Concentrated, controversial, and total cool -- cold brew is the hot topic in the cold-coffee world, and who better to debate its merits than Jenny and Jonathan Bonchak of Slingshot Coffee in Raleigh, N.C.

The intelligent, educated, and ever-so passionate about all things Colombian Alejandro Renjifo of Fairfield Trading joins us for an in-house brief to talk about the history of Colombian coffee and touch on a few of our shared projects.

Does education or real experience make the better barista? Today, Joe debates with Wolf Barn Marnell, longtime barista competitor who's part of the team behind the forthcoming Broadsheet Coffee Roasters in Cambridge, MA.

The effervescent and ever-so-bright, Jess Steffy joins Meister in a discussion about how we experience flavor, and share those experiences through language. Soda! Apples! Listen!

Steve and Nick Green of Mill City Roasters swing by to talk with Joe about their company, their roasters, and their educational initiatives including live stream roasting and "Focus on the Roast".

Almost no one is as equipped to debate the merits of barista competitions vs. "real life" barista experience than longtime barista and barista-competition judge Aaron Ultimo of Ultimo Coffee in Philadelphia. He and Joe tackle whether a winning barista will be a loser behind the bar, and other topics which are Very Good Plus.

Six months in to the podcast, Joe and Meister take a break to talk about some of the projects they've been working on, experiences they've had lately, and podcasts they love. The debates will be back next episode!

It's the age-old battle, waged since the dawn of time: Who is ultimately responsible for a coffee's quality, the roaster or the barista? Stephen Ezell of The San Fransiscan Roaster company squares off against longtime barista and barista trainer Meister--but who will argue which side? Tune in to find out.

Two of the most experiences coffee-tasters in the specialty industry, Holly and Pete, debate and discuss the use of various ratings, scoring, and sensory analysis on coffee. Should cupping be used for consumers as well for professionals? How effective is a 100-point or a 5-star scale? They also talk about the inspiration for their website, www.roastratings.com.

We're letting it marinate with Scott Laboratories fermentation specialist Lucia Solis in this episode arguing the meaning of the word "fermentation," dispelling common coffee-processing myths around coffee, and talking about pickles. Lucia and Joe Marrocco tackle one debate question, followed by a longer-form conversation about the role of fermentation in coffee.