A big update about the CoffeeGeek Holiday Gift List and Fund Raiser, including

- closing auctions
- encouraging direct donations
- sneak peak at upcoming auctions
- sneak peak at a major auction - a fully-expenses paid trip to origin!
- Brad Ford joins us to discuss some amazing coffees from Terroir Coffee and the HGL.

Detailed show Notes coming soon. Donate today!

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the CoffeeGeek username.

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Show Notes

2006 Holiday Gift List and Fundraiser for CoffeeKids Preview

Intro (0:06)
- Un Jour Comme Un Autre - Brigitte Bardot, Putamayo Presents French Cafe

Shout Outs... (2:55)
- to Colter Jones, Cafe Artigiano, the 2006 Canadian Barista Champion!
- and to Billy Wilson, Albina Press, the 2006 Northwest Regional Barista Champion!

Latest Project #1 - Tamper (4:44)
- Part 2 and Part 3 of Tamping Science, Theory and Practice
- Working with Reg Barber on developing a new tamper

Latest Project #2- Editor's Picks (6:19)
- Espresso edition: best espresso machines, best tamper, best espresso blend, best grinder...
- Coffee edition: drip machines, grinders, alternative brewing methods, best coffees

Latest Happening in Vancouver - Ugly Water! (9:38)
- Heavy rains have caused the local water supply to become turbid
- No water, no coffee: some local coffee shops have stopped serving as a result

The Important Stuff - the CG 5th Annual Holiday Gift List and Fundraiser (16:23)
- Launching 11/20/2006! (this link will be live by 12pm PST, November 20).
- This year's list includes over 125 products that any CoffeeGeek would love!!
- Create your own wish list, rate items according to your "want" factor, and email to friends and family!!!
- CoffeeKids fundraising: this year's Holiday Gift List primary sponsor is Krups, who has generously agreed to give half of their sponsorship fee directly to CoffeeKids (20:38)
- A preview of other products included on the HGL (23:08)

Charitable events
- Dollar-for-dollar matching campaign: donate through the CG site and sponsors will match your donation! Matching sponsors include Intelligentsia Coffee, Counter Culture Coffee, Chris Coffee Service, Kitchen Universe, 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, and Baratza (27:31)
- The 3rd Annual Silent Auction: will include a vast range of amazing, unique, super cool coffee-related items and events (eg, A Day with a Roaster) worth over $8,000. Bid often, bid high! (31:51)

A podcast a week! (38:41)
- Mark promised! Well, at least through the holidays! He'll try!  

Outro (40:04)
- Reprise: Un Jour Comme Un Autre - Brigitte Bardot, Putamayo Presents French Cafe

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the CoffeeGeek username.

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Show Notes

Intro - Tom’s Diner, Suzanne Vega (0:06)

If you’re in town this weekend, be sure to visit the Canadian Coffee and Tea Expo and Canadian National Barista Competition, September 24 – 25. (1:25)

Interviews (2:03)
Tom Owen, Sweet Maria’s (3:08)
Tom is profiled in the September/October issue of Imbibe Magazine.
- Sweet Maria’s web site: unpretentious and all about what’s in the cup, where thousands of home roasters got their start (3:23)
- Exotic coffees: the story of St. Helena coffee, the perception of coffee as culinary, and the growing demand for specialty coffee (5:50)
- Sweet Maria’s purchase of Best of Panama 2006 coffees, including the Hacienda la Esmeralda Gesha at the record-breaking price of $50.25/lb (12:56)
- Sweet Maria’s home roaster mailing list and the development of coffee communities (18:21)
- Coming soon to Sweet Maria’s: Late harvest Esmeralda Gesha to be offered at about $16/lb and a fantastic dry processed Yirgacheffe Idido Misty Valley (28:22)
- Intelligentsia and Tres Santos microlots, Sweet Maria’s tiered pricing, and development of direct relationships by small roasters (32:40)
- Be sure to read the September/October issue of Imbibe Magazine to find out why the web site is called Sweet Maria’s (37:56)

Karen Foley, publisher of Imbibe Magazine (43:39)
- The Tom Owen profile (44:34)
- Imbibe’s coverage of coffee and readers' response to Mark’s article on french press coffee (48:00)
- Mark’s espresso article in the September/October issue and a contest for future articles (see entry rules below) (51:49)
- Coming up in the next issue: holiday drinks and gift guides; an article on Prague; coffee origins by Richard Reynolds (1:01:11)
- The response to the magazine from the coffee communities and other beverage-related communities (1:03:03)
- Comment on Imbibe at their new blog or order a subscription through their web site (1:08:14)

Contest!
Write in an original idea for an article you would like to see Mark write for Imbibe Magazine. One idea per email, but make them good - think feature article type ideas. Espresso's been done. ;) Send in your mailing address with the idea, we'll randomly pick three winners - one gets a year subscription to imbibe, the other two will get the first issue mailed to them (and signed if they want). Send to podcast@coffeegeek.com, and include the title "Imbibe magazine idea" in your subject line. Deadline is September 30, 2006.

Mystery Guest Interview! (1:12:26)
- Cafés and coffeehouses in the ‘50s and ‘60s (1:13:45)
- Milk (1:19:25)
- Mark’s secret shame exposed: Maxwell House instant, pre-ground Folger’s, and blade grinders (1:23:23)
- “If I want blueberries in my coffee, I’ll put blueberries in my coffee!� (1:32:22)
- The 20 oz cup (1:33:56)

Outro – Tom’s Diner, Michigan and Smiley (1:46:02)

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the CoffeeGeek username.

