Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries

We're back with another series of The Science of Coffee!
Across 10 science stories, narrative audio producer and coffee professional James Harper takes you on a journey into coffee's hidden microscopic secrets.
James has spent the last year traveling to Central America, Greece, Norway, Switzerland and interviewing dozens of the world’s leading coffee scientists. This insights will help you appreciate coffee more deeply and make even better coffee at home.
We'll explore organic coffee growing, delve into the science of roasting, uncover optimal storage and grinding techniques, enhance your tasting skills through sensory science, and share James' journey towards thinking more like a scientist.
Press the Subscribe button so you don't miss future episodes! https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO
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The Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories: https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:
BWT Water and More
Mahlkönig
Marco Beverage Systems
Sustainable Harvest
ROEST

America is coffee-obsessed. From Central Perk’s red couch being the centre of major plot twists in Friends to the fact the average American drank more than two cups a day.
And the conventional explanation is pretty straightforward: an English colonist introduces coffee to Jamestown in 1607. 150 years later Americans rebel against the British by throwing tea chests into Boston harbour and drinking coffee becomes their patriotic duty. Oh, and of course who won the civil war? The side that had the coffee.
But, actually, the truth is much more surprising, and reveals a much more counter-intuitive story of America.
In this final episode of Series Two of A History of Coffee, we offer you a story of America through the lens of a black drink, another black drink, a third black drink and perhaps even a fourth.
A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’.
Don't miss future episodes by pressing the 'Subscribe' or 'Follow' button in your podcast player.
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Please spread the word about A History of Coffee!
Follow us on Instagram - Jonathan ( @coffeehistoryjm ) and James ( @filterstoriespodcast ) - and tag us in an Instagram story.
Write a review on Apple Podcasts ( http://apple.co/3jY42aJ)
Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify ( https://spoti.fi/3K2h4RQ)
This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by Rancilio , manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for your home and coffee bar for almost 100 years
( https://bit.ly/3U3oLMz )
Read Jonathan’s book, ‘Coffee: A Global History’ (https://amzn.to/3dihAfU )
Listen to other coffee documentaries on James’ Filter Stories podcast ( https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e)
Download all episodes of this second series right now by subscribing to the ‘ A History of Coffee’ podcast channel (http://bit.ly/2NArChO)
Learn how Brazil massively expanded output in episode three of the first series of A History of Coffee : Coffee Catches Fire (https://bit.ly/2NArChO)
Brew up some Yaupon Holly ! (https://bit.ly/40R6IuY)
Discover Deb Hunter's All Things Tudor podcast (https://bit.ly/3L5OZet)

One morning back in the ‘80s, Howard Schultz walks out of his Milan hotel, stumbles into an espresso bar, and fundamentally changes coffee history.
He discovered (and then popularises) the iconic, timeless Italian coffee experience: Rich thick coffee, an affordable price and great theatre.
But this Italian ritual is surprisingly young, so young that Howard Schultz was in school while some of it was being developed!
In this third episode of Series Two of A History of Coffee, we show you why for most of Italy’s history, coffee was thin, expensive, dull to watch…and that’s if you were lucky enough to even be drinking the real stuff at all!
A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’.
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Don't miss future episodes by pressing the 'Subscribe' or 'Follow' button in your podcast player
Please spread the word about A History of Coffee!
Follow us on Instagram - Jonathan ( @coffeehistoryjm ) and James ( @filterstoriespodcast ) - and tag us in an Instagram story.
Write a review on Apple Podcasts ( http://apple.co/3jY42aJ)
Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify ( https://spoti.fi/3K2h4RQ)
This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by Rancilio , manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for your home and coffee bar for almost 100 years
( https://bit.ly/3U3oLMz )
Read Jonathan’s book, ‘Coffee: A Global History’ (https://amzn.to/3dihAfU )
Listen to other coffee documentaries on James’ Filter Stories podcast ( https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e)
Download all episodes of this second series right now by subscribing to the ‘ A History of Coffee’ podcast channel (http://bit.ly/2NArChO)
Go deeper into the story of espresso machines:
James' science podcast about Espresso Machine Technology
Neapolitan coffee maker (https://bit.ly/3zZCivl)
Espresso at 1906 World’s Fair in Milan (https://bit.ly/3MOX7kQ)
Rancilio's Museum , Officina Rancilio 1926 (https://bit.ly/3Q7vqTI)
"La Cornuta" espresso machine (https://bit.ly/41uBryd)
Rancilio's Berlin Showroom , the BER Rancilio Station (https://bit.ly/3mD0lNA)

