Coffee 101

In this episode, Kenneth sits down to discuss green coffee grading with Mark Inman of Sustainable Harvest. The duo weaves through the ins and outs of the green coffee grading process - what matters and what doesn’t, why it is important, and the impact it has on the way your coffee tastes. Mark and Kenneth share a few insider tips, for example, how to tell if a hole in the bean is a defect or rather a result of a natural process, which does not negatively impact the taste.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Sustainable Harvest focuses on having a relationship with coffee farmers. They tend to buy from them every year.
• Some buyers want pristine beans. Others are happy with much, much lower grades.
• Appearance plays a role in coffee grading e.g., peaberries.
• Mark lists out and explains the primary defects, including foreign objects, sours and insect damage.
• There are primary and secondary defects. Mark explains what they are and how their presence impacts the grading process and ultimately the taste in the cup.
• Mis-shaped or chipped beans tend to roast unevenly.
• In Mexico, chipped beans are used to produce 'grinder coffee'.
• The fact that there are ways to use lower-grade beans helps to make coffee more sustainable.

BEST MOMENTS

‘That sense of permanence enables us to invest in training, in project work on behalf of the client. ´

‘For specialty grade coffees, you can’t have any primary defects involved.’

‘When you see a preponderance of floaters or Quakers, it´s usually poor wet processing.’

EPISODE RESOURCES

Guest - Mark Inman with Sustainable Harvest

https://www.sustainableharvet.com/

@sustharv on Instagram for Sustainable Harvest

@norcalglobetrotter on Instagram for Mark Inman

Common Coffee Varieties, Varietals and Cultivars C101 Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/common-coffee-varieties-varietals-and-cultivars/id1616624229?i=1000560421288

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/

You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black.

At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/

Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee

ABOUT THE HOST

As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you.

“Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.”

Podcast Description

Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you!  Season 1 is all about coffee's journey from seed to shelf.

BUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.com/

In this episode, Kenneth sits down with Elika Liftee of Onyx Coffee Lab again to talk about coffee processing methods. This time they are discussing some of the less widely used methods including pulped natural, honey processed, wet hulled (giling basah), and anaerobic. Kenneth explains the difference between white, yellow, gold, red and black honey processing techniques.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• Pulp natural is something between wet and dry processing.
• With pulp natural processing the aim is to remove the skin rather than the entire fruit. The pulp (mucilage) is left on.
• Pulp natural processed coffee tends to be sweeter (compared to washed process) and has more body.
• Honey is not used in honey processing!
• Honey processed coffee tends to have very crisp acidity.
• Wet hulled processing removes the parchment before the bean has been fully dried.
• Wet hulling creates more tobacco and spicy or leathery flavors.
• Fermenting in closed tanks reduces the variance in the flavor of the coffee.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Pulp Natural is predominantly used in Brazilian coffees. ´

‘Honey processing is a very controlled natural processing method.’

‘The fermentation process generally takes a longer period of time in these anaerobic environments.’

GUEST RESOURCES

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onyxcoffeelab/

                  https://www.instagram.com/elikaliftee/

Website: https://onyxcoffeelab.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/OnyxCoffeeLab

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/

You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black.

At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/

Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee

ABOUT THE HOST

As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you.

“Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.”

Podcast Description

Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you!  Season 1 is all about coffee's journey from seed to shelf.

BUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.com/

How does that coffee cherry actually get reduced down to just the coffee bean?  And how does that affect the ultimate question…how does my coffee taste? 

In arguably one of Coffee 101's most important episodes to date, Kenneth and Stefan are joined by Elika Liftee of Onyx Coffee Lab.  They take a deep dive into the 2 main coffee processing methods: washed processed coffee and dry (or natural) processed coffee.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Farmers are getting better at having final cup taste in mind when processing their coffee.  Alot of times they're processing in the manner they have access to and the way that will give them the most money to support their farm and their family. 

• The world of coffee processing methods is changing though. There’s more awareness of how processing method impacts cup taste and more and more companies out there like Onyx and Umble who are communicating directly with the farms. 

• The two main ways of processing coffee are natural (or dry) processing and wet processing.  Other methods include honey processing, pulped natural, wet hulled (giling basah), and anaerobic - these four will be covered in the next episode.

• Natural (Dry) processing is the oldest method for processing coffee; therefore, it makes sense that it’s still the most common method used in African growing regions since that’s where coffee originated.

• Washed processed coffees are the most common coffees (and what you expect ‘coffee to taste like’).  They tend to be a little more acidic and some would argue more complex.  Kenneth and Elika discuss further how complexity is related to 'a clean cup'.