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Show Notes

Black Gold, Superautos and More with Mark and Beata
This episode brought to you by 1stincoffee.com, your one-stop shop for anything and everything espresso or coffee related!

Intro - Tom’s Diner by Suzanne Vega (0:11)

New coffees we’ve tried lately  
- West Coast Roasting’s Espresso Torro (4:04)
- Intelligentsia’s Kid O is back! (7:21)
- Ecco Caffè’s Bolivian 2005 Cup of Excellence and Daterra Espresso (7:57)
- Novo Coffee’s wild forest coffees (9:53)

Black Gold – Mark and Beata’s review (11:07)
- Starbucks’ portrayal in the movie (12:27)
- The rise in the New York “Câ€? price  (14:04)
- Tadesse Meskela of the Oromia Coffee Farmers’ Coop and building schools in Ethiopia (16:53)
- A few criticisms (19:18)

New espresso machine news!
- La Marzocco GS3 – delivery dates have gone out (23:04)
- Krups’ new superauto coming out this fall (26:34)

Contest results!  (37:18)
- Haiku contest winner: Jeremey Barrett of Sugar Land, Texas (37:43)
- Zoka DVD contest winner: Travis from Bellingham, Washington (email us by 9/12!) (39:31)

News about CoffeeGeek (40:16)
- A fix to the forum search functionality is in the works (40:22)
- The Marketplace, a place for advertisers to announce their latest products, is coming (41:19)
- The annual Holiday Gift List is returning (hopefully) in mid-November (43:05)

Mark’s latest magazine articles
- City Food, Restaurant coffee and Mark’s challenge (45:15)
- Imbibe Magazine, Espresso 101 (51:43)

Wrap up (53:53)
- Next podcast: the Imbibe Magazine episode

Outro  â€“ Tom’s? by Michael Stipe

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the CoffeeGeek username.

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Show Notes

Massive Email Show with Beata, Live to Tape! Featuring two prize Giveaways!
Two prize giveaways are buried in the show - the excellent "Zoka Way" Instructional DVD for home baristas, and an autographed copy of "Cafe Haiku" – listen to the podcast for details on how to win! Deadline is August 31, 2006, and entries should be sent to beata.s at coffeegeek dotter com.

The questions:
- What is a “sweet� shot of espresso? (2:00)
Mark talks about supertasters, the characteristics of a sweet shot of espresso, and what might cause excessive bitterness.(4:03)

- I need a grinder for $100 to $120 US, can you recommend some options? (7:39)
Mark suggests a Solis Maestro Classic or Solis Maestro Plus for that price point, but his real recommendation is – don’t skimp on a grinder! (8:31)

- I get iced coffee at Ritual Coffee, it’s everything I wish iced coffee could be! Could you explain how to make this? (10:30)
Mark describes two devices for cold brewing made by Hario and Toddy and gives his recipe for iced americanos. (11:22)

- Where can I get a replacement for the frothing tip on my Francis! Francis! X1? (16:11)
The frothing aid tip is proprietary and can’t be removed easily, but Mark discovered that there is a way to produce latte art quality microfoam with the froth aider. (16:50)

- How can I develop my ability to accurately taste coffees and describe what we are tasting? (19:32)
Mark suggests the Le Nez du Café kits from the SCAA, if price is no object, or a simpler method: visit a farmers’ market. (20:27)

- Do you have any ideas for home roasting single origin coffees for espresso? (23:40)
Mark, who is anti-single-origin espresso, suggests creating an espresso blend using different roast levels with the same coffee. (26:35)

- A suggestion for a future podcast – discuss coffee house culture in other cities, especially Montreal. (30:22)
Mark names streets in Montreal known for their really cool cafés and recommends one café in particular: Caffe Art Java. (31:20)

- Why use anything but a perfectly flat tamper? (33:10)
Mark discusses the theories behind convex bottoms, Euro curves, American curves and the C Flat, and his work with Reg Barber on a new tamper design. (33:49)

- Where does Kona stand in the world of specialty coffee? (37:51)
Mark buys Kona directly from Smith Farms, but cautions that the name Kona doesn’t guarantee quality. Too delicate for an espresso blend, Kona can be memorable when brewed in a vac pot. Find a small farmer and buy green from them direct. (38:48)

- Currently I use a Melitta filter holder. Why should I start using a press pot? (43:26)
A manual filter is a great method for brewing! But if you want to try press pot coffee, it’s inexpensive; press pots can be had for as little as $15. See the Guides and How-to section of CG for Mark’s guide on brewing press pot coffee. (44:14)

- When are you going to start doing your “regular� shows so beginners can relate too? (47:28)
We’re doing it right now – partly because of this email! We’ll do more shows covering a wide range of topics for everyone from newbies to professionals. (47:56)

Speaking of professional issues – even if you are new to coffee, please consider reading the (somewhat controversial) article on the Cup of Excellence alliance with the National Coffee Association on the CG home page. It describes how the CoE program has introduced the consumer to the farmer and the lives behind the coffee. (48:56)

Live to tape from Firenze, Italia, recorded about 2 months ago now (lol!), it's the midnight session of the CoffeeGeek Podcast featuring Nick Cho of the Portafilter.net podcast and Andrew Barnett from Ecco Cafe

Thanks to our sponsors, including Rocket Coffee Roasters, Zaccardis, and Coffee and Kitchen.