Haiti was once the biggest, most profitable coffee growing region in the world.
But today Haiti is one of the world’s poorest nations where you can’t get a bag of Haitian beans delivered to Berlin in a week for love nor money.
In this second episode of Series Two of A History of Coffee, we show you how colonialism and racism dragged Haiti into poverty, and the role of coffee at the centre of it.
Be warned: this episode contains graphic descriptions of violence.
A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’.
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Don't miss future episodes by pressing the 'Subscribe' or 'Follow' button in your podcast player
Please spread the word about A History of Coffee!
Follow us on Instagram - Jonathan ( @coffeehistoryjm ) and James ( @filterstoriespodcast ) - and tag us in an Instagram story.
Write a review on Apple Podcasts ( http://apple.co/3jY42aJ)
Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify ( https://spoti.fi/3K2h4RQ)
This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by Rancilio , manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for your home and coffee bar for almost 100 years
( https://bit.ly/3U3oLMz )
Read Jonathan’s book, ‘Coffee: A Global History’ (https://amzn.to/3dihAfU )
Listen to other coffee documentaries on James’ Filter Stories podcast ( https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e)
Download all episodes of this second series right now by subscribing to the ‘ A History of Coffee’ podcast channel (http://bit.ly/2NArChO)

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 what it takes to upend society.
A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’.
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Don't miss future episodes by pressing the 'Subscribe' or 'Follow' button in your podcast player
Please spread the word about A History of Coffee!
Follow us on Instagram - Jonathan ( @coffeehistoryjm ) and James ( @filterstoriespodcast ) - and tag us in an Instagram story.
Write a review on Apple Podcasts ( http://apple.co/3jY42aJ)
Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify ( https://spoti.fi/3K2h4RQ)
This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by Rancilio , manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for your home and coffee bar for almost 100 years
( https://bit.ly/3U3oLMz )
Read Jonathan’s book, ‘Coffee: A Global History’ (https://amzn.to/3dihAfU )
Listen to other coffee documentaries on James’ Filter Stories podcast ( https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e)
Download all episodes of this second series right now by subscribing to the ‘ A History of Coffee’ podcast channel (http://bit.ly/2NArChO)

We're back with more stories about the tiny psychoactive seed that changed the world and continues to shape our lives today.
In Series Two, we reveal how the invention of the coffee shop revolutionised societies, why colonialism, racism and coffee have kept once prosperous Haiti poor today, how Italy's revered espresso culture was created, and we debunk many myths around America's supposed love affair with coffee.
If we want to make coffee a more equitable industry that’s also kinder to the environment, a place to start is understanding the stories and systems that put the coffee into your cup this morning.
Press the ‘Subscribe’ button so you don’t miss future episodes. Listen to all the episodes at once on the A History of Coffee podcast channel.
A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘ Coffee: A Global History ’.
Follow us on Instagram! Jonathan Morris @coffeehistoryjm and James Harper @filterstoriespodcast .
This free educational content was made possible with the support of Rancilio , manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for almost 100 years.
Join us live at the London Coffee Festival 2023! We have three time slots for you to choose from: Saturday, 22 April, 11:00-11:30 and 14:30-15:00, and Sunday, 23 April,14:30-15:00.

