In this episode, Kenneth sits down with Stefan Tribble and Steph Parsons to continue their discussion about how the way the beans are grown affects the taste. Today, they are talking about the impact elevation has on the coffee we drink. They delve into how elevation impacts the rate of growth, the density of the bean, and the taste profile. Importantly, you will also learn about some simple tricks you can use to quickly pick out the best-tasting coffees - tips you can use whether you are buying beans or a cup of coffee.   KEY TAKEAWAYS  Just like humans, coffee beans are impacted by the fact the air is thinner at high altitudes. The higher it grows, the denser the bean is, which has a positive impact on the taste. The variety that is grown and which country it grows in also plays into the elevation/taste equation. There are exceptions to the rule. Some coffees that are grown at low elevations still have superior taste profiles. Examples are shared in the episode. Coffee farms near the coast and on islands also have the potential to produce high-quality beans. Coffees grown in mountainous areas near the equator typically have the highest potential for giving you that perfect cup. The coffee cherry matures slower at higher elveations, which contributes positively to the flavor.   BEST MOMENTS ‘The coffee farm has about a 50% impact on your cup.´ ‘With higher density, you´re gonna get a higher cup quality.’ ‘With coffee, if you can grow it slower….., then you will have a higher quality.’   VALUABLE RESOURCES Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/ You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black. At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee.    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/ Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee   ABOUT THE HOST As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you. “Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.” CONTACT METHOD Want to reach Kenneth? Have questions, show ideas, or want to just let us know you’re enjoying the show? The best way is to leave us a great review and put your thoughts in the comment section - Kenneth reads all of them! The second-best way is through DM on social media. Podcast Description Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you!  Season 1 - Coffee's Journey From Seed to ShelfBUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.comThis show was brought to you by Progressive Media

In this episode, Kenneth sits down with Eric Brenner from the Bourlag Institute for International Agriculture at Texas A&M. They discuss the challenges coffee farmers face. They discuss how the price they are paid, climate change and diseases and pests impact the farmer. Eric explains the relationship between these issues, and how one problem feeds into the others. He also shares details of how by working together these challenges can be overcome so that everyone can continue to enjoy superior quality coffee. Eric also talks about the work the Center for Coffee Research and Education at Texas A&M is doing in conjunction with growers and others involved in the coffee industry to improve the quality and supply of coffee.   KEY TAKEAWAYS The three main challenges that coffee farmers face are closely related. Coffee leaf rust has always been an issue, but climate change is making things a lot worse. Older coffee plants are more prone to disease. Also, in some countries, most of the plants are 50+ years old. There is a correlation between low prices and the prevalence of leaf rust. Eric explains the link in the podcast. Effectively dealing with leaf rust requires an integrated approach that involves everyone. Diversity in coffees planted is essential for tackling leaf rust and changes in weather patterns and growing conditions. The research the Bourlag Institute is doing means they can provide expertise for every link in the coffee supply chain.   BEST MOMENTS ‘With climate change, coffee leaf rust is getting worse because temperatures are more unpredictable. ´ ‘There is no silver bullet that is going to get rid of leaf rust, only a holistic approach will help.’ ‘There is a lot of need for coffee research.’   EPISODE RESOURCES Coffee Education Website: https://coffee.tamu.edu Contact page - https://coffee.tamu.edu/contact/   VALUABLE RESOURCES Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/   You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black. At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee.    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/   Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee   ABOUT THE HOST As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you. “Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.” CONTACT METHOD Want to reach Kenneth? Have questions, show ideas, or want to just let us know you’re enjoying the show? The best way is to leave us a great review and put your thoughts in the comment section - Kenneth reads all of them! The second-best way is through DM on social media. HOW TO LEAVE A REVIEW Enjoying the show?!  We’d LOVE for you to leave us a review. It helps us grow and educate more people about coffee!  Podcast Description Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you!  Season 1 - Coffee's Journey From Seed to ShelfBUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.comThis show was brought to you by Progressive Media

