Totally Dissolved

Omar Herrera, of Cafe Imports, joins Bronwen and Kathie to teach us all about coffee in Colombia. Omar shares a lot of context around the history of Colombian coffee and helps us understand the uniqueness of coffee in Colombia, as well as where the industry is headed.

Bryan Choi, owner of Ondo Coffee in Los Angeles, CA tells us all about his journey to opening Ondo, and all the ups and downs that brought him here. If you've ever dreamed of opening a cafe, Bryan has some great advice for you in this episode!

Mokhtar joins Kathie and Bronwen to tell us all about coffee in Yemen. Mokhtar is a huge lover of history and coffee, and that really comes out in this episode. If you've ever wanted to dive deeper in to the origins of how coffee came to be, this is the episode for you. Come for the many book recommendations, and stay for Mokhtar's take on Kendrick vs. Drake.

Bronwen and Kathie join Chris and Doran of Coffee Lit. Rev. to discuss the flavor wheel, how it was made, and what we think about the papers written about the process. It was a lot of fun, and we hope you think so too!

In this episode we interview our favorite coffee designer (and lets be honest-- probably everyone's favorite), Liz Chai! If you've never considered the impact that design has on your product or customer, this is a great one for you. We cover the importance of brand identity, working with a designer whose style you love, and so much more!

Lauren Lathrop of Mill City Roasters joins us again-- this time to discussing roasting education, training approaches, roasting resources and more!

Matthew Torres tells us about his journey to drinking decaf, finding good decaf coffees to enjoy, and ultimately starting a decaf-exclusive roasting company. Matthew is here to spread the good work of decaf coffee, and to be honest, so are we!

Masha tells us everything she knows about Brewer's Cup and her Judging experience over the past few seasons. We discuss palate development, brewers, coffees, common competitor mistakes and more. Give it a listen to learn what everyone's go to brew method is ;).

Join us as Edwin tells us about his path to founding Onyx Coffee and how he has seen the landscape for the production and consumption of Guatemalan coffee change over the years.

Major Cohen tells us all about his long career in coffee, and how things have changed during his time in the industry. He has much experience as a consumer, barista, educator, and more and speaks on the ins and outs of how the industry has evolved during his time (for better and for worse) and how we can continue to evolve positively.

We're back and (finally) ready for a new season! Coming to you next week, season 5 begins and we've got another excellent lineup of guests. Can't wait for you to hear the upcoming episodes.

Join us as we ask 20 questions with our new Marketing Manager, Ashley Allen. We talk coffee, sparkling water, Nick Jonas, coffee tools, and generally keep it pretty silly to wrap up season 4. Thanks for joining us for another great season of Totally Dissolved, and we'll catch you on the next one!

Community and coffee are synonymous. Coffee brings people together into shared spaces and through sharing stories and experiences. This week we chat with Double J on how he builds community through Black Rabbit and sharing coffee, culture, and stories through his new project Coffee Breath.

Trying to educate oneself about coffee can be daunting and confusing. This week we chat with Hailie Stevens from Fellow and gives us some great perspectives on educating consumers on Specialty Coffee.

Learning about Specialty Coffee can be daunting for anyone, regardless of being in coffee for 1 year or 10 years. Grant Gamble and Suneal Pabari created Leaderboard: The Coffee Game to help make learning about coffee fun for everyone, educational, and a unique way to think about how you learn about coffee. This week's conversation gives us a peek into the thought process of creating educational experiences and how you can help develop a better palate. Grant is an ad school dropout turned coffee professional, typically working behind the scenes on too many projects at once. In addition to Leaderboard, Grant is the founder of Culture Coffee Project, Creative Director for the World AeroPress Championship, Events Director for the NA division of Allegra Events and the Director of Marketing for the Montreal-based symposium ECCM. Despite having been in the industry since '05, Grant is still learning everyday (though he's pretty confident he'd score at least 86 points in Leaderboard). Suneal is obsessed with making fun coffee experiences and pushing the boundaries of the coffee industry. Back in 2014 he co-founded The Roasters Pack (Canada's best specialty coffee subscription service - think of it like your nerdy coffee friend who shares awesome coffees) and has since co-founded a few other coffee projects along his journey in the coffee industry. Hand him a cup of a washed Ethiopian or Colombian and he'll be a happy man. #coffee #coffeepeople #palatedevelopment #tasting #coffeecupping