Show notes coming soon.

Once again, huge, massive, big thanks to Cindy for doing these show notes. I was very late in posting them. I can't believe all the links she researched!


Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the CoffeeGeek username.

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Show Notes

Today’s Special Guests: Stephen Morrissey and Jen (0:33)
- Stephen is a barista trainer and apprentice roaster for Bewley’s in Dublin and Jen is his lovely girlfriend! (2:56)
- Stephen’s assessment of Ireland’s current café culture and where it’s going (4:54)
- Stephen lists some good cafés in Ireland: Avoca Café, Bewley’s, Karl Purdy’s cart, Donnybrook Fair, and Dunne and Crescenzi; and Mark talks about Danny, an altie in England who operates a propane-run 3-group Gaggia lever machine on his coffee cart (8:40)
- Stephen’s first modeling job – for Mark’s upcoming Imbibe Magazine article (12:50)
- Stephen’s reaction to home espresso machines and the Solis SL-70 in particular (13:42)
- Steaming milk, froth aiders, crema enhancers, and consumers today (14:52)
- Latte art and drink quality (17:46)
- Mark says Marzocco the dog can activate the steam wand on a La Marzocco!
- Places Stephen’s checking out while he’s here: Wicked Café and Intelligentsia Coffee (22:37)
- Jen’s impressions of the café scene here as opposed to Ireland and wireless vs. non-wireless (24:25)

Huge thanks to Cindy as always for putting together these show notes!

Details:

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the CoffeeGeek username.

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CG Podcast 042 MP3 File for straight downloading.

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Show Notes

Intro (0:40)
- Where are episodes 40 and 41? (0:46)
- This episode sponsored by Whole Latte Love! (1:29)
- Leave us voicemails! (2:20)

Today’s Special Guest:
Arthur Wynne (3:36)
- From carpentry to coffee, Sydney, 1997-1998 (4:23)
- The move to Ireland and Bewley’s, 2004 (7:12)
- The coffee scene in Dublin today; how it compares to the rest of Europe and Australia (9:52)
- James Hoffman’s WBC signature drink(14:59)
- Bern: WBC accreditation (16:55); the show floor, meeting coffee people (18:15); the city of Bern (22:25)
- Latte art championship: how Arthur learned, his first good pour, his strategy for Berne (23:25)
- What Mark loved about Bern – meeting people with a passion for all things coffee (30:09)
- Arthur and Mark’s latte art tips for consumers – talk to your barista, texturing milk, the process step-by-step (31:29)
- Whole Latte Love’s latte art contest (40:32)
- Is the double shot basket a crutch? Amp up your skillz with a single shot basket! (42:30)
- Alcohol and coffee: Nuts and Berries, Seduction di Mezzanotte, coffee and tequila, espresso martinis, Irish and Spanish coffees (46:52)

Show notes coming soon!

Big thanks to our sponsors:

Rocket Coffee Roasters

Coffee and Kitchen

Zaccardis

Show notes coming soon!

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the CoffeeGeek username.

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Show Notes

Somewhere in this podcast, there's a trivia question that, if you answered correctly, you would have won a major prize. The contest is now closed, so please do not email; however, listen to future CG podcasts for more giveaways!

The prize this time around was a Krups XP4050 automatic espresso machine! Contest was open to residents of the US and Canada, 18 years of age and older, one entry per household is allowed - multiple entries will be disqualified. If you live in Canada, you may be subject to paying duties and taxes on the prize machine, and are subject to answering a further skill-testing question, should you win. This prize was offered "as is", no guarantees on the product's working state when it arrives, with no claims or monetary value. Huge props to Chris White of Alturra Coffee and Krups for providing the prize!

Intro: Beata and Mark – Live to tape once again! (3:39)

2006 SCAA Conference Recap (7:16)
- Rob Stephen, podcasts and forums, and the SCAA Town Hall meeting
- The Clover 1S: How Mark finally found body and pleasing aftertaste in a Clover cup, thanks to Oliver at Batdorf and Bronson's booth an their Colombian CoE coffee! (13:15)
- Social parties, Mark’s "mission"; also lots of pulled pork and fried chicken (23:56)
- The USBC and Matt Riddle, the Renaissance man (Congrats, Matt!!!) (26:42)

Ambush Interview! – Doug Zell, Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea (28:07)
- Intelligentsia’s presence in barista competitions in general and the 2006 USBC (29:20)
- About Matt Riddle (32:18)
- The Intelligentsia blends used at the competition (35:23)
- Matt’s media appearances (37:27)
- Next: the World Barista Championship (40:39)
- Major props to Billy Wilson! (42:26)
- About Intelligentsia’s soon-to-be-opened third location (45:35)
- Elevating coffee, from seed to cup (47:26)
- Cool cupping spoons (50:13)

Mark explains the "Cobra Kai" references everyone's saying these days (53:51)

SCAA Financial Situation (55:21)
- Background of the situation (55:56)
- Town Hall meeting (58:09)
- Beata reads questions and answers from the meeting: how much money was lost; criminal/civil action; relationship of involved persons with the SCAA; financial position of guilds; donating specifically to the guilds; how "first responder" funds were used; how far back theft occurred; why more is not heard about actions taken by the board; the status of the criminal investigation (58:31)
- Mark’s suggestions: guild donations being more direct and the SCAA doing regional events (1:08:07)

Changes on the CoffeeGeek web site (1:09:20)
- Hiring a new content editor (1:09:31)
- More new articles (3 or so a week) from industry folks and regular columnists (1:11:31)
- Beata’s suggestions for new content (1:14:34)

Dallis Coffee pre-ground pre-portioned coffee for French press (1:21:06)

BTW - those PF boys... thinking they can catch up with me. Muwahahahahahah!

