Coffee Canon

Part investigative storytelling, part historical commentary, Coffee Canon contextualizes coffee’s long journey from obscure plant to modern necessity. Listen on iTunes or your favorite podcast client. Get previews to upcoming episodes and extra content by joining our email list here.

S1 Episode 5: Fair Trade vs. Direct Trade

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Episode 5 of The BoiseCoffee Podcast centers around two very different, yet connected ways of sourcing coffee: Fair Trade, and Direct Trade. In this installment I outline the history of FLO, and give my reasons why I believe that Direct Trade – as outlined by Intelligentsia here – answers many of the questions and fills many of the holes inherent to Fair Trade.

The two main sources I used for this podcast are this and this. I pulled additional information from here, and I found Intelligentsia’s video at Google SMO in 2011 very enlightening. It’s a long one, but well worth the watch.

The PBS clip that I use at the beginning of this episode has some great graphics to go along with it. Check out the full clip here.

What do you think? Is Fair Trade good as it is, or do you agree that it was flawed since the beginning? Does Direct Trade fix enough of the gaps created by Fair Trade, or do we need to go a step further to help farmers? Drop me a line in the comments below, or let me know on Twitter: @BoiseCoffee. Have a great week!

 

The Coffee Guy

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Related posts:

S1 Episode 2: Coffee Waves S1 Episode 3: Home Brewing S2 Episode 4: Family Coffee Break

S1 Episode 4: Cold Brew

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Episode 4 - Cold Brew

In this 4th installment of The BoiseCoffee Podcast I talk about cold brew coffee – what it is, how you make it, and why it’s suddenly become a cultural phenomenon this summer. For a quick guide on brewing, check out this post from earlier this summer.

I recommend using the Toddy Cold Brew system, available on Amazon here. Alternatively, you can use the French Press method or simply a mason jar with cheese cloth.

To read more about the $9 million that Bulletproof Coffee scored to launch their brick-and-mortar stores, check out this report from Fox.

The music used in this podcast is from the Free Music Archive. The songs are Strong Black Coffee by Jared Mees & The Grown Children and Loaded by The Losers.

Read my full review of Green Alert here, and support them on Kickstarter here.

Want to share your cold brew recipe or learn more about how to brew in a Toddy? Leave a comment on this post or hit me up on Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr. Have an awesome week!

The Coffee Guy

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS

Related posts:

A quick guide to cold brew: what is it, and how do you brew it? Summer Coffee: Tips, Tricks, and Drink Ideas S1 Episode 6: #KillTheKCup Pt. 1

S1 Episode 3: Home Brewing

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Episode 3: Home brewing image

Episode 3 of the BoiseCoffee Podcast centers around the five essentials for home brewing:

  1. A high quality burr grinder
  2. Freshly roasted, delicious coffee beans
  3. A way to brew
  4. Some type of water kettle
  5. A kitchen scale that reads in grams

While there are many other elements and things to consider when brewing coffee at home, getting these five things right will set you up for success and get you a great cup of coffee.

At the beginning of the podcast I discuss coffee news this week. The article on Kopi Luwak is here, and the C-Net article on caffeine hungry beetles is here.

Want to discuss brew methods or learn more about home brewing? Leave a comment on this post or hit me up on Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr. Cheers to a great week!

The Coffee Guy

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS

Related posts:

S1 Episode 6: #KillTheKCup Pt. 1 S1 Episode 4: Cold Brew S1 Episode 8: Social Networks and Coffee ft. Gilles Brunner from Algrano