We have a very fun, science focused episode this week for you all! We bring back Chris Hendon and welcome Robin Bumbaugh to discuss experiments they've done this past year with grind particles, electricity, and chemical reactions. Dr. Christopher H. Hendon is a Professor of Computational Materials Chemistry at the Univeristy of Oregon. His interests are in energy materials and coffee science. Prof. Hendon's interest in coffee began during his PhD, and since then has published several peer-reviewed articles and a book, Water For Coffee. He enjoys washed African coffees, dry Rieslings, and east coast oysters. Robin Bumbaugh is a PhD Candidate at the University of Oregon and has been conducting research in the Hendon Coffee Lab since 2021. Originally from northern California, she obtained her B.S in Chemistry and Biochemistry from California State University, Chico in 2019. From there she spent a sunny summer working at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida before heading to UO where she earned her Master's in Chemistry. Recently, her work at UO has earned her a Graduate Student Community Builder Award and an upcoming publication in Matter. Aside from coffee, Robin's hobbies include spending time in the sun, cooking, and walking her dachshund. The manuscript of the study, "Moisture Controlled Triboelectrification During Coffee Grinding," will be available to read in Matter in November and will link here when available. DM us if you would like a copy. #coffee #coffeepeople #coffeescience #specialtycoffee #coffeegrinders

Technology is ever evolving in Specialty Coffee and quickly developing in every facet from Roasting to Brewing. We chat this week with David Chou from Eversys to help us better understand how automatic espresso machines have changed and the possibilities this technology has in Specialty Coffee and Hospitality. David Chou (he/him) is the Customer Success Manager at Eversys USA, based in New York, NY. With a background in coffee education at Stumptown Coffee Roasters, he now creates resources for end users and technicians, and ensures that the programming and recipes of each machine match what is expected. He is also the co-chair of the US Latte Art Competition, and greatly enjoys seeing the competitors, judges, and competition itself grow in its return to the USCC stage. Outside of coffee, he loves cooking, running long distances, and hanging out with his wife and two cats. #coffee #coffeepeople #espresso #specialtycoffee #technology

We interview each other about Training, Education, and Barista-ing. We both love being in the Specialty Coffee Industry and sometimes you just need to chat it out to learn more and also appreciate how much has changed and evolved over time. Tell us what you think about being in the role you do in Specialty Coffee and bonus points for also sharing fun kid pics and stories and your ideal day. #coffee #coffeepeople #specialtycoffee

We continue our discussion on SE Asian Coffee with Will Frith. We get into the history and rise of Vietnamese Coffee and it's modernization. Will Frith is an American of Vietnamese descent who grew up in Texas. He first came to Vietnam in 2004 to meet his maternal grandparents, and has subsequently split his time between Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. He got his start in the coffee business as a barista at MOD Coffeehouse in Galveston, Texas. In 2007 he was hired as a Production Assistant at Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters (now Dancing Goats Coffee) in Olympia, Washington, and would eventually become Production Roaster and QC Specialist at Olympia Coffee Roasters. In 2013 he moved to Vietnam to contribute to the development of specialty arabica. He is largely credited with sparking a movement in specialty coffee there. With the exception of a year at The New Black in Singapore and three years with Modbar as its west coast US rep, he has since lived and worked in Saigon, dedicated to changing the way the world views Vietnam's coffee. In 2019 he co-founded Saigon-based Building Coffee, a coffee company at origin that believes in Better Coffee for More People. He opened Building Coffee's flagship cafe BEL with Building Coffee partner Kel Norman in 2021. Ed Leebrick, owner of Seattle's legendary Lighthouse Roasters, joined Building Coffee in 2021. The brand launched in the USA at the Specialty Coffee Association's 2023 Expo in Portland, OR. #coffee #coffeepeople #vietnam #vietnamesecoffee

