In the world of coffee, there are hundreds of different podcasts out there. You can learn new languages while enjoying coffee, discuss current events over it, and learn everything you can think of about the coffee industry.
The best coffee podcasts include The Coffee Podcast, Coffee Sprudgecast, Boss Barista, Coffee is ME, and Keys to the Shop. These podcasts and many more discuss the industry’s current issues, the best ways to improve the quality of your coffee, and how you can boost your coffee business.
Today, I’ll discuss the best coffee podcasts and what you can expect to learn from each one. Let’s get started.
1. The coffee podcast
The Coffee Podcast, hosted by Jesse Hartman, focuses on the current issues surrounding coffee and people.
Nearly every episode features a conversation with real people who are in the coffee industry, discussing topics such as brewing, sourcing, and roasting coffee.
It discusses practicalities, such as creating better coffee through understanding chemistry. It also goes into how coffee fits into a healthy diet, what it does for your body, and how it can benefit you for longer life.
With The Coffee Podcast, you can expect to learn about coffee making, from growing the plant to drinking that delicious first morning cup.
The podcast also dives deep into more ethical issues, such as coffee production and long-term sustainability in coffee production.
Episodes for this podcast used to be released once weekly, but nowadays, they’re organized into series and released together.
One of the more recent series is centered around Coffee Science, focusing on all the ins and outs of how coffee is made and how it affects the body from a cellular level.
You can find The Coffee Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Google. You can also visit their website here.
2. Coffee sprudgecast
Coffee Sprudgecast is an American podcast run by Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman. The goal of Sprudge is to educate the population on current coffee events and coffee gossip.
Based out of Portland, Oregon, this podcast features guests from all over the country who bring their coffee expertise to the round table.
Coffee Sprudgecast interviews leading restaurateurs, chefs, baristas, bartenders, and cafe owners to get their take on what’s happening in the coffee world today.
The Sprudgecast is actually only one aspect of what has been created. The Sprudge, as it is better known, has the following features you can enjoy:
- Podcasts
- Blogs
- Events
- Press releases
- How-to guides
This podcast is overflowing with information about all things coffee-related while still connecting with the world at large.
It’s aimed at people who want to be the change in the world while still wanting to embrace the small moments.
You can listen to Coffee Sprudgecast on Apple, Google, or their website.
3. Boss barista
Boss Barista, hosted by Ashley Rodriguez, focuses on the current world events surrounding the coffee industry.
This podcast dives deep into issues surrounding gender, race, sex, and other issues in the coffee world.
Whether it’s coffee, current events, or creativity you want to explore, Boss Barista has it all.
You can find information on farmers and how coffee is produced, the impact coffee production has on the purchase price, and how labor laws play into what’s happening in the coffee world.
Boss Barista aims to create a podcast focused on providing value to the coffee workforce, teaching them how to create the best coffees and the best life possible.
You should be aware, however, that this podcast doesn’t err on the side of professionalism. Ashley is fairly vocal about how she feels, as are the podcast guests, so maybe don’t listen to this one with your kids next to you.
This podcast is available on google podcasts. You can also check out their website here.
4. Coffee is ME
Coffee is ME, hosted by Valerian Hrala, focuses on building a coffee business in the digital world.
The podcast targets coffee professionals and enthusiasts who either already have an established coffee business or are just getting started.
Either way, the goal is to help you grow your coffee business.
On Coffee is ME, Valerian interviews both emerging and established coffee professionals who are willing and ready to share all their secrets about education, good coffee making, and how to get the best quality possible.
Guests come from all over the world on this podcast. More recently, Valerian has interviewed Rahul Reddy, who is starting a brand new coffee brand in India!
The goal is to inspire coffee enthusiasts everywhere after creating new opportunities in their area.
The podcast also covers practicalities such as roast types, getting the perfect grind, and utilizing green coffee beans.
If you’re looking for more business advice, they also cover how to build a coffee business from the ground up, what business relationships to start building now, and where to go once you get started.
You can find this podcast on Google podcasts or Apple. Check out their website as well!
5. Keys to the shop
Keys to the Shop focuses on all the essentials of building your coffee business from the ground up.
The podcast discusses a wide range of topics, incorporating guests from various areas. You can learn everything from basic roasting methods to running a coffee shop on your own.
This podcast is extremely well structured, so you don’t have to browse endlessly to find what you’re looking for if you have a certain topic in mind.
In fact, their podcast website displays an entire navigation menu if you prefer to search for podcasts by topic. You can easily access the following topics through the navigation bar:
- Leadership
- Management
- Training
- Roasting
- The supply chain
- Business
- Careers
- Coffee technology
Keys to the Shop features various business founders on Founder’s Friday. These business owners tell their stories of how they got started and how they’re giving back to their communities.
Most recently, the podcast featured Sarah Alakeel, who owns Hjeen Coffee in Saudi Arabia.
The podcast contains tips and tricks for communication, education, and training yourself and your employees if you happen to be a business owner.
It discusses various barriers you may encounter when getting started in the coffee business and provides great information on how to overcome and stay focused on the goal at hand.