In this episode, Kenneth sits down with Stephen Tribble and Steph Parsons to talk about the basics of coffee varieties. You will learn about the botany of the coffee plant and what the difference is between a variety, varietal, and cultivar.  What you learn in this episode will help you to look at the bag, read what the variety, varietal and/or cultivar are, and instantly anticipate what it should taste like. If you understand the varieties better, you can get better at selecting the coffee you want to drink! This topic is discussed across two episodes, and this is the second part - focusing more on the actual varieties themselves and the predicatable taste attributes they lend to your cup of coffee. KEY TAKEAWAYS  Understanding what the varieties are will help you to identify the coffees you are likely to enjoy the most. Variety is not the same as varietal. The difference is explained, in the podcast. Cultivars are coffee varieties that are purposely modified. They are plants that have been crossed or cultivated selectively. There are several thousand heirloom coffees that occur naturally, often growing wild - especially in Ethiopia. Thousands of varieties are still not farmed commercially. About 50% of the taste is dependent on the farm. Why that is the case is explained in the podcast. The roaster is responsible for creating 20 to 30% of the taste. Even the shape of the plant has an impact on how the bean grows and, therefore, how it tastes. BEST MOMENTS ‘You´re going to be able to identify and pick a better coffee.’ ‘Varieties do make a big difference to what the actual cup tastes like.’ ‘The varietal… has to do with the actual tastes associated with the beverage.’   VALUABLE RESOURCES Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/   You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black. At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee.    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/   Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee   ABOUT THE HOST As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you. “Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.” CONTACT METHOD Want to reach Kenneth? Have questions, show ideas, or want to just let us know you’re enjoying the show? The best way is to leave us a great review and put your thoughts in the comment section - Kenneth reads all of them! The second-best way is through DM on social media. HOW TO LEAVE A REVIEW Enjoying the show?!  We’d LOVE for you to leave us a review. It helps us grow and educate more people about coffee!  Podcast Description Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you!  Season 1 - Coffee's Journey From Seed to ShelfBUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.comThis show was brought to you by Progressive Media

In this episode, Kenneth sits down with Stephen Tribble and Steph Parsons to talk about the basics of coffee varieties. You will learn about the botany of the coffee plant and what the difference is between a variety, varietal, and cultivar.    What you learn in this episode will help you to look at the bag, read what the variety, varietal and/or cultivar are and instantly understand what it is likely to taste like. Helping you to pick a better coffee.   This topic is discussed across two episodes, and this is the first part.     KEY TAKEAWAYS   Understanding what the varieties are will help you to identify the coffees you are likely to enjoy the most. Variety is not the same as varietal. The difference is explained, in the podcast. Cultivars are coffee varieties that are purposely modified. They are plants that have been crossed or cultivated selectively. There are several thousand heirloom coffees that occur naturally, often growing wild - especially in Ethiopia. Thousands of varieties are still not farmed commercially. About 50% of the taste is dependent on the farm. Why that is the case is explained in the podcast. The roaster is responsible for creating 20 to 30% of the taste. Even the shape of the plant has an impact on how the bean grows and, therefore, how it tastes.   BEST MOMENTS ‘You´re going to be able to identify and pick a better coffee.’ ‘Varieties do make a big difference to what the actual cup tastes like.’ ‘The varietal… has to do with the actual tastes associated with the beverage.’   VALUABLE RESOURCES Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/   You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black. At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee.    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/   Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee   ABOUT THE HOST As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you. “Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.” CONTACT METHOD Want to reach Kenneth? Have questions, show ideas, or want to just let us know you’re enjoying the show? The best way is to leave us a great review and put your thoughts in the comment section - Kenneth reads all of them! The second-best way is through DM on social media. HOW TO LEAVE A REVIEW Enjoying the show?!  We’d love for you to leave us a review. It helps us grow and educate more people about coffee! Here’s how: if you’re on apple podcasts, ‘search’ for us as if you didn’t already follow the show. When you click on the show, scroll down to ratings and you’ll see where you can leave a rating. Spotify is a little easier - follow and listen to the podcast, then you can rate and review it. Podcast Description Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you!  Season 1 - Coffee's Journey From Seed to ShelfBUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.comThis show was brought to you by Progressive Media