October is FilAm History Month and this week's episode we get to know what is special about Philippine Coffee. Paul Barreto is local to the LA area (Long Beach represent!) and is one of the burgeoning FilAm Specialty Coffee Roasters specifically working with Filipino Coffee and Filipino Coffee Farmers. We (especially Bronwen) are so excited to share this conversation with you all and share a little about Philippine Specialty Coffee. Paul Barreto is one of the co-founders of Out of Office Roasters. As a hobbyist, he began roasting on a Whirley Pop in his apartment kitchen. After several fire alarm incidents, and a trip to Mexico City seeing coffee culture in a coffee origin country, the idea for Out of Office Roasters arose and he was inspired to produce coffee on a larger scale. Out of Office Roasters aims to connect coffee, art, and people while providing a platform for Asian and Asian-American creatives. Paul's passion is in showcasing the amazing creative work by AAPI artists, and in building community with other AAPI and BIPOC business owners in the Long Beach and Los Angeles area. Paul recently finished his first documentary, Ma'am Tere, which explores Philippines specialty coffee and the work of the farmers, mill managers, and importers in the Philippines. The film is an official selection for the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest in 2023. Out of Office Roasters continues to source coffees from the Philippines and hopes to bring more attention to the unique flavors of the coffee, as well as the people and relationships behind it. #coffee #coffeepeople #roaster #pinoy #philippinecoffee

We're baaaacccck!!! Happy Autumn and we've got another fun and educational season of caffeinated learning ahead. We begin our season's lesson with Roasting. We talk with the talented Kat Melheim, who isn't shy and loves sharing her knowledge. Kat Melheim (she/any) - aka: Roaster Kat - is a roaster, writer, content creator, artist, and all around coffee person. She started in the coffee industry 10 years ago as a barista, and learned to roast in 2017. In 2018 Kat started Coffee People Zine, a print coffee and art publication that celebrates the creativity of the coffee community. That same year she started an Instagram account called Roaster's Apprentice, to chronicle the things she was learning on the job, through trial and error, at roasting events and seminars, etc. That account has since become @roasterkat - a platform where Kat shares tips and tricks for roasters, behind-the-scenes roastery content, and things she learns and encounters as a coffee professional. From publishing a print zine to sharing roasting knowledge online, Kat's passion is encouraging, equipping, and emboldening other coffee pros to share their creations with the world. #coffee #coffeeroasting #coffeepeople

What a whirlwind of a season! It's our last episode for Season 3 and we recount the adventures we had at this year's Specialty Coffee Association Expo. What are some highlights you all had? We're also taking a short break to plan and rest before Season 4. Thanks for learning with us and will catch you on the next one!

As avid coffee drinkers and coffee professionals we all get wrapped up in perfecting the brewing of coffee, we often overlook the economics and complexities of how our coffee gets to us. Sure we're also curious about what happens on the farm and different processes, but what about the in-between? Today, we converse with Katie Cargulio about what happens after the harvest and before the roast of your green coffee. With over 20 years of experience, Katie has held the positions of barista, customer support representative, quality controller, and green coffee buyer. She is currently the Counter Culture Coffee's Western Coffee Manager based out of their roastery in Emeryville, CA. She is the 2012 United States Barista Champion, a certified Q grader, and recently joined the board of World Coffee Research. Her north star is to constantly learn about and promote the values of quality and sustainability in the coffee industry.