The goal of Keys to the Shop is to connect people with people so that everyone can grow together.
This podcast is available on Apple podcasts as well on google podcasts. You can visit their website here.
6. I brew my own coffee
I Brew My Own Coffee, hosted by Brian Beyke and Bryan Schiele, is the pinnacle of coffee homebrewing education.
The podcast provides information on everything from techniques to where to connect with other people focused on brewing coffee from scratch.
Brian and Bryan are especially knowledgeable about all things specialty coffee.
Both men have worked in the specialty coffee business for years and have been able to provide great information about how to create the best specialty coffees at home.
You can enjoy learning new things about what grind sizes to use for which drink, how to home-roast the perfect bean, and how to create your own syrup.
I Brew My Own Coffee is the place to start if you’ve ever wanted to start learning how to run your own coffee shop from home instead of spending all your money at the local Starbucks.
Their podcasts are available on their Simplecasts, Apple, and Google podcasts.
7. Cat and cloud
Cat and Cloud Podcast dives deep into the world of specialty coffee. The hosts, Chris Baca and Jared Truby are professional baristas.
The podcast’s goal is to introduce newcomers to specialty coffee and teach those already involved in that world how to work smarter, not harder.
While full of information, this podcast is more of a niche podcast. If you’re a casual coffee lover who just wants to learn about the things you enjoy, this may not be your best podcast.
In that case, I would redirect you to something like The Coffee Podcast I’ve discussed previously.
Chris and Jared are extraordinarily knowledgeable about the coffee industry, and there’s practically nothing that they don’t cover.
However, if you don’t already have a strong knowledge of the industry and specialty coffee, you might find it difficult to follow them.
One of the best things you can expect to learn on this podcast is how real employee and employer relationships work in the coffee industry.
It seems like this is a hidden topic, and if you were ever considering working in the coffee industry, this might be the perfect place to get started.
The hosts have also focused on making Cat and Cloud fun and entertaining. While many podcasts end up being presented in monotone, this podcast is always full of life.
You can listen on any of the usual podcast platforms. Be sure to take a look at their website as well for more information.
8. Speciality coffee association (SCA) lectures
The Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) Lectures target coffee professionals, allowing them to learn from some of the most influential coffee professionals out there.
This podcast aims to take the coffee professional who is just beginning in the coffee industry and acquaint them with what it takes to get started and grow their coffee business.
This podcast is for you if you want to own more than just a corner cafe.
The SCA itself is a nonprofit organization that represents coffee professionals from all over the world.
Its main focus is on specialty coffee, but the organization educates you on all types of coffees, unlike some of the other podcasts I’ve talked about today.
You can expect these podcasts to be on anything and everything.
There are no specific topics that the SCA Lectures are dedicated to covering, but if you have the freedom to just browse around, you can discover a ton of information you didn’t know before.
The podcast discusses coffee science, trends in the market, and all the recent developments in the coffee industry.
If you’re interested in diving deep into what goes on inside the coffee industry and learning how you can best utilize the resources you have on hand to grow a coffee business, then this podcast will be perfect for you.
You can listen to the lectures on Apple podcasts, google podcasts, or anything similar.
You can also check out their website for updates on news, events, and information about the organization.
9. Coffee jobs
Coffee Jobs, hosted by James Hoffmann, focuses on interviewing leaders in the coffee industry.
This podcast doesn’t have that many episodes up, but the ones that are up are definitely worth listening to.
Coffee Jobs goes into the details of what it’s like working in the coffee industry.
James interviews coffee professionals one by one, gathering insights along the way about how the coffee industry can best progress, mistakes made as they grew their coffee business, and how they train their teams.
The best part of this podcast is that you learn so much more than just coffee basics. The goal is to educate you in business, and Coffee Jobs is enormously successful.
You’ll learn everything you need to know to launch into the coffee industry, make a business plan, and get successful.
The only place I’ve found to listen to Coffee Jobs is on Listen Notes.
10. Stone creek coffee
Stone Creek Coffee aims to teach newcomers to the coffee industry how to master the art of specialty coffee.
The podcast is actually an offshoot project of Stone Creek Coffee Roasters, but what started as a simple side project has grown to encompass a whole host of topics and education resources.
This podcast is hosted by Drew Pond and Christian Ott, both of whom are professionals in the coffee industry.
Their goal has been to take complicated information and distill it down into information that anyone can comprehend, and they’ve done a great job doing so.
You can find information on how to build a team around you if you’re starting a coffee business, how to brew the perfect coffee, and what resources you need to get started in specialty coffee.
This podcast does a great job of taking you from the basics to the expert level regarding knowledge of the coffee industry. You can listen to it on their website.
Conclusion
Here are the best coffee podcasts currently on the air. They vary in terms of format and focus, but they all have one thing in common: a love of coffee.
Whether you’re looking for tips on how to make better coffee at home or you want to hear fascinating stories about the history and culture of coffee, there’s a podcast out there for you.
So grab a cup of your favorite brew and settle in for some great listening. And if you’d like to learn more about coffee, have a look below at some great articles.
