To roast coffee faster, you need to turn up the heat….right?   No!    In this episode, we explore the three powerful methods of heat transfer that revolutionised roasting. We’ll journey from humble beginnings—when roasting three kilos took half an hour—to machines that now roast hundreds of kilos of coffee in the time it takes you to boil a kettle.    But beans roasted at lightning speed look strange, and taste… well, you’ll find out. Join us as we test-drive an industrial tangential roaster where first crack remind me of fireworks crackers.    We also see th ..read more

A mother coffee plant gifts its baby everything it needs to grow—a green seed packed with food. But when we roast coffee, we hijack that gift and turn it into something else: flavor.   But what is flavor, at a microscopic level? What actually happens inside the bean when heat meets those nutrients?   In this episode, we shrink down to witness the Maillard reaction up close—a wild chain of molecular collisions that transforms baby plant food into aromas we adore.    Grab your popcorn - you’re getting a front row seat at the wildest chemistry show in coffee.    ..read more

When I started making cold brew this last year, I treated it like hot brew filter coffee. But no matter how I adjusted the grind or tweaked the brew time, I hardly got any differences in flavor…   Then it hit me: cold brew isn’t just a slower hot brew—it’s a completely different game with its own rules!   In this episode, I speak with leading coffee researchers who break down the microscopic dance between water and coffee that explains why cold brew plays by its own playbook.   And I bring you in on the brewing secret that can turn your brews from fruit juice to nutty creaminess ..read more

For years, I used cold brew as a last resort—the only brew method to tame dark, oily beans that were too bitter for hot water.    Then one day, I took a chance on a Guatemalan Gesha and brewed it cold. The result? A massive explosion of florals I’d never tasted before. That single cup sent opened my eyes into how extraordinary cold brew can be.   In this episode, I speak with world-leading coffee scientists who explain why brewing with cold water tastes so different from chilled hot coffee.    You’ll learn how certain flavors leap into your cup (and how others mysterio ..read more

We’re back with another series of The Science of Coffee—and this time we’re diving even deeper into coffee’s hidden microscopic secrets!   Over the past year, narrative audio producer and coffee professional James Harper has scoured academic journals, ventured deep into coffee farms, and conducted bold tasting experiments.   Now, he’s weaving those discoveries into captivating audio stories that reveal why coffee tastes the way it does—and how we can make it taste even better.   In this new series, you’ll learn about cold brew extraction science, explore innovations in roasting ..read more

For your coffee to taste its best, it’s crucial you buy fresh roasts and grind fresh.… .….Or maybe not.  When I began creating this episode, I was convinced that ‘fresh is best’. But, after delving into the science of coffee freshness, I don’t believe that anymore.  This episode goes deep into how diffusion and oxidation changes a coffee’s flavours. You’ll learn what it takes to store your coffee grounds unbelievably well. So well, that if you do it right, you will struggle to taste the difference between two month old coffee compared to those same beans freshly ground! But here’s th ..read more

A coffee shop is a lot more than just a place to drink coffee. The seats and sofas encourage you to invite a friend, and chat. And chatting is powerful: ideas that emerge from these caffeine-fuelled conversations give birth to modern finance and even the founding of great artistic and scientific institutions. Meanwhile, other ideas threaten those in power, and have led to many attempts to ban coffeeshops (and even coffee itself!) these last 500 years. In the first episode of Series Two of A History of Coffee, we show you how the coffee shop changed the world, and we ask whether it still has wh ..read more

The Science of Coffee is a journey into coffee's hidden microscopic secrets to help you make even better coffee at home. Across six episodes, documentary maker and coffee professional James Harper takes you deep into the world of water for coffee, coffee extraction, plant genetics, espresso technology, latte foam and sonic seasoning. Subscribe to The Science of Coffee here: https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO The Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories. Follow James on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0O Listen to Filter Stories: https://bit.ly/3zb5vnO Th ..read more

Why do we get upset when we’re charged €36 for an ordinary cappuccino? The answer flies us to the Caribbean where white Europeans make black Africans suffer. In this second episode of A History of Coffee, we uncover how colonialism squeezes the price of coffee, and how that changes European culture forever. Future episodes are already out on the ‘A History of Coffee’ podcast channel! http://bit.ly/2NArChO Press Subscribe so you don't miss future episodes! A History of Coffee is a collaboration between James Harper of the Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries podcast and Jonathan Morris, Profes ..read more

Gerry's cafe failed. We investigate why by putting ourselves in Gerry's shoes and experiencing the coffee world as a blind man. ——————————— Gerry’s roastery: http://www.theunseenbean.com/ More Piano music on Coffee People Zine: https://www.coffeepeople.org/pages/musicv01 Sign up to the Filter Stories newsletter here: https://www.eepurl.com/dD-sY1 Recommend Filter Stories to other podcast lovers on Podyssey! https://podyssey.fm/podcast/itunes1428327760-Filter-Stories Piano music composed and performed by James Harper More episode information here: https://www.medium.com/@FilterStories Sound mix ..read more