This week we are so honored to talk with Veronica Pearl about creating community and inclusivity. It is challenging to find sufficient words to fully capture the immense inspiration, unwavering drive, and iconic leadership of someone like Veronica. She shares not only her story, but how everyone can continue to push for change no matter your position or circumstance. Veronica Pearl is a fabulous, queer, trans woman who's fierce as hell and cute to death. She is the founder and Chief Glitter Officer of Glitter Cat Barista. She started Glitter Cat in 2018 with two goals in mind: she wanted to try once more to win the title of “Champion” and hoped to find a way to help increase representation and diversity at the top-tiers of the competition stages. Veronica was also valedictorian of both high school and college and still proudly displays her first place trophies for rabbit showmanship in her Los Angeles apartment. Impressive, we know, but she did fail miserably for the one season she played hockey. --- Veronica needs her community's support. She is currently getting treatment for an ongoing mental health crisis. If you can, please support someone who has done so much to help others.

We discussed dairy on our previous episode and this time around we learn more about dairy alternatives. Lauren Lathrop has given her expertise to develop better versions of dairy alternatives that go wonderfully with coffee. Lauren Lathrop (she/her) works as the Director of Education at Mill City Roasters. She also serves as the Competitions Coordinator for the US Coffee Championship and has worked with Pacific Barista Series since 2012 as a Brand Ambassador and R&D Barista. During her career in the coffee community, she has found that nothing sets people up for success more than high-quality training, consistent practices, and calibration with industry peers. She applies all of those principles in everything she does, helping to build strong education curriculum and evaluation techniques to improve outcomes. Outside of coffee, her hobbies include bouldering, cycling, bread baking, being outside, and spending time with her wife and their 3-month-old daughter.

We have an insightful and fun conversation all about dairy with Carl Hollifield. Carl has been in the Dairy Industry for a few decades and has lent his expertise to a few Barista Competitors and Champions. This is the beginning of a few conversations into Dairy Science. We hope your curiosity is peaked and we look forward to having Carl on again in future discussions to continue learning more! Carl Hollifield is the Director of the Dairy Enterprise System at NC State University. Carl has 20 years of experience managing dairy farm production, dairy processing and value added dairy marketing and sales. Carl supports NC State University's teaching, research, and extension programs by overseeing the management teams at the dairy processing lab, dairy farm, and dairy sales outlets. Carl has experience in the processing and packaging of dairy foods as well as dairy products formulation. Carl also serves as associate director for one of six national dairy foods research programs, The Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center (SDFRC). SDFRC is known for its dairy sensory, microbiology, genetics, and processing applications. Our TikTok Coffee Trend for this Episode:

We go through many discussions with a variety of new and seasoned Specialty Coffee Pros about careers and owning your own shop. It's a path filled with many firsts, success, and loss. We get to chat with the very talented and phenomenal pro, Erica Escalante about owning a business and career going forward. We loved learning not only about her journey, but her insight into creating it, making it, and having to let it go is filled with valuable perspective and knowledge.

We wanted to continuing highlighting our discussion on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This week we talk with our good friend Mo and we get into it about Roasting, SE Asian Coffees, and being a Minority Business Owner. Mo Maravilla is the owner and founder of Kindness and Mischief Coffee Roasters. Born in Manila, Philippines, Mo and her family moved to Los Angeles when she was 3 years old. After working in art departments, as a stagehand all over the city, and as an audio and visual engineer for live events, TV and radio, she realized that her actual passion was for people and fostering community. Her goal was to open a business that uplifts women and people of color, actively choosing people over profit - all while making the best damn drinks and having the best damn time. After a tumultuous 2 years of working to open and successfully completing a Kickstarter campaign, Mo opened K+M Coffee in Highland Park in 2016 as a multi-roaster specialty coffee shop. Then, seeing a lack of women coffee roasters - especially women of color coffee roasters - Mo started her roasting journey and has been releasing K+M's own coffee since 2018. Now 7 years into being a small business owner, Mo's main focuses are to continue elevating Filipino culture and flavors, empowering her team in their coffee journeys, carrying on her passion for fostering meaningful connections and community, and having a whole lotta' fun while she's at it.

