicholas Maduro of Venezuela and his wife, sparking international outcry and condemnation.While the world is still learning more details there is much conjecture on what comes next. One thing is for sure, if the region were to become unstable and if shipping near one of the worlds busiest shipping routes is disrupted, the outcome for the coffee industry would be dire. Like this podcast? Leave a review and please tell two of your friends!

In our recent tour of Europe, we touched down in Berlin to attend the launch of Oatly's 'Look Book' they formulated to help cafes and home enthusiasts to make better drinks that are better for the planet! Kirk sat down with Toby Weedon who is the Barista Development Director at Oatly who oversaw the creations in the Look Book. Along with the launch of the look book Kirk and Toby discuss the 'Future of Taste' report that Oatly developed which looks into upcoming trends within the coffee industry, like: - The Global Flavor Exchange - Conscious Indulgence - Fibre Has Entered the Chat - Destination Drinks - The Future State of MatchaThis is a great podcast to understand what trends could emerge in 2026 and what the future of coffee might look like! Like this podcast? Leave a review and please tell two of your friends!

The prophecy foretold that one day Gabrel Tan would become Australian Barista Champion, and alas! Here we are!! Gabrel Tan of Veneziano Coffee Roasters, who has finished second three times to eventual World Champions Anthony Douglas and Jack Simpson, was finally able to break through and earn his first national title! Gabrel overcame a challenge from the legendary Angus Mackie of Ona Coffee using coffee from Finca Janson in Panama and unique microlot from Indonesia! In this episode we discuss Gab's journey where he competed against the very best in Australia's top heavy barista competition and what it took for him to overcome the mental hurdles of defeat! Jack Allisey is the Head of Coffee for the Nomad Coffee Group which is roasts more than 100 tonnes of coffee a week supplying some of Australia's biggest coffee brands. Jack is also Gab's coach for competition and has worked with Gab throughout his competition journey! Like this podcast? Leave a review and please tell two of your friends!

Matt Perger and Jeremy Challender run Barista Hustle, an online coffee education provider that make comprehensive courses for people of any skill level in coffee to better their knowledge!In this episode of The Coffee Show, Matt, Jeremy and Kirk have just concluded a blind tasting that compared milk coffee that was made using freshly made espresso and espresso that had been made a day prior. The results were quite fascinating and might surprise you! Is the future of coffee pre made? Also, the guys talk about the state of coffee education, whether or not coffee is better than it was 10 years prior and what you can do to immediately improve the quality of your batch brew! Like this podcast? Leave a review and please tell two of your friends!

Alex Moore is the runner up of the Australian Brewers Cup and staff member at Project Zero Coffee. Alex was trained by Kirk and overachieved in his first season as a competitor. What was special about Alex routine is that he was the only competitor that used a washed coffee in the whole competition. In recent years, natural and experimental fermentations have dominated the Australian competition scene, this year Alex coffee was the highest scoring of the whole weekend despite coming second to the legendary Simon Gautherin! In this podcast Alex breaks down his entire competition prep, how the coffee was sourced, roasted, brewed and every other little detail. Plus, Project Zero Coffee is opening a second store soon and the concept is something that will be an amazing success, or a spectacular failure! Like this podcast? Leave a review and please tell two of your friends!

Matt Winton a World Brewers Cup Champion now residing in Switzerland. Sierra Yeo is a National Brewers Cup Champion (previously representing the UK) and recently won the Swiss Brewers Cup, meaning she will compete again at the World Brewers Cup in Brussels. Matt and Sierra are happily married and together run Rose Coffee Roasters, and internationally famed roastery that sells some of the highest quality and unique coffee the world has to offer. At Host Milan, Kirk, Sierra and Matt all linked up to record a podcast and touched on the quality that competition has reached recently. Plus, they all play an entertaining game of "he's a ten, she's a ten!"Like this podcast? Leave a review and please tell two of your friends!

Nicole Battcefeld is Germany's most awarded barista with multiple national championships to her name. These days she works as a consultant to Nunc, an AI powered home espresso machine that could potentially reshape coffee brewing at home. Vladyslav Demonenko is former Doctor from Ukraine who now resides in Berlin and owns Kolo Coffee, a coffee roaster that is gaining praise across europe for its quality and exceptional service at their flagship site in Berlin. In this podcast we discuss the European coffee scene, why Vlad chose coffee over being a doctor and of course AI super robot home coffee machines! Like this podcast? Leave a review and please tell two of your friends!

Paul Ross is a UK barista champion and founder of Special Guests Coffee in London.On our recent Euro tour, Kirk stopped by Special Guests Coffee and was blown away, calling it the best coffee in the UK and he isn’t alone. Paul told a really interesting story about how he made coffee for the landlord which blew them away. It was that fateful decision of taking a flask of competition coffee to the pitch that helped him beat out others for a highly coveted space to open a coffee shop in a swanky part of London. Paul also talks about his hospitality philosophies and how new expensive gear is rarely on customers minds. Like this podcast? Leave a review and please tell two of your friends!

