The Reality of Coffee Media, Competitions, and the Industry | Kirk Pearson

Coffee competitions, coffee media, and the online coffee world often look polished from the outside. But behind the scenes, the reality is far more complicated.

In this episode of Buy The Drip, we sit down with Kirk Pearson to talk about the evolution of specialty coffee media, the role competitions play in shaping the industry, and what it actually takes to build platforms that help push coffee forward.

Kirk shares his journey through coffee from competing and working in cafes to helping create some of the most widely followed coffee content and discussions online.

We talk about what works, what doesn’t, and how conversations around coffee are changing as more voices enter the industry.

The discussion also dives into the tension between education, entertainment, and authenticity in coffee media, and why storytelling matters just as much as technical knowledge.

Along the way we explore:

• How coffee media and YouTube changed the industry
• The role competitions play in shaping careers and ideas
• Why transparency and honest conversation matter in coffee
• What it takes to build platforms that people actually trust
• The future of specialty coffee storytelling

This episode is a look behind the curtain of coffee culture — from competitions and cafés to the media that connects the whole industry.

If you enjoy conversations about the people shaping coffee, subscribe and follow Buy The Drip for more episodes.