Specialty Coffee has so many opportunities for career growth, but often can feel overwhelming and confusing. This week we talk to Tarra Samuelson about how she took the path of being a consultant and what that can look like. Tarra has worked specialty coffee for the past 12 years with Klatch Coffee, Verve Coffee, Equator Coffees and Provision Coffee. Over the years she worked in both retail and wholesale, having roles such as barista, shift lead, account manager & trainer, national account manager, Director of Wholesale and has taught for the SCA through Barista Camp, Expo, and Technicians Guild. She owns a retail coffee consulting company, Curated Coffee Consulting.Outside of coffee, you'll find her taking classes (just finished cooking, now onto ceramics!), playing fetch with her dog Kumi (her motto: ball is life), or exploring the many restaurants and cafes of Phoenix with her husband, Dan.

We start Season 3 (!!!) with everyone's favorite Friend to All and Enemy to (maybe) None, the adventure seeking and very knowledgable Josh Littlefield. We laugh lots, but also talk shop about being a Coffee Tech and Coffee Equipment. Josh Littlefield (He/Him) is currently “The other guy” at Technico Coffee Service out in Nashville, TN. With his buddy Jake they manage an equipment sales and repair business that covers a large portion of Tennessee. A chronic master of none, he's worn many hats in coffee over the last decade, bringing him to to all four corners of the US and plenty of places in-between. He's a former Barista competitor, judge and certified AST instructor. He loves mentoring and connecting others with the pathways that they can follow in coffee and when he's not wrenching on espresso machines you can find him tinkering on old motorcycles, mopeds and the occasional dumpy jetski.

When we started Totally Dissolved, we wanted to put out a resource for coffee professionals that would go beyond the 'basics' of coffee, to provide info out there to further develop as a coffee professional, AND have fun doing so. After 2 Seasons (!!!) we hope we've provided that for you all. We certainly have been getting inspired and having such a good time conversing with other lovely coffee peeps and humans. This episode, you ask us the burning questions.Thanks for listening!

We had a fabulously fun and enlightening conversation with Bailey Arnold and Becky Reeves. They both give insight on the importance of building and nurturing relationships and finding a path of work that is both fulfilling, fun, and true to yourself. Bailey Arnold is above all else a seeker of sensory delight. After wearing several hats in the coffee industry for nearly a decade she now works for Oatly as the Northeast US Market Development Manager, also working cross-functionally with Oatly's Product Development team on sensory projects. She is Past Chair of the Barista Guild and sits on the Specialty Coffee Association's Board of Directors. She could probably pick you up and carry you around for a little while, and is generally regarded to be a “good time.” Becky Reeves is a multifaceted coffee, events, and brand strategy professional who doesn't want to be defined by any of these things. More importantly, she's a dedicated Formula 1 fan, can beat anyone (ANYONE) at Connect 4, and has legendarily good taste. Currently working in hospitality in Austin TX, Becky is passionate about experiencing new places, building connections, and embracing her fearless creative style. She's hopeful that her next big move will synthesize all three.”

We're going to chat about oat milk and we do, but really we talk about business with Michelle Johnson. She has been a force and and inspiration in Specialty Coffee. It was amazing to talk to her about being a Founder and what's it's like creating a product for communities often not considered. Michelle is the founder of The Chocolate Barista, a coffee culture platform and creative consulting agency for coffee businesses and other ventures in the F&B space. Her decade-long experience as a coffee professional includes a little bit of everything: barista, manager, educator/trainer, marketing and communications, coffee sales, journalist, and event organizer. At the end of 2020, she shifted her primary focus from coffee to alternative milk and co-founded Ghost Town Oats. They officially launched this year in cafes and small markets across Southern California, Phoenix, and Chicago. #coffee #alternativemilk #entrepreneur #blackownedbusiness Resources: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthiest-milk https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/which-vegan-milk-is-best-for-the-environment/ https://wholeearthsea.com/blog/ranking-milk-based-on-sustainability/ https://www.themanual.com/food-and-drink/environmental-impact-of-different-types-of-milk/?amp