Interview with Rob Stephen, show notes coming soon!

How did we manage to cram so much into a 40 minute show? Listen and find out!

Once again, massive, total, huge thanks to Cindy for these awesome show notes. She rocks!

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the CoffeeGeek username.

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Show Notes

Coffee on Television: Black Coffee
- Three-episode documentary series on coffee, produced in Canada, rated "best ever watched" by Mark and Beata (2:56)
- More about Franciszek Jerzy Kulczycki, who opened the first café in Vienna and contributed so much to coffee culture (4:13)

Brasil Cup of Excellence Cupping
- Brief recap of the cupping - $175 raised for Coffee Kids! (10:42)
- Susie Spindler will try to provide extra samples of the COE coffees to Mark so that more COE cuppings to benefit Coffee Kids can be held in the near future. Watch the Western Canada forum on CoffeeGeek for invitations near the end of April for the Colombian CoE cupping. (11:57)
- Four more cuppings planned for June/July (14:39)

Mark Answers Email! (15:48)
- Jeffrey, a Kansas CoffeeGeek-in-Training, asks for Mark’s opinion on fluid-bed and drum roasters. Mark discusses home roasting technologies and how different types of roasters affect coffee. (15:58)
- Mike from San Francisco asks for Mark’s thoughts on Starbucks’ Black Apron coffees. Mark talks a little about Starbucks vs Doubleshot Café, then explains why Starbucks doesn’t currently use CoE quality coffees for their Black Apron program. (22:56)
- Alexandra in Montreal asks about having a CG podcast episode devoted to a discussion of fair trade practices and related changes in the coffee industry. Mark suggests ways that consumers can help support farmers. (28:37)

Preview of the 2006 SCAA Conference (35:12)
- Cool things: More Italian equipment manufacturers; the topic, Quality Tools for the Specialty Trade, focusing on tools to make coffee profitable for retailers; and the Culinary Track, including pairing foods with coffee and french press brewing/coffee variety in restaurants (35:31)
- Huge show floor, lots of parties, discounts at restaurants in Charlotte, on-location recordings, and a dual podcast with the portafilter.net crew! (40:26)

Enjoy!

Mark

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the "CoffeeGeek" username.

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Show Notes

Intro – Vancouver Coffee Scene Roundtable (1:31)
- Michael, Mark’s neighbor and coffee enthusiast, (email him if you have an opening for a barista)
- jakethecoffeelover, CGer and author of http://coffeaarabica.blogspot.com
- Sean Strugnell aka strugs – CGer
- Matt, barista at Elysian Room, 5th and Burrard, Vancouver
- Peter, barista at Wicked Café, 7th and Hemlock, Vancouver, and author of pullingshots.blogspot.com

Review of Aerobie Aeropress (2:57)
- Metal filter vs nylon filter vs paper filter (4:00)
- The engadget pvc do-it-yourself, the Depresso, and experimentation (5:36)
- Comparison with the Clover (8:42)

Review of the Clover (10:17)
- Discovery Coffee: newest Clover in Canada (10:30)
- The Clover’s effect on body and adjusting the Clover for optimal brew (11:00)
- Use of the Clover in the café (18:08)

Back to the Aerobie: Future experimentation, blind cupping, and bloom (19:50)

Review of the Vibiemme Domobar (21:43)
- HX machine with E61 group and 2 liter boiler
- Fast steaming machine, very stable

Home Machines (24:57)
- Sean’s Wega Lyra; Peter’s Krups Novo; Michael and Jake’s Gaggia Espressos

Fave Coffeehouses and the Café Scene (32:45)
- The group’s favorites include Prado, JJBean, Continental, Elysian Room, Wicked Café, Victrola, 2% jazz

Wrap-Up (42:27)
- Thoughts on Chris Tacy leaving the coffee scene
- Funny stories about Jake
- A few comments about portafilter.net podcast .

Again, thanks to Rock Star Cindy for doing these excellent show notes.

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the "CoffeeGeek" username.

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CG Podcast 033 MP3 File  for straight downloading.
12.7mb, 37:39 mm:ss. 48 kbps bitrate, 44.1Hz sample rate, mono channel. MP3 file.

Also, please subscribe and leave comments in Apple iTunes (updated!) direct link.

Show Notes

Newbie Show: Today’s guests, Beata Siwinski and Julie! (1:52)
Beata and Julie ask Mark their coffee questions:

When did people first start drinking coffee? (3:29)
- A brief history of coffee: Mark describes the discovery of coffee and the rise of coffee’s popularity throughout Arabia and Western Europe (3:50)
- A very brief history of espresso: Mark describes the development of modern espresso and the first spring-loaded piston espresso machine in 1947 by Achilles Gaggia (9:08)

When were cappuccinos and lattes first created? (12:13)
- History of the cappuccino:  Mark traces the creation of the cappuccino from the French café au lait in the mid-1800s to the development of the steam wand in 1910. Some discussion about Caffe Reggio (NYC)'s claim to inventing the drink.

