Opposites Extract: A Debate Podcast About Coffee

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.

The world’s two most popular hot, caffeinated beverages square off in this debate about whether specialty tea has a place in the coffee-focused coffee shop. Joining us on the show is tea expert, educator, writer, and consultant Suzette Hammond, founder of Being Tea (beingtea.com).

In today's episode, Meister debates the virtues of automated coffee brewing with Charles Babinski, former U.S. Barista Champion and current co-owner of Los Angeles's Go Get 'Em Tiger and G&B Coffee. Does "manual" always mean "better," and can there ever be an art to making coffee by machine?

As we face climate change and other agricultural obstacles in coffee production, is it more valuable to preserve heirloom varieties of Arabica or to develop new hybrids with specific characteristics to combat disease and pests? Communications director for World Coffee Research, Hanna Neuschwander, stops by to debate Joe on whether nature or science is the better botanist.

Cafe Imports' other full-time coffee buyer, Piero Cristiani, sits down to talk with Meister about his history in the industry, the future of some projects he's undertaking with producing partners, and a little about why coffee tastes so bad at origin. (Note: Joe Marrocco is out this week, but our regularly scheduled debate programming will pick up next time.)

Believe it or not, lots of people love "bad" coffee: Should we let them? In this week's debate, Fleet Coffee's Lorenzo Perkins argues whether it's specialty coffee's moral duty to encourage people to drink better quality coffee. We also discuss what "bad" and "good" coffee is, and how consumers can understand the difference.

Director of Counter Culture Coffee wholesale sales, Jesse Kahn, discusses the benefits and drawbacks of a cafe offering coffees from multiple or rotating roasters. Does the multiroaster model excite or confuse customers?

One of Cafe Imports' green-coffee buyers, Luis "Lucho" Arocha, briefly talks with Joe and Meister about some of the pros and cons of his job.

Nathanael May, director of coffee for Portland Roasting Coffees, takes on the tough question of whether a roasting company needs to have a direct relationship with the farmers who grow the coffee it buys, or if it is possible to buy great coffee without establishing that direct connection.

Some of the finest restaurants in the country are responsible for some of the worst coffee, but why? In today's debate, Casey Underkofler of the award-winning Minneapolis restaurant The Bachelor Farmer argues whether or not great restaurants can do good coffee well.

Fair Trade USA's Supply Chain Manager, Colleen Anunu, tackles this debate about traceability, and joins us for an extended conversation after the main event. Is traceability in specialty coffee meaningful or just marketing, and does sharing the information really make a difference?

Coffee cupper, buyer, and consultant Christopher Feran joins us to argue about natural coffees: Should they even have a place in specialty coffee, and do we need to have a separate grading system for them? The conversation starts out a little fermenty, but it has a nice sweet finish.

Dr. Carla Martin of the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute debates mass-produced or small-batch artisan products, looking at both coffee and chocolate.

Cody Kinart of Colectivo Coffee joins us to debate the concept of "Coffee as a Fast Food" and the influences these industries have on each other.

The podcasting duo of Cat & Cloud go head-to-head in a doubles match against Opposites Extract, debating aspects of cafe service. The conversation continues on the Cat & Cloud podcast.

Tony Querio, Director of Coffee at Spyhouse Coffee Roasting Company, and 2016 Roaster Champion faces off against Roaster Joe for our first in-house debate. They grapple over which factor has a greater influence on a coffee's flavor, the green coffee, or the roaster's hand.

Kim Elena Ionescu tunes in to debate Meister over the importance of travel in the coffee world.

Hosted live at Atlanta's 787 Windsor, Meister and Roaster Joe invite back Brant Curtis to debate the grinder over the brewer, Cafe Import's Noah Namowicz to debate ambitious employees, and David Latourell to debate complexity in coffee versus tea.

Meister and Roaster Joe briefly debate the pro's and con's of the SCAA.

Beauty is in the eye – or the cup – of the beholder. Opposites Extract: Episode 3 tackles the topic of latte art, and its role as an attraction or distraction with regards the quality of specialty coffee. Our guest debater is latte-art champion and barista trainer Ryan Soeder of Sunergos Coffee in Louisville, Ky. The debate begins after a brief discussion of the historical and current impact of latte art on specialty coffee culture. Question 1. Should customers use latte art as a mark of quality, not only of a particular coffee shop, but also of a barista and even an individual drink? Question 2. Can a coffee shop that intentionally does not train its baristas to pour latte art still be considered high-quality in this day and age? And can baristas who choose not to pour latte art still be considered excellent baristas? Question 3. Does our obsession with latte art distract from the messages we are trying to send in specialty coffee about terroir, cup quality, sourcing, flavor characteristics, varieties,