This twelve-part series is a collection of talks and stories from coffee professionals around the globe. This discovery tour reveals how creativity and technical expertise unite to provide a fully immersive coffee experience, enriching you with deep industry knowledge along the way.
The series reveals insights into a variety of topics, such as the evolution of coffee; where coffee beans are produced; how they are roasted; trade secrets from coffee professionals; and what coffee culture looks like today.
According to expert Mauro Illiano, Founder of the Napoli Coffee Experience, the ritual of coffee is part of a long tradition.
“The evolution of global coffee culture dates back to the fifteenth century when Sufis in Yemen consumed coffee in groups before starting their nightly prayers,” he explains. “Almost a century later, the first coffee houses began appearing in Baghdad, Damascus and Constantinople, at which point it became part of a social tradition.”
“A tradition is a shared habit,” says Mauro. “A behaviour composed of ritual gestures that a community attaches a special significance to. There is always an act of respect at the heart of every coffee ritual.”
Mauro goes on to describe how coffee traditions vary from country to country, including a look at the Ethiopian and Eritrean tradition of serving coffee to guests, accompanied by choruses and chants.
In another episode, Professional Coffee Taster Andrej Godina, further explores the global scope of the coffee world through the lens of coffee production.
Holding a PhD in Science, Technology and the Economy of the Coffee Industry, Andrej is also the co-owner of a coffee plantation located in Honduras Finca Rio Colorado—making him uniquely qualified to explain the nuances of the coffee production chain.
“Among the commodities we are used to drinking every day, coffee is by far the one that is produced the furthest away,” says Andrej. “The countries of origin are located along the tropical belt of the planet, tens of thousands of miles away from where they are consumed.”
Andrej breaks down some of the daily activities on a coffee plantation such as pruning, fertilising and the harvesting of coffee beans.
From there, he explains how the coffee travels to countries for production where they are transformed chemically and physically with the roasting process.
“Roasting has a huge impact on the result in the cup,” says speaker Maurizio Galiano, Owner of Gocce Di Cioccolato Roastery. “The raw materials will affect the outcome by 50%, while the other 50% will depend on the quality of the roasting.”
According to Maurizio, modern technology has provided roasters with the tools to replicate specific roasting curves. However, prior to the invention of these technologies, roasting was traditionally considered to be an art.
“Roasters did not have any kind of reference to base themselves on, so experience counted a lot,” he says. “More recently though roasting has become a science. New roasting technology ensures the same results in every cup.”
The preparation of the drink itself is placed into the hands of coffee professionals who use various methods of preparation to create the world’s most consumed beverage.
Barista and Owner of Taste Specialty Café, Elisa Urdich, discusses her career in coffee, which began with a desire to experience a new culture away from her home in Italy.
She relocated to Australia in 2015, where she met a coffee shop owner who was competing in coffee competitions, and she began to train with him. What had begun as a curiosity to learn something new for Elisa, lead to her becoming Italian champion of the Brewers Cup in 2020.
“What I love most about coffee culture is that it is always changing,” says Elisa. “Most of the time this change is driven by curiosity. Curiosity to understand more about ingredients and origins is what makes the coffee world expand exponentially. Without a doubt, I think the world needs more baristas out there engaging with coffee lovers.”
All of these stories and more can be found in our new twelve-part series. Watch it now.
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