The Coffee Scene in Italy
- Espresso, cappuccino, lattes and cafe correcto: Julie’s coffee experiences in Italy (14:29)
- The Italian café scene: not so many laptops (16:31)
- Features that Mark, Julie and Beata would like to see in local cafes (18:11)

Why are some coffees stronger than others? Should you add salt to get rid of bitterness in coffee? (27:01)
- Different tastes reflect differences in coffees and differences in roasts

Will there be more newbie podcasts (perhaps about the importance of proper grind)? (31:30)
- Yes!

Once more, a huge thanks to Cindy for putting together these excellent show notes!

27.4mb, 79:54 mm:ss. 40 kbps bitrate, 44.1Hz sample rate, mono channel.

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the "CoffeeGeek" username.

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Show Notes

Intro - Christa Couture, "day 4"

Changes (0:50)
- Beata and Mark shack up!
- CoffeeGeek says thanks and goodbye to Jeanette.

New Audio Equipment courtesy of Samson (3:43)
- An amazing MDR6 Mixing Board
- A C03 Multi-Pattern Condenser Microphone to upgrade from the C01 - will make round tables easier to produce
- A Hardware Compressor - automatically evens out the audio as people move closer and farther away from the microphones
- Many thanks to Ira and the folks at Samson!

Cup of Excellence Brasil Auction, Part II (9:02)

Interview with Andrew Barnett of Ecco Caffè, Santa Rosa, California, international juror for Cup of Excellence (10:14)
- Andrew on what COE is all about and his involvement with it (11:42)
- The Brasil auction: what $50/lb may do for coffee; marketing to the consumer (15:48)
- Andrew's impressions of the winning coffee; how COE coffees are scored (19:49)
- Lot #1: Fazenda Santa Inês; farmer, Francisco Dias Pereira. Highest scoring coffee in any COE with a score of 95.85; received Andrew's top score of 97; received two scores of 100. Purchased by Michel's Espresso, Instaurator and Caffè Artigiano. Mark and Andrew discuss the price of the coffee from the consumer perspective (21:14)
- Lot #2: Fazenda São Benedito; farmer, Antônio José Junqueira Villela. Sold for $7.80 per pound; purchased by The Roasterie, Stumptown, Ecco Caffè, Kaffa, and Maruyama. (30:43)
- Lot #3: Sítio São José; farmer, Luiz Roberto Ribeiro. The farms that produced the top three coffees are neighbors. (33:02)
- Lot #23 purchased by Ecco Caffè, 49th Parallel Roasters, Intelligentsia, and Golden Coffee Box - Fazenda Santa Terezinha; farmer, Paulo Sérgio de Almeida. (37:01)
- coffeegeek.com will join COE at the benefactor level (41:01)
- Coming soon to Ecco Caffè: a coffee purchased with the Small Axe Alliance from the Bolivian COE (41:41)

Susie Spindler, Executive Director, Cup of Excellence (45:40)
- Susie on what COE is all about and her involvement with it (46:58)
- How consumers can find local COE coffees; how to get their roasters involved in COE (50:08)
- Benefits of standard COE membership include access to the auction system, priority on international juries, and access to a searchable database of winning farms (51:24)
- Building bridges between roasters, farmers and cultures (53:06)
- The Brasil auction: what $50/lb may do for coffee; scoring of the first place coffee and the stigma of coffee from Brasil among specialty coffee roasters (57:51)
- Marketing coffees to the consumer as a culinary treat: raising the expectations of the consumer (1:04:38)
- Disparity between scores and prices of the first and second place coffees (1:11:52)
- Visit the COE web site to learn more. (1:15:00)

Outro - Christa Couture, "day 4"

Yet again, a huge thanks to Cindy for putting together these excellent show notes!

17.2mb, 59:21 mm:ss. 40 kbps bitrate, 44.1Hz sample rate, mono channel.

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the "CoffeeGeek" username.

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Apple iTunes (updated!) direct link.


Show Notes

A Barista in Ethiopia: Angie Lof, Head Trainer at JJBean (2:03)
- Ethiopia Trip: the Harrari; women in Ethiopia (2:37)
- Cultural highlights (5:13)
- Chat use in Ethiopia and coffee farming (8:37)
- Coffee: Ethiopian coffee ceremony (12:46); visit to coffee plantation in Harrar (21:51); coffee cherries (24:34)
- Kenya Trip and coffee (30:43)
- Results of the Cup of Excellence Brasil Auction and coffee prices (32:18)

New York Times Article on Grinders (42:11)

Guardian Article mentioning the CG Podcast (45:02)

Cup of Excellence Brasil Auction, Part I
- Interview with Instaurator, who in association with Michel’s Espresso and Caffe Artigiano, paid a record-breaking price ($49.75 US) for a Cup of Excellence coffee (45:21)
- Breaking down the cost per cup (49:00)
- The price of coffee and the wine analogy (52:53)
- Interview postscript – Cup of Excellence (56:47)
- To be continued in the next CG podcast…

Once again, a huge thanks to Cindy for putting together these excellent show notes!

20.7mb, 72:28 mm:ss. 40 kbps bitrate, 44.1Hz sample rate, mono channel.

