Aa Cafe Podcast

It's the holiday season and it's time to enjoy some of the most special coffees of the year. In this episode, Mark and Brian discuss the coffee variety Bourbon and its possible etymology, the visit to Panama early in the year to see Bambito Estate, and a special message from Priscilla Gonzalez talking about the farm and the coffee at Bambito. It's a Thanksgiving special fueled by amazing DoubleShot Coffee.

This has been a weird experience. COVID has caused people to reevaluate their lives, what's important to them, and how they plan to spend the rest of theirs. It's made people question how they will provide for the basic necessities, how to cook rice, and who to follow on Instagram. This, my friends, feels like a deep dive into the troubled mind of Mark Brown. I think it's important to document how 2020 has changed us. And, as usual, Mark has an evocative way of expressing the thoughts of this updated version of himself. Follow him, if you will. 

Mark and Brian REUNITE after months of being socially and podcastically distant. Harkening back to 2007, Brian unearths audio from AA Cafe #43, when he recorded with Amy Ferraris (producer of The Perfect Cappuccino documentary) in San Francisco just after attending the Specialty Coffee Association trade show in Long Beach. Listen and find out what it was like sleeping "al fresco" as Ferraris says. Watch Amy's documentary on amazon prime video or visit cappuccinomovie.com for other viewing options.

In 2008 Brian took his first trip to Guatemala, and it was an eventful experience. In this episode, Brian and DoubleShot head barista, Andrew, replay a short segment of episode 50 and reminisce about a particularly exciting event. Listen and learn.

On March 17 bars and restaurants in Tulsa were forced to close and the struggle to survive has caused changes in business models across the board. In this episode, hear how three business owners in Tulsa have dealt with this new climate with distinctly different responses and outlooks for the future. Thanks to Chef James Shrader, owner of Palace Cafe, Prairie Fire Pie, and Kitchen27; Aaron Post, owner of Valkyrie and St. Vitus; and Evan Kelamis, owner of Savoy Restaurant. 

The coronavirus disease is causing global changes in the way we live and work. In this episode, Mark dials in from his home office while Brian checks in with producers around the world who supply the coffee and tea sold at the DoubleShot. 

After returning from back-to-back sourcing trips to Costa Rica and Panama, Brian explains the differences in his experiences between the two. Discussions involve the elusiveness and complexity in defining a coffee variety, as well as the loose definitions used to characterize different processing methods. Though when all is as expected, sometimes the results play out predictably on the cupping table. 

Mark and Brian discuss the importance of knowing who produced the goods we consume. The impacts on the supply chain of our daily choices, and how consumer behaviors align with the quality of the products available to us. How paying for items of value creates a cycle of respect both for the producers and for ourselves. And a little bit about Brian's recent trip to Colombia.

This is a bonus episode of AA Cafe. Mark and Brian always read their top ten lists during the last episode of the year. It's usually things they're thankful for, but this year Mark decided it would be 10 things they hate. 

Happy Holidays! Mark and Brian are drinking the DoubleShot holiday Geshas, and enjoying the spirit of giving. Brian sat down to chat with a priest, a rabbi, a lesbian minister, and an atheist. Hear the contrasts and similarities in their celebrations of the holiday season.

Scott Stulen, the director of Philbrook Museum of Art, is a regular at DoubleShot Coffee Company. He talks about the changes he is making at Philbrook, how he thinks about art differently, and the special coffee collaborations between Philbrook and DoubleShot.

Mark is the featured "folk" in a new podcast produced by Brian Franklin of DoubleShot Coffee Company. In this episode, Mark and Brian announce the release of the new podcast series that tells the story of some of the unique characters who are DoubleShot Folk. Search for this new podcast in your podcast app.

Doug Zell was in Tulsa to race his bicycle at Tulsa Tough, an annual 3-day cycling event for amateur and pro racers and riders. After all the racing had ended, he and Brian sat down to discuss life after Intelligentsia. 

DoubleShot Coffee Company moved into its new home, The Rookery™. In this episode, Mark and Brian talk about the new digs, the transition from the original location, and they hear what the people think who inhabit the unique build. 

This episode is about much more than Panama. It's a culmination of experiences from India to Colombia to Panama, inclusive of Costa Rica, Guatemala, and many other places Brian buys coffee. It's about sales and considering the future of coffee. And it's the last episode to be recorded in the basement at 18th & Boston.  

After a week's journey to the opposite side of the planet, Brian returns to discuss his first trip to India. Traveling with Melind John of Josuma Coffee, Brian was immersed into a new culture with new cuisine in the land of wandering cows. The DoubleShot has been using India's Monsooned Malabar coffee in the Ambergris Espresso Blend since opening, but this is his first glimpse into the country's coffee culture and agriculture.

Mark and Brian reunite to taste and discuss the Hartmann Anaerobic Natural Gesha coffee. A phone call from archaeologist Paul Bowman gives some insight into 1950s Panama. And the episode concludes with 10 things that are not unhappy. You should make your own list.

Mark Brown returns to taste and talk about the Hartmann Gesha Zuto Natural. Aliss Hartmann tells a little about her family history and some about the coffee we're drinking. Mark and Brian struggle to put into words the experience of the Gesha with its food pairing, a fresh blueberry lemon bar. Find this coffee at www.DoubleShotCoffee.com

This is a special episode to talk all about our first holiday coffee of the year, Miramonte Sarchimor Natural. Guest-host, Huxley and I talk about the various aspects of this excellent coffee, and then I ring up Viviana Gurdian to have her tell us about growing up in coffee and what she and her father, Ricardo are doing now at Hacienda Miramonte. Buy this coffee while it lasts at DoubleShotCoffee.com

Paul Bowman returns to bring us from Paleolithic to Prehistoric in our search to understand man's early experience with caffeinated beverages.