If you ask most coffee professionals: What is the most famous specialty coffee place in the world? Most of them will answer Patricia Coffee Brewers in Melbourne. Patricia is one of the crown jewels of the City of Melbourne. They make 1200+ coffees per day and people travel from all over the world to experience going there. What makes it so special? This is a coffee shop tucked away in an alley of Melbourne. Next to it are some dumpsters and the best seat you can get is a milk crate, and yet people wait in line (no matter the weather) just to drink their coffee. For that level of devotion they must be doing something right! In this podcast Bowen and Pip give the A-Z of how they started, and what details the went over to get things right. How valuable is complimentary sparkling water? What do customers really care about? How do you make a negative experience a positive one? If you want to open a coffee shop, you NEED to listen to this first, there is so much value in one podcast! Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share it with some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

As part of our recent tour or Europe, Kirk stopped by Copenhagen where he discovered that the #1 Restaurant in the world has opened a coffee bar! Kirk was the first customer and managed to secure an interview with Noma Head of Coffee Carolyne Lane inside the new space. So why have Noma ventured into coffee? And what are their plans in the future? WIll Noma's world leading expertise on fermentation be part of a broader collaboration in the future? Find out on this episode of the Coffee Show with Kirk Pearson! Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

Jose Luttrell (or Don Jose as Kirk likes to call him) is the Patriarch of the Luttrell Family that owns Panamanian coffee farm 'Abu Coffee.' Sofia Luttrell is his daughter who hasn't finished high school yet, but is keenly interested in the farming life and at the ripe old age of 18, is the Brewers Cup champion of Panama! Together they make a dream team that is amazing to see, and it is fair to say that the future looks bright for Abu Coffee! Abu coffee is known for producing some of the most complex and high quality coffee in the world. In this podcast hear how Abu coffee has been producing coffee since the 1800's and what the future holds for Sofia, who is planning to study at university and use her skills to improve the farm at Abu. Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

Jack Simpson of Australia has won the World Barista Championship. About an hour after his victory we sat down with Jack, his roaster Matt Crowley and owner of Axil Coffee Roasters Dave Makin. In this podcast we discussed what went into becoming the world barista champion and the methods Jack used. Instrumental in his success was his entire team, perhaps most of all was Matt Crowley (Head of Coffee at Axil) who was with him every step of the way. As many know, Jack came second last year in what was the tightest result in WBC history, and he came back determined as ever to win. What goes into sourcing, roasting and preparing for a World Barista Championship run? Find out in this episode of the Coffee Show. Thanks again to Jack who is a great friend of The Coffee Show. Thanks again to our Sponsors Timemore, Oatly and Barista Group. And big shout out to Specialty Coffee Association Panama who lent us space on their booth which allowed us to record podcasts at the show. Watch Jack's winning routine here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVoHoMhzy2wLike this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

Jamison Savage is a Panamanian coffee grower who has produced coffee for multiple World Barista Champions. Jamison is unique in his approach with his processing as he regularly embraces experimental processes with his coffee fermentations. In this podcast, recorded at Host Milan, Jamison discusses champion barista Jack Simpson who is using his coffee at this years World Barista Championship. Jamison also discusses what goes into starting a coffee farm and shares an update on the recovery of Morgan Estate, which was tragically damaged during Hurricane Eta in 2020, rendering it unable to produce coffee. Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

Chris Baca is one of the founders of Cat and Cloud Coffee in Santa Cruz, California. Chris is also a previous winner of the USA Barista Championships and one of the original specialty coffee content creators, dating back more than ten years. Chris career journey is one of the most traceable in all of coffee. Nowadays his focus is on Cat and Cloud and one of his biggest focuses is building a nurturing company culture, which he broadly implores the rest of the industry to do. Chris and Kirk talk about the costs and disadvantages of high staff turnover and even touch on skateboarding in the early 2000's! Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

James Hoffmann is the most recognised face in all of coffee. From winning the World Barista Champioship, his detailed coffee videos and the World Atlas for Coffee, James has for a long time been the biggest name in the coffee industry. After years of asking, Kirk finally landed the interview and the conversation did not dissapoint. What makes a cafe thrive in 2025? Are cafes competing against home baristas? Should we switch the internet off? These are some of the questions we answer on the podcast. This is the biggest interview we have every done, so please don enjoy! Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

Do you want to open a cafe but don't think you have the money? This story is something you want to hear. Fabian Brito together with his business partner Leon Holdsworth (Kirk's Sensei) bootstrapped opening their cafe Officer Coffee, where you will find the who's who of coffee in their spare time. In this episode of the Coffee Show, Fabian gives all the details of what it took to open Officer Coffee. From building most of the cafe themselves to becoming creative with finding furniture they finished the job with an eventual price tag of $30,000 aud ($19,500 usd), which could have been lower if they chose to source their coffee machine differently. If you have been dreaming of it, this podcast is certainly for you, Fabian's story is one that will resonate with many of you. Also, is Fabian the new Fonz? Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

