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Coffee stories with an extra shot of history and science. Filter Stories is a podcast revealing coffee’s hidden microscopic secrets, its powerful past, and how your choice of beans impacts...
show more
Coffee stories with an extra shot of history and science.
Filter Stories is a podcast revealing coffee’s hidden microscopic secrets, its powerful past, and how your choice of beans impacts tens of millions of people.
See the behind-the-scenes stories on Instagram @filterstoriespodcast.
If you haven't already, please subscribe to the show and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
show less
Filter Stories is a podcast revealing coffee’s hidden microscopic secrets, its powerful past, and how your choice of beans impacts tens of millions of people.
See the behind-the-scenes stories on Instagram @filterstoriespodcast.
If you haven't already, please subscribe to the show and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
Episodes & Posts
Episodes
Posts
6 MAY 2024 · Deep inside your coffee grinder, tiny changes can have massive consequences.
This episode takes you deep inside Mahlkönig’s grinders to show you how coffee is ground and the importance of particle sizes on flavour.
If you’re a home coffee lover, you could easily spend thousands of dollars on your coffee grinder. But after diving deep into the R&D of grinder manufacturing, I learned that after a certain point spending more probably won’t produce a better tasting cup of coffee for you!
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Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my https://bit.ly/3HQ9qJR.
https://apple.co/3jWYtxq on Apple Podcasts
https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0O and tag me in an Instagram story
Leave a https://spoti.fi/3jZaXEz
Explore https://bit.ly/3NGRFA6’s range of world leading grinders, trusted by baristas globally.
Go deeper into the world of grinding
Take Barista Hustle’s https://bit.ly/3y8ZeKT course
Learn from https://bit.ly/4a6USRy where the sweet spot is for buying a coffee grinder
Get super nerdy with https://bit.ly/3UKU5RU’s writings on grinding
Read up on https://bit.ly/3UsZbB1’s work on coffee fines
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests
Arnaldo Rodrigues - https://bit.ly/3UozoLB
Luca Lange - https://bit.ly/4b3H5g6
Chris Meier - https://bit.ly/3JLlzk2
Dario Burger - https://bit.ly/3ULd0Ms
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:
https://bit.ly/3EEpuxN
https://bit.ly/3T2YDzY
https://bit.ly/3RD2X9G
https://bit.ly/48wpPP4
https://bit.ly/3NGRFA6
https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e
22 APR 2024 · 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 the weirdest thing: Maybe, just maybe, you will prefer old coffee more than the fresh stuff.
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Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my https://bit.ly/3HQ9qJR.
Leave a https://spoti.fi/3jZaXEz
https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0O and tag me in an Instagram story
https://apple.co/3jWYtxq on Apple Podcasts
Explore https://bit.ly/3NGRFA6’s range of world leading grinders, trusted by baristas globally.
Dive deeper into the science of coffee freshness
Do ahttps://bit.ly/3EMioYg with the Coffee Excellence Centre
Pick up a copy of the SCA’s https://bit.ly/3Ub4DIu
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests
Samo Smrke - https://bit.ly/3IdrfRz
19 Grams Coffee Roasters in Berlin - https://bit.ly/49FMOqU
Arnaldo Rodrigues - https://bit.ly/3UozoLB
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:
https://bit.ly/3EEpuxN
https://bit.ly/3T2YDzY
https://bit.ly/3RD2X9G
https://bit.ly/48wpPP4
https://bit.ly/3NGRFA6
https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e
8 APR 2024 · In the last episode, I discovered that rinsing my Chemex filter papers was a waste of time! As a result I’ve managed to claw back over seven days of my life left on earth.
But why stop there?
The coffee industry is full of elaborate ways of brewing and savouring coffee: fancy drippers, cold metal balls, “slurp-able” cupping spoons.
These are very fun, but how many of them actually affect the flavour of our coffee?
I fear elaborate coffee gear is wasting our time and money. They're distracting us from the existential crises in coffee that actually require all our attention now. For example, the issue of farmers who grow delicious coffees quitting the business because it’s just getting too hard.
But to figure out whether a popular new coffee tool was actually waste of time or not, I needed to think like a scientist.
This episode is the journey I went on to rewire my brain: I had to learn what good evidence looks like, what to do if I can’t find good evidence, and why it’s important to focus mostly on experimental results while resisting the allure of a compelling theory.
Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my https://bit.ly/3HQ9qJR.