We take some time this week for a lovely conversation with Anita Tam on the tools we as coffee professionals use. It was inspiring and refreshing to discuss her take on design, functionality, and intentional use of supplies and tools we use daily, but often overlook. Anita Tam is the Founder and Owner of Slow Pour Supply - a specialty coffee equipment distribution company based in Houston, TX. Anita serves as the current Chairperson for the United States Latte Art Championships member of the US Coffee Champs Strategic Group, and formerly Lead Technical Judge for US Barista Championships. A former classical musician, she is passionate about community, latte art and how tools can provide a better workflow for baristas.

What makes a memorable cafe experience? We all love going out to cafes and coffeeshops for a variety of reasons. This episode, we chat with Jaymie Lao not only about her favorite experiences, but her willingness to share how these experiences helped her shape cafe experiences for others. Jaymie Lao is a coffee human based in Los Angeles who has spent 14+ years in the coffee industry. Most recently she was the Director of Cafe Experience for Go Get Em Tiger where she delighted in opening new cafes, coaching leadership, and training baristas and customers alike. While coffee drew Jaymie to working in cafes, it's the humans in those spaces that inspire her and have kept her interest in the coffee industry and hospitality at large. These days, when she's not dreaming of a new cafe experience, you can find her lounging with her dog Wrathbone and playing Magic with friends.

Sustainability in coffee has many facets and the industry has made progress or has it? Tyler Duncan of Coracle Coffee shares his views on sustainability in terms of the growing market of convenience and how to make Specialty Coffee more accessible for all. Tyler has been in the industry for around a decade. Beginning at Starbucks and then Topeca Coffee Roasters, he now owns an instant coffee business called Coracle Coffee. He's been a barista, manager, chief cinnamon roll eater, and educator. He's also volunteered at events like Barista Camp and Expo, as well as Roaster's Guild Retreat and Access. He likes cooking for people and has a terrible case of threshold syndrome, where you walk into another room and crossing that threshold makes you forgot what the heck you were doing in the first place.

Technological developments in coffee has created some drastic changes in the Specialty Coffee industry. Tune in as Marcus Young helps us distill how technology has helped make Specialty Coffee what it is today and where it can continue to grow. Marcus Young has spent nearly twenty years in coffee. He is motivated to create sustainable economic opportunities throughout the coffee supply chain. Marcus manages education and content at coffee software company Cropster, which sets the bar for software that allows coffee pros to create better coffee. Prior to Cropster he spent five years running Boot Coffee Campus as a trainer, director, and consultant, teaching nearly 300 roasters and cuppers each year. He consults with roasters as a green buyer and quality manager, retailers, and coffee producers to grow their businesses through continuing coffee education and experimentation, customer engagement, and coffee-centric events. He is a certified Q Grader and Authorized SCA Trainer.

This episode takes us on an enlightening discussion on taste, smell, and how we can better develop our palates for tasting. Supertaster Candice Madison helps us understand the hows and whys of taste and how we can all benefit from exploring different tastes and smells. Candice Madison has worked in specialty coffee for almost 15 years, as an accomplished barista, roaster, green buyer, and instructor. They are a Q Arabica Instructor for the Coffee Quality Institute which awards the highest sensory certification in the professional coffee industry. They are also an experienced Authorized Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Trainer, teaching on SCA-certified campuses, as well as at the annual SCA Event, World of Coffee, and Coffee Roasters Guild Retreat. A past World Coffee Events Head Judge, Candice began work on their own project, Kandake Boutique Coffees, which expects to launch in the winter of 2022. Previously a member of several SCA committees, including the Equity Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, Candice is the outgoing Vice President of the Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity (CCRE). They continue to partner and consult with multi-national corporations, and smaller companies, all the way through to home enthusiasts. This approach, they believe, democratizes the coffee industry, ensuring that all consumers feel welcome, seen, and heard, enjoying all coffee has to offer. A published writer, Candice embraces a range of topics concerning technical aspects of specialty coffee itself and the industry in general. Their work has been featured in a range of national and international publications. In addition, they have also been the subject of interviews, podcasts, and book contributions. But their core mission is not to advance themselves but to engage and collaborate with those who look to ensure quality in specialty coffee throughout the supply chain. Most important to Candice's work is that they ultimately support sustainable livelihoods for farmers, producers, and all of those along the supply chain, recognizing the invaluable role that women and people of color play. Their vocation is the unceasing quest for the highest quality of coffee and the constant, sustainable improvement in the quality of the lives of those who produce it.