BEST MOMENTS

“Washed process, this is basically what people expect coffee to taste like”

“I would say that I prefer a natural most of the time”

“There’s some data behind the slower it’s dried the longer it will retain some of those good quality flavors when it’s stored”

GUEST RESOURCES

Elika Liftee

@elikaliftee

@onyxcoffeelab

https://onyxcoffeelab.com

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/

You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black.

At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/

Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee

ABOUT THE HOST

As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you.

“Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.”

CONTACT METHOD

Want to reach Kenneth? Have questions, show ideas, or want to just let us know you’re enjoying the show? The best way is to leave us a great review and put your thoughts in the comment section - Kenneth reads all of them! The second-best way is through DM on social media.

Podcast Description

Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you!  Season 1 is all about coffee's journey from seed to shelf.

BUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.com/

Want to learn more about that black magic elixir we call coffee?!  Look no further!  I’m Kenneth Thomas and this is Coffee 101, brought to you by Umble Coffee Co.  Coffee 101 is your complete knowledge base for all things coffee.  

This episode is all about coffee harvesting methods.  Is there a better one?  Why does it even matter how it's harvested?  Is one way better for certain situations and another way better for others?  We'll answer these questions and more in the show!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The harvesting method impacts the quality, environment, and cost.
• The ripest cherries taste the best.
• Not all hand-picking methods only select the ripest berries.
• Having green berries go into your equipment and machinery wears the equipment out quicker.
• Machines harvest at a rate of around 200 times faster than a hand picker.
• Adjusting the vibration of the mechanical pickers targets beans of a certain ripeness.
• Most over-the-row coffee harvesters were originally developed for the berry industry.
• Currently, handpicking is more environmentally friendly, but machines are getting better.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Strip picking is where they run their hand along the branch and pull off all of the berries. ’

‘You can adjust the height of the rods to initially get the riper cherries.’

‘There´s a right place for hand picking and a right place for machine picking.’

GUEST RESOURCES

Guest - Delvin Navarro of Navarro Farms-Hawaiian Monarch Coffee 

Instagram - @hawaiianmonarchcoffee and @navarrocoffeefarm 

Guest - Fred Cowell of Kauai Coffee, general manager

www.kauaicoffee.com

Instagram - @kauaicoffeeco

Machine Pickers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emK2L6woquQ

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/

You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black.

At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/

Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee

ABOUT THE HOST

As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you.

“Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.”

CONTACT METHOD

Want to reach Kenneth? Have questions, show ideas, or want to just let us know you’re enjoying the show? The best way is to leave us a great review and put your thoughts in the comment section - Kenneth reads all of them! The second-best way is through DM on social media.

Podcast Description

Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you!  Season 1 is all about coffee's journey from seed to shelf.

BUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.com/

In this episode, Kenneth and Katie sit down with Delvin Navarro of Navarro Coffee farms and Hawaiian Monarch Coffee located on 'The Big Island' in Hawaii. They discuss how pruning impacts the way coffee grows, how it is harvested and the way it tastes. Delvin also explains what the Beaumont-Fukunaga cycle pruning system is and how some coffee growers use it.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Pruning can make a big difference in coffee cherry yield and quality. 
• More trees annually die from improper pruning than pests or disease.
• The Beaumont Fukunaga system ensures there is never a break in production. It can increase productiveness by 20%.
• Composting the pruning waste is a popular approach.

BEST MOMENTS

‘We have an 8 to 10 months season out here in Hawaii.”

‘Every farmer has a different practice.’

GUEST RESOURCES

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hawaiianmonarchcoffee/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/navarrocoffeefarm/

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/

You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black.

At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/

Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee

ABOUT THE HOST

As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you.

“Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.”

CONTACT METHOD

Want to reach Kenneth? Have questions, show ideas, or want to just let us know you’re enjoying the show? The best way is to leave us a great review and put your thoughts in the comment section - Kenneth reads all of them! The second-best way is through DM on social media.

Podcast Description

Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you!  Season 1 takes us on coffee's journey from seed to cup.

BUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.com/

In this episode, Kenneth sits down with Katie Thomas and Fred Cowell to talk about the impact soil has on the quality of the coffee you drink. Fred is the general manager of the Kauai Coffee Company in Hawaii.  It is the largest coffee producing farm in the United States and is also known as the 'Disneyland of Coffee'. 