Leave a https://spoti.fi/3jZaXEz
https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0O and tag me in an Instagram story
https://apple.co/3jWYtxq on Apple Podcasts
Discover this episode’s sponsor BWT’s water filtration products. I use their http://bit.ly/3Xiuq2a and cafes can use their https://bit.ly/3EPLIx9
Dive deeper into the science of slurping, water and Signal Detection Theory
Do ahttps://bit.ly/3EMioYg with the Coffee Excellence Centre
Read Georgiana’s https://bit.ly/43F1vcw
Learn more about https://bit.ly/3TAzy0G
Explore https://bit.ly/3TqOFbq on the effects of magnesium (German)
Browse Christopher Hendon’s book https://amzn.to/3Tbo3LS
Take https://bit.ly/3z8zSKA
Watch James Hoffman's https://bit.ly/3Duxn8f
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests
Morten Munchow - https://bit.ly/3vAj6VQ
Jeremy Nelson - https://bit.ly/4ano73T
Samo Smrke - https://bit.ly/3IdrfRz
Georgiana Juravle - https://bit.ly/3ISZEan
Young Baek - https://bit.ly/3TNHMDY
Frank Neuhausen - https://bit.ly/3gg4Fie
Sergio Barbarisi - https://bit.ly/4cyGCna
Alessandro Genovese - https://bit.ly/3IRt74p
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:
https://bit.ly/3EEpuxN
https://bit.ly/3T2YDzY
https://bit.ly/3RD2X9G
https://bit.ly/48wpPP4
https://bit.ly/3NGRFA6
https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e
25 MAR 2024 · Should you rinse your filter paper before making a filter coffee? Almost everybody in coffee internet says you should.
But what if most of coffee internet was wrong?
In this episode, I show you how I try to answer this question like a professional sensory scientist would.
It’s hard. It’s frustrating. But ultimately, it’s worth it because I end up saving seven days of my life left on earth!
Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my https://bit.ly/3HQ9qJR
Leave a https://spoti.fi/3jZaXEz
https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0O and tag me in an Instagram story
https://apple.co/3jWYtxq on Apple Podcasts
Bring out vibrancy in your coffee with BWT’s magnesium water filters for the https://bit.ly/3girG49 and https://bit.ly/3EPLIx9
Dive deeper into sensory science methodologies
Take Becky Bleibaum's https://bit.ly/4cvnBSO!
Set up a triangulation yourself with https://bit.ly/3TF9kvn
Understand Rose Marie Pangborn’s three step process better with Morten Münchow https://bit.ly/4cn0klG
Do ahttps://bit.ly/3EMioYg with the Coffee Excellence Centre
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests
Morten Munchow - https://bit.ly/3vAj6VQ
Becky Bleibaum - https://bit.ly/4aiSyYg
Samo Smrke - https://bit.ly/3IdrfRz
Sophie Vo - https://bit.ly/3IJD18h
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:
https://bit.ly/3EEpuxN
https://bit.ly/3T2YDzY
https://bit.ly/3RD2X9G
https://bit.ly/48wpPP4
https://bit.ly/3NGRFA6
https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e
13 MAR 2024 · Farming coffee organically is amazing because soils are more alive, birds and insects are more plentiful, farmers avoid getting sick with agrochemicals.
But, if it’s so great, why is less than 10% of the world’s coffee grown organically?
The fact is, going organic is hard. Much harder than growing coffee conventionally.
In this episode I show you the story of one of Central America’s most successful organic coffee cooperatives, RAOS, and the four big hurdles that stood in the way of their early founders who all dreamed of converting their farms to organic.
This story changed my understanding of farming and is now the reason I choose organic specialty coffee whenever I can.
Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my https://bit.ly/3HQ9qJR
https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0O and tag me in an Instagram story
https://apple.co/3jWYtxq on Apple Podcasts
Leave a https://spoti.fi/3jZaXEz
Dive deeper into organic coffee
Learn more about Sustainable Harvest’s https://bit.ly/49s5Q4g programme, their cupping app https://bit.ly/3w8rYlV, and explore their range ofhttps://bit.ly/3w9Wufl
Explore https://bit.ly/4bt7Qer (Cooperativa Regional Mixta de Agricultores Organicos de la Sierra)'s story for yourself
Are you a coffee farmer? Get in touch with https://bit.ly/3SLi8iP
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests
Lalo Perez Varaona - https://bit.ly/3u9AfVZ
Jorge Cuevas - https://bit.ly/3umqxjn
Andrea Futterer - https://bit.ly/3OCs4c2
Osman Contreras - https://bit.ly/42AeNX1
Roberto Rene Gonzales - https://bit.ly/3wavfkQ
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations
https://bit.ly/3EEpuxN
https://bit.ly/3T2YDzY
https://bit.ly/3RD2X9G
https://bit.ly/48wpPP4
https://bit.ly/3NGRFA6
https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e
26 FEB 2024 · The world’s farming soils are deteriorating quickly.
Conventional coffee farming where plants are grown using agrochemicals allowed farmers to reap huge harvests these last 70 years. But these agrochemicals have been at the expense of soil health.
