Opposites Extract: A Debate Podcast about Coffee
Food & Cooking Podcasts
Opposites Extract is a show dedicated to exploring specialty coffee through lively, reasoned, and civil debate about a whole range of topics relevant to anybody who works drinks, loves, hates, dreams about, thinks about, works with, or is simply curious about coffee. (In other words, you don't have to be pro to be pro or con.) In each episode, debaters will square off and argue from assigned sides, as determined by a random coin toss. Participating debaters pledge to honor and represent the position they are assigned, regardless of their personal opinions and perspectives. At the end of each episode, debaters will have an opportunity to discuss their actual thoughts about the topic, and their process in formulating their arguments. Things might get a little heated sometimes, but hey, we're brewing here.
Location:
United States
Description:
Opposites Extract is a show dedicated to exploring specialty coffee through lively, reasoned, and civil debate about a whole range of topics relevant to anybody who works drinks, loves, hates, dreams about, thinks about, works with, or is simply curious about coffee. (In other words, you don't have to be pro to be pro or con.) In each episode, debaters will square off and argue from assigned sides, as determined by a random coin toss. Participating debaters pledge to honor and represent the position they are assigned, regardless of their personal opinions and perspectives. At the end of each episode, debaters will have an opportunity to discuss their actual thoughts about the topic, and their process in formulating their arguments. Things might get a little heated sometimes, but hey, we're brewing here.
Language:
English
Episodes
Ep. 35: Season Finale!
12/22/2016
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...
Duration:01:14:03
Ep. 34: Suddenly Everyone Wants Instant Coffee with Kalle Freese
12/16/2016
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.
Duration:00:32:08
Brief: Interview with Jeff Hann and Roland Fraval of "The Coffee Man"
12/15/2016
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.
Duration:00:23:32
Ep 33: The Dirt on Dirt with Andrew Timko
12/9/2016
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.
Duration:00:37:04
Ep. 32: Live from La Marzocco: On the Road in Detroit, MI
12/2/2016
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.
Duration:00:46:47
Ep. 31: Live from La Marzocco: On the Road in Columbus, OH
11/23/2016
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...
Duration:00:49:05
Ep 30: Give Us Some Sugar with Levi Andersen
11/18/2016
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.
Duration:00:48:53
Ep. 29 - The Microlot Debate with Andy Newbom
11/11/2016
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.
Duration:00:54:31
Ep. 28 – Wholesale vs Retail with Paul Schlader of Birch Coffee NYC
11/4/2016
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?
Duration:00:48:50
Ep. 27: Flavor with Jamie Isetts
10/29/2016
In this episode Meister takes on Jamie Isetts in a debate about the subjectivity of what we define as good and bad taste.
Duration:00:38:24
Ep. 26: Cold Brew Is the New Espresso
10/21/2016
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.
Duration:00:43:02
Brief: Alejandro Renjifo of Fairfield Trading
10/14/2016
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.
Duration:00:35:08
Ep. 25: Education vs Experience with Wolf Barn Marnell
10/7/2016
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.
Duration:00:41:13
Ep. 24: What We Talk about When We Talk about Flavor with Jess Steffy
9/30/2016
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!
Duration:00:46:28
Brief: Mill City Roasters
9/23/2016
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".
Duration:00:27:16
Ep. 23: Barista Competitions vs Real Life, with Aaron Ultimo
9/16/2016
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.
Duration:00:42:46
Brief: A Midseason Debate Break!
9/9/2016
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!
Duration:00:27:21
Ep 22: Roaster vs Barista with Stephen Ezell
9/2/2016
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.
Duration:00:50:12
Ep. 21: Tipping the Tipping Point of Tipping with Sam Penix and Sam Lewontin
8/26/2016
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.
Duration:00:52:35
Ep 20: Coffee and Sensory Analysis, Hot Or Not? with Holly Bastin and Pete Licata
8/19/2016
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.
Duration:00:39:31