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the "CoffeeGeek" username.

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CG Podcast 030 MP3 File  for straight downloading.

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Show Notes

The News with Jeanette Chan (1:52)
- Kenyan coffee farmers in debt (2:00)
- New Orleans-based PJ’s coffee reopening locations closed by Katrina (2:38)
- Coffee lowers risk of breast cancer in certain women (3:10)
- Starbucks wins trademark infringement suit in China (4:32)
- Lakewood, WA couple charged with forcing their niece to work as a slave at their espresso stand (5:25)
- Culprit in string of espresso stand robberies in Washington state apprehended (8:24)

Phuong Tran, 2005 US Barista Champion (9:29)
- Phuong’s café: Lava Java, Ridgefield, Washington (10:05)
- Phuong’s road to the USBC (10:43)
- What the competition consists of (14:47)
- What barista competitions are all about (19:21)
- How to improve barista competitions (22:03)
- Rumors of a competing body to the World Barista Championship (WBC) (26:59)
- Phuong’s experience at the Nordic Cup: cow milking; triangle tests; milk tasting tests; signature drink team competition; coffee brewing test (27:32)
- The 2005 WBC (34:50):  Mark’s view on Phuong’s finish (36:02); the finalists (congrats to Sammy Piccolo on his new baby boy!)  (37:31); a behind the scenes look (38:42); Phuong’s training (43:53); Phuong’s signature drink, the Crimson Sage (47:23)
- Judging and the sensory skills test (54:38)
- The Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition (58:39)
- Vancouver café crawl: Caffe Artigiano, JJBean, Prado, Wicked Café, Elysian Room (59:31)
- Mark and Phuong compare shots and discuss flair vs consistency (1:02:26)
- Phuong’s thoughts on what could be done differently at the USBC (1:07:57)

So, we missed doing a Christmas Eve podcast, we were just too busy having fun in a very serene and relaxing environment up on the Sunshine Coast. But we did record on the 27th! The last podcast of 2005!

Once again, a monumental thanks to Cindy for doing the excellent show notes! I can't believe the detail and research she goes into! She's amazing!

9.8mb, 34:02 mm:ss. 40 kbps bitrate, 44.1Hz sample rate, mono channel.

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the "CoffeeGeek" username.

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CG Podcast 029 MP3 File  for straight downloading.

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Show Notes

Introduction (0:00)
- Hoops and Yoyo from Hallmark, Merry Christmas (to the tune of “Finiculi, Finicula�)

Beata and Mark recorded this podcast from the beautiful Sunshine Coast in British Columbia, where they spent the Christmas holiday. (1:04)

Coffee on Holiday (2:27)
- Newbie Segment: Beata shares her real-world experience with making press pot coffee during the trip, demonstrating the importance of grind (3:41)
- Mark and Beata discuss the reasons that most coffees do not include “roasted on� dates on their packaging. Mark’s tip for this podcast: demand coffees with roast dates! (5:33)

Podcasts Past and Future (13:35)
A quick look back at this year’s podcasts and a glimpse of the future:
- Videos: possibly product walk-throughs and/or how-tos (but not video podcasts at this point). Anyone in Vancouver have good video editing skills and equipment? (14:16)
- Improved podcast audio quality (thanks to the incredible generosity of Ira at Samson) (20:09)
- More podcasts with Beata! Potential topics include press pot coffee, Vietnamese coffee and Viennese coffee how-tos; summer drink recipes; etching; trade show reports (23:28)
- If you received any really unusual coffee-based holiday gifts, Mark wants to hear about it – send him an email, and he may read it on the podcast. (29:08)

CG Podcast Giveaways! (29:35)
- Please send suggestions for contests that will be super easy and not time consuming for Mark to administer, but at least a little difficult for listeners. Prizes include Grindenstein knockboxes, an Aerobie Aeropress, and possibly a Baratza Virtuoso grinder!

Outro (31:58)
Thanks to everyone for listening! We hope everyone had a great Christmas/holiday -- happy Hanukkah, happy Kwanzaa, happy Festivus, and joy, happiness and prosperity in the New Year!

Hoops and Yoyo, Jingle Bells

It's something I get asked for all the time - so I finally did it - Mark's top picks in espresso, coffee maker, grinder and accessories categories!

A HUGE thanks to Cindy for doing the excellent show notes!

11.8mb, >40:00 mm:ss. 40 kbps bitrate, 44.1Hz sample rate, mono channel.

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the "CoffeeGeek" username.

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CG Podcast 028 MP3 File  for straight downloading.

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Show Notes

This is the first of two pre-Christmas shows. In this podcast, Mark lists his top recommendations in all things coffee and espresso for the folks on your gift-giving list!

Information on the following products and more can be found in the Coffeegeek review and consumer review sections of the web site. If you’d like to support the Coffeegeek web site, please use Coffeegeek’s amazon.com affiliate link.