I travel to Honduras to explore a potential solution: organic coffee farming.
Come with me as I show you the organic farming tricks of Don Rufino, one of the region’s leading organic farmers.
He nurtures the soil around his coffee trees using mountain microorganisms, a huge diversity of shade trees, attentive tree pruning, and very funky batches of homemade bug spray.
The results speak for themselves: when I pick up a handful of his soil, it is moist, dense and writhing with life.
Could these cultivation techniques be the answer to the coffee world’s declining soil health?
Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my https://bit.ly/3HQ9qJR!
https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0O and tag me in an Instagram story
https://apple.co/3jWYtxq on Apple Podcasts
Leave a https://spoti.fi/3jZaXEz
Dive deeper into organic coffee
Explore https://bit.ly/48wpPP4’s range of certified organic and Fairtrade coffees
Are you a coffee farmer? Get in touch with https://bit.ly/3SLi8iP
Check out Don Rufino’s organic cooperative, https://bit.ly/4bt7Qer
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests
Lalo Perez Varaona - https://bit.ly/3u9AfVZ
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommie-hooft/overlay/about-this-profile/ - https://bit.ly/49r99Jg
Alison Streaker - https://bit.ly/3HLmEHQ
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations
https://bit.ly/3EEpuxN
https://bit.ly/3T2YDzY
https://bit.ly/3RD2X9G
https://bit.ly/48wpPP4
https://bit.ly/3NGRFA6
https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e
12 FEB 2024 · Roasting coffee can be maddening. Just 4° Celsius is enough to make the same green beans taste distinctly different! And there are so many things roasters can play around with: temperature, time, fan speed, drum speed, types of probes…the list goes on and on.
So, if you want to start roasting yourself, where do you start!?
In the first half of this episode, I interview one of the world's leading roasting teachers who takes me through his published scientific research to give a clear answer. It’s as simple as 80%, 15% and 5%.
And then, in the second half, I show you why roasting coffee consistently batch-after-batch is so difficult. But these problems are finally being solved with smart technologies.
I visited the ROEST engineering team in Oslo and cracked open their innovative prototype P3000 roaster to show you the technology that allows anybody to roast coffee consistently and fully automatically.
I am so impressed with these innovations, I believe they’re going to change the coffee industry.
Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0O and tag me in an Instagram story
https://apple.co/3jWYtxq on Apple Podcasts
Leave a https://spoti.fi/3jZaXEz
Dive deeper into the science of roasting
Explore https://bit.ly/3RD2X9G’s innovative products for the coffee industry.
Learn more from https://bit.ly/3vAj6VQ and his coffee roasting courses
https://bit.ly/3OhtM2b in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen on Roasting Conditions and Coffee Flavour
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests
Sverre Simonsen - https://bit.ly/3u9AfVZ
Callum Gilmour - https://bit.ly/4aU1VyK
Veronica Balduc - https://bit.ly/3O62onC
Morten Münchow - https://bit.ly/3vAj6VQ
Scott Rao - https://bit.ly/3UbtdLg
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations
https://bit.ly/3EEpuxN
https://bit.ly/3T2YDzY
https://bit.ly/3RD2X9G
https://bit.ly/48wpPP4
https://bit.ly/3NGRFA6
https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e
29 JAN 2024 · What flavours do you want from your coffee?
Every coffee bean begins its life green. And if you brewed it up without first roasting it, you’d get a yellow-green cup of grass-flavoured water.
But, as soon you apply heat to a bean, the flavour can morph to from something quite vegetative to a very acidic unripe fruit, then a very sweet fruit, and eventually dark roasted flavours.
This is the magic of coffee roasting!
In this episode of The Science of Coffee, I show you a full roast in action on the ROEST P3000, taste how coffee flavours evolve from acidic to bitter, and speak to leading coffee roasting scientists to reveal the mind-bending chemical and physical transformations taking place.
See for yourself https://www.roestcoffee.com/'s innovative P3000 fully automatic roaster.
Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0O and tag me in an Instagram story
https://apple.co/3jWYtxq on Apple Podcasts
Leave a https://spoti.fi/3jZaXEz
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests
Mark Al-Shemmeri - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-al-shemmeri-8a3669129/
Callum Gilmour - https://bit.ly/4aU1VyK
Veronica Balduc - https://bit.ly/3O62onC
Anja Rahn - https://bit.ly/3vIfj9dIldi Revi - https://bit.ly/3FunuXs
Samo Smrke - https://bit.ly/3IdrfRz
Morten Münchow - https://bit.ly/3vAj6VQ
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations
https://bit.ly/3EEpuxN
https://bit.ly/3T2YDzY
https://bit.ly/3RD2X9G
https://bit.ly/48wpPP4
https://bit.ly/3NGRFA6
https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e
15 JAN 2024 · Ever wonder why you and your friends can taste the same coffee, but you can’t agree on the flavour notes?
Join me as I explore this metaphysical mystery! I speak with leading scientists and ask: are the flavour receptors in your nose and mouth the same as mine? How does music and the shape of a cup affect what we taste? What about our different cultural backgrounds and language?