Simon Gautherin and Nemo Pop from Apax Labs are reshaping the way coffee is made world wide. Apax Labs make mineral concentrates to enhance the quality of coffee both pre and post extraction. Simon has long been among the leading thought leaders around the world on the importance of water for coffee for years now. Nemo is a new employee of Apax tasked with better understanding the impact of the 'Wave' machine by Wavedtech, which pulses electro magnetic waves though liquid. Together they're making new discoveries on what this machine might be able to do for the coffee industry and the results are already promising. Recently Nemo won the Australian Aeropress Championship and the Wave machine played a key role. Kirk's cafe, Project Zero Coffee has been using the Waved machine for months and it has already made a great impact. Plus, we discuss Simon's Pokemon card investments and talk about Indian food being the most slept on cuisine of all time. Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

Kat Melheim is a veteran coffee roaster who has developed a large online following for her roasting content. In this podcast Kirk and Kat go through how to enter the industry as a coffee roaster and discuss some of the nuances of the profession. Plus, we talk about the 'importance pie' and give our coffee roaster Mt Rushmore's! Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

Julijan Markovic is the founder of Brew Methods in Melbourne Australia and is one of Australia's most talented coffee brewers of the last few years. This podcast occurs right after we tried the Best of Panama winning Washed Geisha, Natural Geisha and Laurina. This was an incredible experience. Julijan and Kirk also talk about what makes a good coffee experience and controversially: Why you shouldn't start a coffee business! Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

How do you introduce those who need no introduction? Like this: Morgan Eckroth is the most recognisable face in the coffee industry today! With nearly 10 million followers across Youtube, Instagram and Tiktok, Morgan has touched every corner of the globe with their catchy videos and lessons on making unbelievable coffee drinks! We were excited to learn that Morgan is as big of a Star Wars fan as Kirk and has some spicy takes on which order to watch the films in. Beyond that, Morgan is a world class barista competitor and committed member of the coffee community. In this podcast Morgan also spills the beans on they make world class drinks!Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

Dr Dean Miller is a sleep and circadian scientist based in Adelaide who studies sleep and works with high performance athletes advising them on sleep to optimise performance. Pete Licata is a World Barista Champion who started a new coffee company 'Caffeine Control Coffee' which offers different coffees with varying levels of caffeine, so that people can better manage their caffeine intake and improve sleep. In this podcast Kirk, Dean and Pete discuss whether coffee consumption in general is bad for your sleep. How many coffees can you have in a day and still sleep well? Should we wait when we wake up to have coffee? If you drink coffee does that mean your sleep will be bad? Is sleep one of the most important elements of health? In this episode those questions get answered and much more! Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

Lucy Ward is green coffee buyer for one of Australia's biggest and most influential coffee brands, ST ALI. Kirk and Lucy are former colleagues and discuss at length an existential threat to coffee not enough people are talking about: The aging workforce at coffee origins. Recently we learned that the average age of a coffee farmer in Colombia, one of the worlds biggest coffee producing countries, is 58. With coffee farmers aging and not enough young people interested in becoming coffee farmers, we have a looming crisis that requires solutions fast. Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

The upcoming World Barista Championship will be the hardest ever to win! There are three returning baristas that are all former podium winners that have won their respective national competitions multiple times. So who will win the World Barista Championship in Milan? Grab a coffee and listen in for Kirk's take! Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

Rachel Peterson is one of the family members that own Hacienda La Esmeralda in Panama, which has a claim to being the most recognisable coffee farm in the entire world. Recently as the Best of Panama auction they didn't just break the record, the totally annihilated it, winning every category and setting a new world record of $30,000 USD per kg. This is the first podcast Rachel who represents Esmeralda has done since the infamous auction, which will go down forever in the coffee history books. Record prices like this haven't always been the story of Esmeralda. Kirk and Rachel discuss the early years, how they operated at a loss and how they built the brand of Esmeralda and Panama coffee collectively. Kirk asks Rachel all about the competition, what the days following were like and together they addressed the industries reaction, most of which was positive, though there was some criticism. This was one of the most logistically challenging podcasts we have done, so please enjoy! Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

Todays guests Bruno, Jennifer and Emiline of the Australian Specialty Coffee Association discuss with Kirk their new change in approach to competition in Australia and how effective it was. The organisation themselves identified that their own competitions had become 'elitist' and wanted to do something to change that and make competitions more accessible, to develop community! This is something that should be viewed from around the world so we can ensure money and status are not a barrier to entry for coffee competitions. Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.

Yesterdays auction shattered every record possible and was predicted almost to the dollar by Kirk. This is our reaction to what went down at the Best of Panama Auction!

This week the Best Of Panama Auction will take place and it is the most anticipated auction ever. Since the competition took place, the industry has been abuzz about Hacienda La Esmeralda winning all three categories. Their Washed Geisha entry scored an unprecedented 98 points, which may be the best coffee on record!Many are speculating that this coffee will exceed $20,000 USD per kilogram, and Kirk sees a possibility that it could reach as high as $30,000. Kirk explains all in this short podcast! Like this podcast? Leave a review or even share to some friends! Sharing helps us grow so that we can go to more places and share more stories around the world.