Opposites Extract: A Debate Podcast About Coffee

What better way to end the first full season of "Opposites Extract" than by surrounding ourselves with friends and coffee family from all over? In this year-end show, Joe and Meister bring in their colleagues on the sales teams both at HQ in Minneapolis as well as based in Europe and Australia. It's a multicultural extravaganza! Plus, Meister and Joe reflect on the whirlwind of season one, sneak-peek some of what's to come, and hopefully spread a little caffeinated cheer. We'll be back in March for season two, with a new format, more fantastic guests, and of course plenty of laughs and surprises.

Kalle, a former Finnish barista champion, coffee-shop owner, and now cofounder and CPO of Sudden Coffee, joins us for a conversation on how his new company is revolutionizing instant coffee for a specialty market.

In this short interview, Meister has a chat with director Jeff Hann and producer Roland Fraval, whose feature-length documentary "The Coffee Man" follows former World Barista Champion Sasa Sestic around the globe in search of interesting coffees and a fascinating story. Roland and Jeff speak about their filmmaking careers thus far, what's down the road for them, and how their work on this movie turned them both into bona fide coffee obsessives.

Urban gardener and co-owner, coffee-buyer, and roaster for St. Louis, MO's Blueprint Coffee, calls in to the show to argue the merits of natural or biological farming, an agricultural technique that uses native ecosystems to encourage farm health and success. Joe and Meister use this opportunity to "beta test" a new show format, as they consider what Season 2 will look (well, sound) like.

Opposites Extract was recorded live in Detroit, MI where Joe and Meister were honored to be masters of ceremonies for six unique, thought-provoking, and illuminating presentations by coffee professionals from throughout the region. We gather the speakers around a table to talk about their topics, ask one another questions, and continue the conversation that was started during the program.

Opposites Extract was recorded live from the Vue in Columbus, OH, where Joe and Meister were honored to be masters of ceremonies for six unique, thought-provoking, and illuminating presentations by coffee professionals from throughout the region. We gather the speakers around a (tiny) table to talk about their topics, ask one another questions, and continue the conversation that was started during the program. Tune in next week for the second part of the two-part series, recorded live in Detroit, MI.

Things get sweet when Kerry Foods' resident barista and mixologist Levi Andersen comes in studio to argue the benefits of flavored syrups, specialty drinks, and flavor creativity in specialty coffee cafes. He also whips up some original drinks for Joe, Meister, and producer Andy to taste.

Andy Newbom, long-time green coffee developer and author of Coffee Spanish for Coffee Buyers, calls in to debate Joe on the big topic of microlots.

We sit down in the studio with Paul Schlader, cofounder and co-owner of Birch Coffee in NYC, to discuss (but not strictly debate) the pros and cons of business models that are strictly wholesale, strictly retail, and those which blur the lines between the two. Does it help or hurt a business to be a back-of-the-house brand? How much opportunity is there in focusing your caffeinated energy on the street level?

In this episode Meister takes on Jamie Isetts in a debate about the subjectivity of what we define as good and bad taste.

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.

Does tipping help or hurt? Is it a nice wad of immediate extra spending money or an unreliable and too-large percentage of a barista's income? Everyman Espresso's Sam Penix and Sam Lewontin, both longtime professional baristas, weigh in on the tipping balance of tipping in the coffee shop.

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.