Best of all, I put all these questions to the test in the Athen’s World of Coffee trade show. Many poor unsuspecting Filter Stories spit, splutter and gasp in the name of science!
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See https://marcobeveragesystems.com/marco-beverage-systems/' SP9 for yourself, and discover their range of consistent and energy-efficient coffee brewers for your cafe.
Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0O and tag me in an Instagram story
https://apple.co/3jWYtxq on Apple Podcasts
Leave a https://spoti.fi/3jZaXEz
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests
Helene Hopfer - https://bit.ly/47bAyxa
Joel Mainland - https://bit.ly/47ojbcI
Fabiana Carvalho - https://bit.ly/3GuD9XR
Janice Wang - https://bit.ly/3i1eEt7
Felipe Reinoso - https://bit.ly/3vv68Fx
Freda Yuan - https://bit.ly/3ytzfbE
Mandy Naglich - https://bit.ly/4ayZT75
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:
https://bit.ly/3EEpuxN
https://bit.ly/3T2YDzY
https://bit.ly/3RD2X9G
https://bit.ly/48wpPP4
https://bit.ly/3NGRFA6
https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e
8 JAN 2024 · So you’ve just taken a sip of a very rare coffee, and flavours of passion fruit explode in your mouth.
But here’s the thing: that flavour of passion fruit is not coming from your mouth. It’s not even coming from your nostrils. It’s being picked up behind your eyes!
In this first episode of The Science of Coffee's second series, I unravel how our sense of smell and taste works to help you be a better coffee taster.
I shrink us down microscopically and we dive into your tongue to show you why good black coffee tastes sweet, even though there’s no sugar in it.
We then travel up into our noses and get stuck in a lot of mucus. This slime might be disgusting, but we need it to be able to smell well.
And finally, with the help of tasting expert and author Mandy Naglich, I show you three effective ways you can train yourself to be a much better coffee taster without having to go on any expensive courses. The trick is to train our internal flavour prediction models!
This episode will help you deepen your appreciation of coffee and its delicious complexity.
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See https://marcobeveragesystems.com/marco-beverage-systems/' SP9 for yourself, and discover their range of consistent and energy-efficient coffee brewers for your cafe.
Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0O and tag me in an Instagram story
https://apple.co/3jWYtxq on Apple Podcasts
Leave a https://spoti.fi/3jZaXEz
Become a better coffee taster!
Pick up a copy of https://bit.ly/4aF9326
Sign up for the https://bit.ly/3EQFoVV courses
Do an https://coffee-mind.com/product/sensory-training-kit-program/
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests
Mandy Naglich - https://bit.ly/4ayZT75
Linda Bartoshuk - https://bit.ly/3RCXPSQ
Joel Mainland - https://bit.ly/47ojbcI
Fabiana Carvalho - https://bit.ly/3GuD9XR
Janice Wang - https://bit.ly/3i1eEt7
Peter Giuliano - https://bit.ly/3yT66tv
Bram De Hoog - https://bit.ly/3S0KdCt
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:
https://bit.ly/3EEpuxN
https://bit.ly/3T2YDzY
https://bit.ly/3RD2X9G
https://bit.ly/48wpPP4
https://bit.ly/3NGRFA6
https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e
Coffee stories with an extra shot of history and science. Filter Stories is a podcast revealing coffee’s hidden microscopic secrets, its powerful past, and how your choice of beans impacts...
show more
Coffee stories with an extra shot of history and science.
Filter Stories is a podcast revealing coffee’s hidden microscopic secrets, its powerful past, and how your choice of beans impacts tens of millions of people.
See the behind-the-scenes stories on Instagram @filterstoriespodcast.
If you haven't already, please subscribe to the show and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
show less
Filter Stories is a podcast revealing coffee’s hidden microscopic secrets, its powerful past, and how your choice of beans impacts tens of millions of people.
See the behind-the-scenes stories on Instagram @filterstoriespodcast.
If you haven't already, please subscribe to the show and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
Information
| Author | James Harper |
| Organization | Filter Productions |
| Categories | Food , History , Science |
| Website | www.filterstories.org |
| hello@filterstories.org |
Copyright 2026 - Spreaker Inc. an iHeartMedia Company