Introduction
Eartha Kitt - Santa Baby, Alexkid Remix - from the Merry Mixmas - Christmas Classics Remixed CD (0:13)

Coffee Makers (3:53)
- Krups Moka Brew: A hybrid between a drip coffee maker and a moka pot. Unfortunately discontinued, but that means it can be found at a good price. Available at: amazon.com, ~$60; and  zaccardis.com, $50. (4:12)
- Capresso Drip Coffee Machines: The best series out there. (5:26)
- The Capresso MT500 is beautiful. Nice filtration system, efficient thermal carafe. Brews at the proper temperature. $170-180. (6:04) The Capresso CoffeeTEC is essentially the MT500 with an auto-frothing system. $200. (6:43) The Capresso CoffeeTEAM is the only grind and brew system Mark recommends due to its conical burr grinder. All available at 1stincoffee.com. (7:09)

Grinders - The Central Core of Good Coffee (8:11)
- Bodum Antigua: Decent grinder, the lowest priced one that Mark recommends. Available at: amazon.com; zaccardis.com; 1stincoffee.com. $50-$70. (9:22)
- Solis Maestro Classic/Solis Maestro Plus: Well designed; the Plus has better features. Grinds into a bin or portafilter. Classic, $100-$110; Plus, $150. (9:59)
- Baratza Virtuoso: Just released 12/15. Beefy burr group design; no float in burrs. Powerful DC motor. $200. (10:32)
- KitchenAid Proline: Extremely even grind; perfect as cupping grinder for this price range. Looks great, although Beata thinks it’s a bit industrial. $150 (on sale) to $200 at amazon.com. (12:03)
- Rancilio Rocky: Fantastic grinder. Well built, very quiet, doserless model also available. $270 (black or white) to $300 (stainless steel). (12:59)
- Mazzer Mini: Full-blown (albeit slow) commercial grinder, fantastic build quality, infinite adjustable grind, the ultimate grinder for the home espresso enthusiast. $400. (13:27)

Home Espresso Machines (14:09)
- White Gaggia Carezza: All-brass portafilter, nice grouphead design, same internal parts as more expensive Gaggias. Sure, it has a cheap plastic exterior, froth aider and no cup warmer, but combined with a good quality grinder makes a great intro setup. Available at wholelattelove.com, $180.(14:19)
- Krups XP4000 Series: Quite capable for espresso, for brewing pod coffee on par with Solis SL70. Down side is no hot water ability, pressurized filter baskets, and Krups autofroth system. Looks good, heats up properly. Available at zaccardis.com, $200. (15:58)
- Saeco Gran Crema: Heats up fast to steam mode. Compatible with Panarello frothing system.  Visible water reservoir level; holds a lot of water. Good starter machine. $250. (19:06)
- Espressione Retro: Insider tip – If you’d like to own the famous retro-looking Francis Francis! X1 seen on “Will and Grace� and “Sex and the City� but don’t want to pay $650-$700, buy the Espressione Retro. Same cool retro look and 70-80% of the internal parts are identical to the FF!. Available at zaccardis.com, $379. (19:59)
- Solis SL70 Crema: Amazing steaming, brews great espresso. Does pod and standard coffee; good hot water ability. Recommend an unpressurized  basket for the portafilter. $380-$400. (22:42)
- Rancilio Silvia: A perennial favorite. ~$500. (24:31)
- Pasquini Livia 90 Semiautomatic: Mark’s first uber-serious machine. Not E61-based. Take off the froth aider, put on a standard froth tip,  and it’s a great machine. $1250. (25:02)
- Expobar Brewtus II: Mark has never used it, but there’s a lot of positive talk about this impressive dual-boiler E61 machine. Available at wholelattelove.com, $1700. (26:11)
- Innova (Ascaso) Arc: Specifically for Canadians - the Ascaso Arc sells for $500-$600 in the US, but is substantially less in Canada. Contact morala.com, and ask for Hamid to get the price. (27:21)
- La Pavoni Professional: A manual, direct piston machine. $750. (28:34)
- Elektra Microcasa a Leva: Beautiful spring piston lever machine. Some temp surfing is necessary to achieve the right water temperature for brewing, but if you can master it, you may be blown away by the quality of the coffee. $900 (29:12)

Coffee-Related Things
- Bodum Pavina Line: Double walled glass cups. So good at thermal insulation, they don’t need preheating. 2 oz espresso cups, 2 per box, $11 at amazon.com; 8 oz. cappuccino cups, $14 at amazon.com. (30:50)
- Caffeine molecule t-shirt: This t-shirt and other caffeine molecule merchandise will definitely make you out to be a coffeegeek. Available at thinkgeek.com. T-shirt, $15. (31:52)
- Ghirardelli sweet chocolate powder: Mark’s recommendation for chocolate lovers, available in bulk at coffeewholesalers.com, $5/lb. (32:22)
- Cupping wheel mousepad: For those who want to learn more about cupping. Available at the Specialty Coffee Association of America, scaa.org, $10 for non-members. (32:38)
- Aerobie Aeropress: Not quite an espresso machine, not quite an inverse press pot. Fun for the experimental espresso fanatic. $30. (33:01)
- Illy cups: Limited edition collector cups decorated by famous artists, a fantastic gift. Available in espresso and cappuccino sizes at 1stincoffee.com. (34:08)
- Capresso H2O glass kettle: Mark and Beata’s favorite kettle. Made from Schott glass. Plastic base, cordless, 48oz. Efficient, fast, looks gorgeous. Available at zaccardis.com, $60-$70. (35:23)

Outro (36:19)
The second pre-Christmas show should be recorded on the 23rd or 24th (featuring Mark and Beata sending out their holiday messages and reflecting on the past year), but in case you don’t tune in, a very merry Christmas, very happy holidays, and a prosperous and fun-filled new year to all of you!