Imagine you’ve got a cup of coffee in front of you. You haven’t tasted it yet. You therefore don’t know what it tastes like, right?
Wrong. Some scientists argue that you actually do know what it will taste like (more or less), and the act of tasting simply confirms what you have already imagined it will taste like. And that’s because a growing body of research is revealing that sight, sound and touch all affect your expectation of a coffee’s flavours.
In this episode, I explore how certain sounds might make your coffee taste sweeter, while other sounds translate to bitterness. And I expose how some cafe owners might be ruining the flavours of the high-end specialty coffee you paid for without even realising it.
In the second half, I show you why so many of our scientific questions about coffee are going unanswered. I take you deep into the future of coffee science by explaining who’s doing research into coffee science, why they’re doing it, how much it costs and how you can get involved.
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Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story
Write a review on Apple Podcasts
Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify
Explore the technology behind Fiorenzato’s AllGround home coffee grinder
Get more involved in coffee science!
Buy Brita Folmer’s The Craft & Science of Coffee
Read the Specialty Coffee Association's 25 Magazine for cutting edge insights into coffee science, business and sustainability, including Charles Spence’s article on sonic seasoning
Partner with the Coffee Science Foundation
Explore Felipe Reinoso Carvalho’s sonic research , including Diego Campos ’ winning World Barista Championship routine
Apply to study at the UC Davis Coffee Centre
Do an online course with ZHAW’s Coffee Excellence Centre
Subscribe to Barista Hustle and complete their online coffee courses
Become a member of the Barista Guild , Coffee Roaster’s Guild , Coffee Technicians Guild and attend their events!
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests
Charles Spence - Academic profile
Fabiana Carvalho - Instagram
Janice Wang - LinkedIn
Felipe Reinoso Carvalho - LinkedIn
Chahan Yeretzian - LinkedIn
Bill Ristenpart - Academic profile
Peter Giuliano - LinkedIn
Jenn Rugolo - LinkedIn
Giulia Bagato - LinkedIn
Denis Girardi - LinkedIn
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations
BWT Water and More
Marco Beverage Systems
Trabocca
Eversys
Oatly
Fiorenzato

When was the last time you picked up a cappuccino with a mountain of foam perched on top? Maybe these are the cappuccinos you make every morning at home.
I personally really, really dislike them! The foam is cold, raspy, and gets in the way of the actual coffee liquid.
How much better would your mornings be if, instead, your cappuccino had that creamy, silky “microfoam” you find in a specialty coffee cafe?
In this episode, I take you deep into the bubbles of latte foam to show you what makes them, what destroys them, and how you can craft mouth-melting lattes.
Along the way I also settle the big debate: what is the actual difference between regular Oatly and Oatly Barista Edition!?
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Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story
Write a review on Apple Podcasts
Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify
Try Oatly Barista Edition (this episode’s sponsor) for yourself
Go deeper into latte foam science!
Measure your latte foam’s bubble size!
Marvel at tetrakaidecahedra foam for yourself
Check out Steven Abbott’s brilliant science website
Learn how to create microfoam with Lance Hedrick
Study milk science with Barista Hustle’s online courses
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests
Steven Abbott - website
Rituja Upadhyay - LinkedIn
Nidhi Bansal - LinkedIn
Thom Huppertz - LinkedIn
Sofia Eldhe - LinkedIn
Toby Weedon - LinkedIn
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations
BWT Water and More
Marco Beverage Systems
Trabocca
Eversys
Oatly
Fiorenzato