Fred explains why he told his team they were going to 'stop growing coffee and start growing soil'. They also discuss why volcanic soil is so good for coffee growing and the role that both microbiology and water play in soil health.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Coffee plants need about 17 different nutrients for optimal growth.
• Coffee plant grow optimally at a pH of between 4.9 and 5.6.
• Healthy microbiology is essential - without it the plants cannot utilize the nutrients in the soil.
• Water is simply a carrier for the nutrients.
• Root vegetables play a vital role in revitalizing soil for coffee. Find out why in the episode.
• So much of the health of a tree depends on what happens underground.
• The waste products from producing the beans (like pulp and chaff), when combined, make a compost that coffee trees love.

BEST MOMENTS

‘The principles we talk about today apply to anything you grow. ´

‘Optimal soil leads to an optimal cherry, bean and, ultimately, coffee!’

‘There are more microorganisms in a tablespoon of soil than there are humans on earth!'

EPISODE RESOURCES

Kauai Coffee on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kauaicoffeeco/

Visit the Kauai Coffee estate: https://kauaicoffee.com/visit-the-kauai-coffee-estate/

Jayber Crow By Wendell Berry - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jayber-Crow-Novel-Port-William-ebook/dp/B003SNIZV2/

The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry - https://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Ending-Fire-Essential-Wendell-Berry/dp/0141984139/

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/

You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black.

At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/

Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee

ABOUT THE HOST

As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you.

“Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.”

CONTACT METHOD

Want to reach Kenneth? Have questions, show ideas, or want to just let us know you’re enjoying the show? The best way is to leave us a great review and put your thoughts in the comment section - Kenneth reads all of them! The second-best way is through DM on social media.

Podcast Description

Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you! Season 1 is all about coffee's journey from seed to shelf.

BUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.com/

In this fun episode, Kenneth sits down with Katie Thomas to debate and provide a comprehensive answer to one of the biggest, most long-standing coffee debates – shade or sun - which is best for growing coffee?

Kenneth walks the audience through the pros and cons of each growing method. Looking at which is best for the environment, the farmer, and taste in that final cup. He provides an overview of how agroforestry polyculture and monoculture growing techniques work.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Shade-grown coffee is usually grown under native trees and is good for the environment. Kenneth explains why.
• Beans grown under shade tend to mature more slowly, which usually results in better taste.
• Growing under shade creates some extra challenges for farmers, so it is not sustainable in all parts of the world.
• Shade growing does have some advantages for farmers. The presence of birds reduces the incidence of the coffee berry borer by up to 70%.
• Unsurprisingly, more coffee is being grown in the sun than ever before.
• In some circumstances, coffee grown in full sun can have better cup quality than beans grown in shade.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Shade provides wind protection for the plants... and helps to prevent erosion. ´

‘A study in 2016 showed the best cup quality at higher altitudes, in full sun and/or medium shade.’

‘Shade-grown coffee isn't the answer to everything and sun-grown coffee isn't the devil.’

EPISODE RESOURCES

The Bubba Cup - https://www.bubbabrands.com/

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/

You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black.

At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/

Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee

ABOUT THE HOST

As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you.

“Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.”

CONTACT METHOD

Want to reach Kenneth? Have questions, show ideas, or want to just let us know you’re enjoying the show? The best way is to leave us a great review and put your thoughts in the comment section - Kenneth reads all of them! The second-best way is through DM on social media.

Podcast Description

Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you! 

Season 1 - Coffee's Journey From Seed to Shelf

BUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.com/

In this episode, Kenneth sits down with Stefan Tribble and Steph Parsons to continue their discussion about how the way the beans are grown affects the taste. Today, they are talking about the impact elevation has on the coffee we drink.

They delve into how elevation impacts the rate of growth, the density of the bean, and the taste profile. Importantly, you will also learn about some simple tricks you can use to quickly pick out the best-tasting coffees - tips you can use whether you are buying beans or a cup of coffee.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• Just like humans, coffee beans are impacted by the fact the air is thinner at high altitudes.
• The higher it grows, the denser the bean is, which has a positive impact on the taste.
• The variety that is grown and which country it grows in also plays into the elevation/taste equation.
• There are exceptions to the rule. Some coffees that are grown at low elevations still have superior taste profiles. Examples are shared in the episode.
• Coffee farms near the coast and on islands also have the potential to produce high-quality beans.
• Coffees grown in mountainous areas near the equator typically have the highest potential for giving you that perfect cup.
• The coffee cherry matures slower at higher elveations, which contributes positively to the flavor.

BEST MOMENTS

‘The coffee farm has about a 50% impact on your cup.´

‘With higher density, you´re gonna get a higher cup quality.’

‘With coffee, if you can grow it slower….., then you will have a higher quality.’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/

You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black.