Reprise: Eartha Kitt - Santa Baby, Alexkid Remix - from the Merry Mixmas - Christmas Classics Remixed CD.

Here it is folks - thanks VERY much to Cindy for doing the excellent show notes!

20.8mb, 78:13 mm:ss. 40 kbps bitrate, 44.1Hz sample rate, mono channel.

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the "CoffeeGeek" username.

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CG Podcast 027 MP3 File  for straight downloading.

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Show Notes

Introduction (2:45)
- Co-Host Brad Ford, Co-owner of Wicked Café, Vancouver, distributor of Intelligentsia Coffee in Canada

Nick Cho (5:17)
- Will he run as for a position on the SCAA Board?  

SCAA Talk – Retailers and the SCAA (8:37)
- Mark gives a primer on the SCAA and describes the components of the organization. (8:37)
- Brad and Mark talk about what retailers want and need from trade organizations like the SCAA. (15:16)
- Mark details four things the SCAA could do to stop the churn of retailer membership: increase communication; provide retailers with continually updated consumer education tools; offer training/informational products to retailers on the business side of coffee; and organize small regional events. (18:57)
- Mark and Brad discuss how the SCAA could interact with SCAA consumer members. (25:44)
- Mark announces that the CG podcast may host a debate in January between the candidates for SCAA second vice-president (should someone choose to run against Mark Inman). (29:40)

Ambush Interview! (33:17)
- Doug Zell of Intelligentsia Coffee briefs Mark and Brad on the coffees they will be tasting later in the show. Doug also talks about how they acquired the Tres Santos Micro-Lots and about restaurants that are now offering customers a menu of Intelligentsia micro-lot/Cup of Excellence coffees to choose from.

Coffee Tasting
- Rwandan Musasa (45:23): Medium body with an initial kick, berry notes, a bit of acidity and smooth finish. Mark’s first pick among the three when served with cream.
- Cruz del Sur, Peru (48:20): Intelligentsia’s new exclusive coffee. The Peru buying trip with Geoff Watts is described on the Intelligentsia web site. Sweet juicy tomatoey flavor; cream brings out chocolate notes.
- Tres Santos Micro-Lot, Almaguer, Colombia (50:26): First pick for both Brad and Mark as black coffee. Sweet with a red licorice aftertaste and a lot of intensity. With cream, Mark describes it as a cacophony of fruit.

Restaurant Coffee (56:15)
- Mark offers to record a how-to podcast on amping up restaurant coffee service on location at the fabulous Aurora Bistro, Vancouver. Mark and Brad look at ways restaurants can elevate coffee service, including offering press pot service, offering a selection of four or five quality coffees paired to desserts, and expanding the job of the sommelier to include coffee. Equipment and cost issues are discussed and Mark lays out his dream setup for restaurant coffee service.

Thanks again to Cindy for writing this up - very detailed!

Here it is, barely a week and a day after the last one (picking up speed!

Details:

13.9mb, 48:43 mm:ss. 40 kbps bitrate, 44.1Hz sample rate, mono channel.

Questions or comments podcast@coffeegeek.com or call the voicemail line at 1-206-965-8185, or Skype to Skype - search for the "CoffeeGeek" username.

Take your pick on how to listen:

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CG Podcast 026 MP3 File  for straight downloading.

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Show Notes

Mark talks briefly about the new mics he's been using, from Samson, which are really good quality. Mics used are the CO1 and the CO1U (USB condenser mic).

Details about the La Marzocco "Open House event featuring the GS3 prototype machine with amazing temperature profile control.
- held at Elysian Coffee and Tea
- Used coffee supplied by Intelligentsia (thanks Doug!
- Also, Mark pulled a "barista" shift at a charity event the day before, for the Starlight Foundation.
- GS3 really held up. 70+ drinks made at the charity event in 3 hours, and many at the open house.
- Mark details a speed test he did on the GS3, building 18 espressos (9 double shots) in 10 mins - 16 were serve-able.
- Feedback was awesome.
- Mark declares that "the machine is no longer a variable to worry about" when it comes to the GS3

Second segment - a Rant on Quality vs. Labels in coffee.
- Mark talks about how way too many cafes are bandying about terms like "shade grown", "bird friendly", "relationship coffee" and "fairly traded" without much to back it up.
- Suggests that the top 10 or 15 quality roasters in the US should start up a new council of ethics and quality for coffee, modeled loosely on the 1950's Comics Authority Code.
- Mark suggests that shade grown, fairly traded, etc, is being used to imply quality tasting coffee, when it's not - it's becoming the new "gourmet" coffee term.

Third segment -Emails!
- Mark reads some ridiculous claims on a Canadian website claiming coffee needs to be aged at least 15-30 days (after roasted), but ideally 4-6 months after roasted before drinking. Suggests trying it yourself to see if it's true or not.
- Email asking about what ratios of ground coffee to water. Mark suggests starting with 7g of coffee per 120ml of water (4oz), then experiment.
- Question about rating grinders purely by the specifications. Mark suggests finding out about the usability and real life production of grinders - reading some of CoffeeGeek's 753 Consumer Reviews of Grinders is a good start.
- Question about temperature curve (cooling water) used in brewing press pot coffee.
- Mark gets his pronunciation corrected.
- An email suggesting coffee "recipes" (ie, blending, but with a twist).


Enjoy!