A good espresso is a sublime experience: rich, sweet, and wonderfully caffeinated.
But, who woke up one morning and thought to themselves, ‘I’m going to build a contraption that forces a tiny amount of super hot water with incredible pressure through a bed of very finely ground coffee’?
Well, the fact is, the first “espresso” machine built 150 years ago was awful in almost every way. Worst of all, if you gave that coffee to anybody on the street, nobody would say it’s even an espresso!
But, over the decades, problems begat solutions that begat more problems that culminated in espresso machines like Eversys that produce gorgeous espressos at just the push of a button.
And it’s got me wondering: what is the perfect espresso machine? How far can we go?
But, before clicking play, be warned: this story gets explosive and bloody!
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Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story
Write a review on Apple Podcasts
Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify
Learn more about how Eversys espresso machines (this episode’s sponsor) produce high quality espressos
Listen to my A History of Coffee podcast series with Prof. Jonathan Morris
Pictures of the espresso machines featured in this episode
Angelo Moriondo (1884, “Big water boiler with gnarly bits”)
La Pavoni Ideale (1905, "Fire hydrant")
Gaggia Tipo Classica (1947, “Lever”)
Faema E61 (1961, “Retro 60s toaster”)
Eversys (2022, “push button”)
Want to go deeper into espresso machine technology?
Coffee Technician Guild ’s Educational Courses
Barista Hustle’s The Espresso Machine course
Read Prof. Jonathan Morris’ book ‘ Coffee: A Global History ’
Do your own coffee museum tour in Italy!
MUMAC (Milan)
Rancilio Officina 1926 (Milan)
Accademia del Caffè Espresso (Florence)
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests
Jonathan Morris - Instagram
Hylan Joseph - LinkedIn
Giorgio Rancilio - LinkedIn
Anna Cento - LinkedIn
Carlos Gonzàlez - LinkedIn
Silvia Bartoloni - LinkedIn
Jonathan Besse - LinkedIn
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations
BWT Water and More
Marco Beverage Systems
Trabocca
Eversys
Oatly
Fiorenzato

How can you make better coffee at home? Well, an easy way is to buy higher quality beans.
But, I’m concerned this is going to get harder and harder for you in the future.
Climate change is making coffee taste worse while also pushing farmers into financial hardship.
In this episode we explore how genetic development can produce a coffee tree that might save the day. Is there a wild coffee tree happily growing in the forests somewhere that could be our silver bullet? What about if we mix existing documented species together?
But, the big problem is that genetic research is slow, and farmers can’t wait around. So, in the second half, we learn how coffee farmers in Kenya are trying to fix the problem right now.
And I’m actually tentatively hopeful the beans you brew in the morning are not going to get worse. But, it all depends on you, me and the coffee industry making a couple of changes right now.
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Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!
Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story - https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0O
Write a review on Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/3sf87MV
Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3yHkjcV
Learn more about how Trabocca, this episode’s sponsor, works with coffee farmers: https://bit.ly/3Tjn8bV
Support the work of World Coffee Research: https://bit.ly/3VtyoV6
Become a member of Kew Gardens: https://bit.ly/3yFZ8b0
Find some of Alvans Mutero’s ( https://bit.ly/3T0NHTy) and Thiriku’s ( https://bit.ly/3CCxHQJ) coffee to taste for yourself
Learn more about cloning coffee plants on my other podcast, Adventures in Coffee - https://bit.ly/3EFBmzG
Want to listen to more documentary podcasts about coffee? Check out Filter Stories - https://bit.ly/3zb5vnO
Connect with my very knowledgeable guests:
Sarada Krishnan - LinkedIn ( https://bit.ly/3rW9dwB) and Research Gate ( https://bit.ly/3VvzDTq)
Aaron Davis - Kew Gardens ( https://bit.ly/3CAicZg)
Hanna Neuschwander - LinkedIn ( https://bit.ly/3MvW2Mi)
Bernard Gichimu - LinkedIn ( https://bit.ly/3VrOIFJ)
Learn more about the coffee varieties discussed on this episode:
SL 28 - https://bit.ly/3MvNIw6
SL 34 - https://bit.ly/3rTX2QX
Ruiru 11 - https://bit.ly/3CXmDPf
Batian - https://bit.ly/3EEls8M
The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:
BWT Water and More - https://bit.ly/3EEpuxN
Marco Beverage Systems - https://bit.ly/3T2YDzY
Trabocca - https://bit.ly/3Tjn8bV
Eversys - https://bit.ly/3CBkp6X
Oatly - https://bit.ly/3exvlKS
Fiorenzato - https://bit.ly/3T3nmUQ