At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/

Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee

ABOUT THE HOST

As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you.

“Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.”

CONTACT METHOD

Want to reach Kenneth? Have questions, show ideas, or want to just let us know you’re enjoying the show? The best way is to leave us a great review and put your thoughts in the comment section - Kenneth reads all of them! The second-best way is through DM on social media.

Podcast Description

Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you! 

Season 1 - Coffee's Journey From Seed to Shelf

BUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.com/

In this episode, Kenneth sits down with Eric Brenner from the Bourlag Institute for International Agriculture at Texas A&M. They discuss the challenges coffee farmers face. They discuss how the price they are paid, climate change and diseases and pests impact the farmer.

Eric explains the relationship between these issues, and how one problem feeds into the others. He also shares details of how by working together these challenges can be overcome so that everyone can continue to enjoy superior quality coffee. Eric also talks about the work the Center for Coffee Research and Education at Texas A&M is doing in conjunction with growers and others involved in the coffee industry to improve the quality and supply of coffee.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The three main challenges that coffee farmers face are closely related.
• Coffee leaf rust has always been an issue, but climate change is making things a lot worse.
• Older coffee plants are more prone to disease. Also, in some countries, most of the plants are 50+ years old.
• There is a correlation between low prices and the prevalence of leaf rust. Eric explains the link in the podcast.
• Effectively dealing with leaf rust requires an integrated approach that involves everyone.
• Diversity in coffees planted is essential for tackling leaf rust and changes in weather patterns and growing conditions.
• The research the Bourlag Institute is doing means they can provide expertise for every link in the coffee supply chain.

BEST MOMENTS

‘With climate change, coffee leaf rust is getting worse because temperatures are more unpredictable. ´

‘There is no silver bullet that is going to get rid of leaf rust, only a holistic approach will help.’

‘There is a lot of need for coffee research.’

EPISODE RESOURCES

Coffee Education Website: https://coffee.tamu.edu

Contact page - https://coffee.tamu.edu/contact/

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/

You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black.

At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/

Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee

ABOUT THE HOST

As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you.

“Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.”

CONTACT METHOD

Want to reach Kenneth? Have questions, show ideas, or want to just let us know you’re enjoying the show? The best way is to leave us a great review and put your thoughts in the comment section - Kenneth reads all of them! The second-best way is through DM on social media.

HOW TO LEAVE A REVIEW

Enjoying the show?!  We’d LOVE for you to leave us a review. It helps us grow and educate more people about coffee! 

Podcast Description

Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you! 

Season 1 - Coffee's Journey From Seed to Shelf

BUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.com/

In this episode, Kenneth sits down with Stephen Tribble and Steph Parsons to talk about the basics of coffee varieties. You will learn about the botany of the coffee plant and what the difference is between a variety, varietal, and cultivar. 

What you learn in this episode will help you to look at the bag, read what the variety, varietal and/or cultivar are, and instantly anticipate what it should taste like. If you understand the varieties better, you can get better at selecting the coffee you want to drink!

This topic is discussed across two episodes, and this is the second part - focusing more on the actual varieties themselves and the predicatable taste attributes they lend to your cup of coffee.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• Understanding what the varieties are will help you to identify the coffees you are likely to enjoy the most.
• Variety is not the same as varietal. The difference is explained, in the podcast.
• Cultivars are coffee varieties that are purposely modified. They are plants that have been crossed or cultivated selectively.
• There are several thousand heirloom coffees that occur naturally, often growing wild - especially in Ethiopia.
• Thousands of varieties are still not farmed commercially.
• About 50% of the taste is dependent on the farm. Why that is the case is explained in the podcast.
• The roaster is responsible for creating 20 to 30% of the taste.
• Even the shape of the plant has an impact on how the bean grows and, therefore, how it tastes.

BEST MOMENTS

‘You´re going to be able to identify and pick a better coffee.’

‘Varieties do make a big difference to what the actual cup tastes like.’

‘The varietal… has to do with the actual tastes associated with the beverage.’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/

You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black.

At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee. 

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ABOUT THE HOST

As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you.

“Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.”

CONTACT METHOD

Want to reach Kenneth? Have questions, show ideas, or want to just let us know you’re enjoying the show? The best way is to leave us a great review and put your thoughts in the comment section - Kenneth reads all of them! The second-best way is through DM on social media.

HOW TO LEAVE A REVIEW

Enjoying the show?!  We’d LOVE for you to leave us a review. It helps us grow and educate more people about coffee! 

Podcast Description

Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you! 

Season 1 - Coffee's Journey From Seed to Shelf

BUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.com/