We get in-depth and science-y with Christopher Hendon discussing water. This was a fun conversation that challenged us, we learned lots, and gave us better insight on water for coffee. To the boundaries of science! Dr. Christopher H. Hendon is a Professor of Computational Materials Chemistry at the University of Oregon. His interests are in energy materials and coffee science. Prof. Hendon's interest in coffee began during his PhD, and since then has published several peer-reviewed articles and a book, Water For Coffee. He enjoys washed African coffees, dry Rieslings, and east coast oysters. Resources:

Our inaugural episode for Season 2 we spill the tea with the spirited and lovely Tricia Lu of Spirit Tea. We chat tea, community, and what's it like being in a coffee adjacent field. Tricia Lu (she/her/hers) is the West Coast sales manager for Chicago based tea company Spirit Tea and has been part of the coffee industry for over ten years. Before she was tea she was coffee and her background in the industry ranges from dishwasher to barista to educator to consulting to sales. You've probably seen her at the after parties of Coffee Fest and SCA with a Miller High Life in hand. Her passion is community and helping people and brands that she believes in. When she isn't drinking tea or coffee she is watering her plants, eating Korean bbq, and hanging with her fam.

Happy End of Summer/Autumn is here!!! Quick update for what is to come in Season 2 of Totally Dissolved. Stay tuned and catch new episodes starting in October!

We get geeky and philosophical about Espresso Machines with the brilliant Tommy Gallagher in our last episode of Totally Dissolved Season 1! Espresso machines can often be intimidating and talking with Tommy we breakdown the ins and outs to help make this tool easier to understand for the Coffee Pro. Tommy Gallagher (he/him) manages product and brand development for Seattle-based espresso machine manufacturer SLAYER. After stumbling into coffee somewhat by accident, Tommy's 15+ year career in Specialty Coffee has spanned award-winning cafes, coffee roasters, equipment manufacturers and more. Since 2020, he has sat on the board of Go Fund Bean, an advocacy organization dedicated to supporting, uplifting and defending the hourly coffee worker.

This week we get to talk about whirs and burrs with Josh Kimbrough of GH Grinding & Brewing Solutions. Grinders are some of the most under-appreciated pieces of equipment in any coffee bar/restaurant/cafe that serves coffee. We discuss the why, how, and what makes them so important and Josh gives us lots of great insight into this overlooked and sometimes misunderstood piece of equipment. Josh is the marketing director and a salesperson for GH Grinding & Brewing Solutions (formerly Mahlkönig USA) out of Durham, NC. You may have seen him around SCA EXPO setting up grinders on the competition stage or volunteering as a station instructor in an SCA classroom. He's passionate about innovative coffee equipment and helping folks consistently make their coffee taste great.

Brewed coffee is a popular staple on many cafe menus that doesn't always get the most attention. This week we are fortunate to pick the brains of the Co-Founders of Ground Control, Eli Solomon, Josh Avins, and Jason Sarley. They are some of the most innovative minds when it comes to thinking about brewing and gives us new perspectives on how to do brewed coffee on another level. Eli is the Co-Founder and CEO, whose knowledge in management, data science and business bring Ground Control to life. Josh is Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, who is responsible for the architecture and development of Ground Control. Jason is Co-Founder and Chief Coffee Officer, leads the design efforts and ensures the coffee quality of the Ground Control System. He is associate editor of Coffee Review and a certified Q-Grader.

