Coffee Sprudgecast Sprudge Media

Hold on to your coffee-loving merchandising trucker hats, because it's time for another action-packed episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast. This week, hosts Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman are all abuzz about the imminent Specialty Coffee Association Expo this weekend in Chicago, Illinois. The comps! The booths! The gallons and gallons of alternative milks! We'll be there—with perhaps a special visit from Buzzy the Bean!
Check out the latest show, and read on for show notes, links, and highlights.
Things we're excited for at the Specialty Coffee Association's Expo in Chicago, Illinois The competitions: 2024 US Latte Art Championship, 2024 Roasting Championship, and the 2024 Coffee In Good Spirits Championship off-site at the new Lavazza Training Lab.
Our Chicago Guide and special competition coverage on Finals Sunday from Arielle Rebekah!
Tech and innovations reporting from our editor-at-large on the floor Jenn Chen!
The True Artisan Cafe from La Marzocco featuring some of the very best coffee roasters in the country.
Special thanks to Bellwether Coffee, our Presenting Sponsor of our SCA Expo Coverage, and thank you to our coverage sponsors Created Co. and Proper Syrup!
What we're drinking on this episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast Relevant Coffee Hops Cold Brew from Vancouver, Washington.
We just love RTD! Special thanks to Snapchill Coffee for presenting the Ready To Drink series on Sprudge this year.
Loose Threads George Howell loves Buzzy the Bean on LinkedIn.
The vegan Doe Donuts' Chocolate Espresso Bear Claw from Portland, Oregon is delicious with a chocolate sauce and espresso glaaaaze.
Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher is a delicious alcohol-free drink.
This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by Baratza, Pacific Barista Series, Ghirardelli, and DONA.

Our coffee podcast program The Coffee Sprudgecast returns with an episode fresh off the US Coffee Champs première partie at Klatch Coffee in Rancho Cucamonga. Over a sun-soaked Southern California weekend, the 2024 United States Barista Champion, Brewers Cup Champion, and Cup Tasters Champion were crowned. Sprudge co-founders and hosts Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman talk through it with the delicious assist of Klatch Coffee’s seasonal Songbird Blend.
Host Zachary Carlsen had a conversation with a coffee enthusiast who held a strong belief that coffee blends were inherently bad. On the show, we discuss how blends like Songbird from Klatch Coffee (among several others!) are testaments to the delicious possibilities and flavor complexities specialty coffee blends can offer.
How do you feel about coffee blends? Are your feelings about coffee blends true? Can you absolutely know that it’s true? How do you react when you believe that thought? Who would you be without that thought? Remember, there are no right answers—these questions will hopefully lead you toward deeper inquiry.  (h/t Byron Katie)
A big thanks… This year’s USBC/USBrC/CTC highlights the power of the coffee community. Competitors, judges, volunteers, and sponsors all worked together to showcase both the nation’s top competitors and finest coffees, demonstrating extraordinary talent, dedication, and passion. We’re grateful to Klatch Coffee for hosting this incredible event and making us feel so welcome.
We’re deeply humbled by the kind words from y’all for our US Coffee Championships coverage. All credit goes to the Sprudge Rancho team: Sprudge Managing Editor Zac Cadwalader kept everyone at home in the loop with exceptionally detailed real-time updates as photographer Charlie Burt captured every moment in vivid detail.
A huge thank you to our event coverage partners at Third Wave Water! Their support champions the specialty coffee community, our independent coffee competition coverage, and their products help make coffee even more vibrant. Thank you!
This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by Baratza, Pacific Barista Series, Ghirardelli, and DONA.

Our coffee podcast The Coffee Sprudgecast is back for another rousing episode where hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen take a shortcut… a tiramisu shortcut? Michelman discusses an epic event held with La Marzocco in Florence to promote But First, Coffee that included a whole tiramisu cupping (three cakes that used three different coffees). Carlsen springs a package of Twinkies and claims to be able to make a quick tiramisu out of it. There’s some horror, some shock, followed by some shocking surprises.
There’s so much more. Several coffees are had, all brewed with the Ceado Hoop Brewer. Michelman talks about Monmouth Coffee out of London and a bring-your-own-doughnut-to-a-cafe Dorkage Fee. There’s an eccles cake and Lancaster cheese. Coffee ice cream is had. A lot going on here. Have a listen!
This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by Baratza, Pacific Barista Series, Ghirardelli, and DONA.
Beverages Discussed On The Podcast DONA Hari River Mint Herbal Tea: Dreaming of springtime, we kick off the episode with DONA’s delicious Hari River Mint Herbal Tea which is sundried at the source in Herat, Afghanistan. It’s the freshest-tasting dried mint tisane we’ve had (and we love fresh mint tea).
Equator Coffees El Salvador Las Pirineos Gesha Natural & Colombia Finca El Guaca Ahi: Equator Coffees continues to push the envelope with outstanding extra-specialty coffees. We couldn’t get enough of both and clearly, others couldn’t either—the Aji is out of stock! There are plenty of options on Equator’s new arrivals page for your perusal, however, so you can find something.


La Marzocco / La Accademia Tanzania Songwa Estates: Visitors at La Marzocco’s former factory La Accademia del Caffé can taste the delicious coffees from Songwa Estates of Tanzania roasted on site. La Marzocco, Probat, and Mahlkonig all went in on this project back in 2007 and the coffees shine bright here in 2024.
Portland Coffee Roasters Guatemala: Representing one of its lighter roasted coffees, Portland Coffee Roasters’ Guatemala comes from their partners Miguelina and Finca El Paternal, a twenty-year relationship that has seen an increase in production innovation with tasty results.
Other Mentionables St. John Eccles Cake & Lancashire Cheese
Lello Ice Cream Maker by Musto

Breaking! There’s a new episode of Sprudge coffee podcast The Coffee Sprudgecast! On the newest episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen talk about the winners of the 15th Annual Sprudgie Awards, all while drinking the newest iteration of the Wilder Blend from Verve Coffee Roasters in California.
This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by Baratza, Pacific Barista Series, Ghirardelli, and DONA.

It's 2024 and time for a new installment of the Coffee Sprudgecast! In this episode, hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen sip DONA teas and tisanes, drink espresso-forward beverages with Olympia Coffee Roasting Company, and look ahead at what is shaping up to be a very big year here at Sprudge.
From award programs to the decade-long Build-Outs of Coffee series, the fun just doesn't stop. If you listen deep enough, you'll even hear a podcast listener exclusive scoop! So listen right now!
This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by Baratza, Pacific Barista Series, Ghirardelli, and Moccamaster.

Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen return for another spirited episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast. Several beverages were prepared for this episode—including fresh offerings from Madcap Coffee, Greater Goods Coffee Co., PERC Coffee, and Rishi Tea. That's a lot of buzz for one session.
This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by Baratza, Pacific Barista Series, Ghirardelli, and Moccamaster.