We start getting in-depth with equipment and tech knowledge beginning with one of our favorite Coffee Techs, Rebecca Jones. Her insight is not only valuable, but unexpected combining curiosity with patience and empathy. Rebecca Jones is a coffee tech ☕

Episode 008 "Career Series: Trish Rothgeb Gives a Lesson on Becoming a Cafe Owner" We are so fortunate to talk with one of Specialty Coffee's greats, Trish Rothgeb. Her experience and breadth of knowledge is extensive and we hope you have as much fun listening as we had chatting with her! Trish Rothgeb (she/her) is the co-founder, roastmaster, and director of coffee at the San Francisco-based Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters! With over 30 years of experience, Trish has held numerous roles in the coffee industry, including her roles on the Roasters Guild Executive Council, as a charter member of the World Barista Championship Board of Directors, and as a founding member of the Barista Guild of America. From 2013-2016, Trish was Director of the Q Program for Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) and continues as a credentialed Q Instructor and a Licensed Q Grader as well as a volunteer for CQI's projects worldwide. In 2019, The James Beard Foundation awarded Trish a fellowship with their Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. She is also credited with coining the term "third wave coffee".

We had a such a great time talking with Dana about her career path to becoming a Broker. Her story is insightful and unique and hope you all are inspired! Dana is a trader at Atlas Coffee Importers and has been with the company since early 2016. She manages the purchasing and origin relationships for 9 countries across Latin America and Asia. Dana first entered the coffee world working as a barista in Missoula, Montana but ultimately went back to school to pursue a Master's degree in International Conservation and Development, in conjunction with Peace Corps service in El Salvador. Her past coffee jobs include green buyer and roaster at Zoka Coffee, as well as director of commercial sales and quality control at Odyssey Coffees in El Salvador, where she lived for five years.

We're kicking off a series of episodes the next few weeks delving into Coffee Careers. Tony Querio starts off this series with his take on a path toward becoming a Coffee Roaster. His perspectives are full of thoughtful insight and wisdom considering his long, storied career and we hope you all take something valuable from it. Tony has been working in the coffee industry for 15 years with the last 10 focused on roasting. He has run multiple award winning coffee programs and is himself a United States Roasting Championship winner. Tony currently runs his own roasting and consulting business which includes his brands Acorn Coffee Club and Silverbird Roasting Co. Most of his time, outside of work, is spent with his wife and two boys.

This week we recap SCA Expo 2022 in Boston with the incomparable Julie Housh. We recount our adventures through the world of the annual coffee tradeshow. Julie Housh is currently the Knowledge Development Manager with the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and an Authorized SCA Trainer (AST). She is passionate about sharing specialty coffee with as many people as possible and working to improve the livelihoods of all stakeholders in the coffee value chain. Julie began her career in coffee as a barista, and has since held the roles of Wholesale Educator, volunteer Chair for the Barista Guild, and Program Coordinator for the World Coffee Championships. When she isn't thinking about coffee Julie is probably thinking about snacks.

We discuss Customer Service with the inspiring Selina Viguera. Customer service is not always easy. Selina has spent over a decade in retail guiding and teaching Baristas hospitality, all while being kind and having fun (#selinaselfie) Selina works for Blue Bottle Coffee in Venice, CA and has been with the company since 2010. As a Café Leader, she continues to enjoy her work as a barista, but also as a trainer, mentor, and coach. Selina began volunteering with the SCA in 2012 and has managed the SCA BGA Café since 2015. She loves people and coffee.

It's Coffee Competition season! For all you curious and eager to learn about competitions, this episode is for you. We discuss the ins and outs of competitions with the wonderful and knowledgeable Kain Adams, who will let you know if your espresso really is up to par. Kain Adams is the chairperson of the US Barista Competition Committee. They've been in coffee for 7 years and have been inspired by competitions since the beginning. They work for La Colombe as the West Regional Educator, and love a good PSL as much as a competition winning s.o. espresso.