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.
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.
Beverages Discussed On The Podcast
Thanks to Klatch Coffee for the delicious Songbird Coffee. It was brewed on our OXO 8-Cup and ground with a VSSL hand grinder.
More info:
Indulge in the ultimate harmony with our Songbird seasonal blend. This exquisite union combines two exceptional coffees: the Honey Processed Catuai from Wilford Lamastus’ Elida Estate and the Anaerobic Natural Orange Bourbon from Lucia Ortiz of Las Mercedes, both esteemed award-winning estates. Wilford’s Catuai imparts a delicate floral sweetness, melding seamlessly with Lucia’s tropical fruit notes. The result is a symphony of flavors dancing on your palate, with hints of papaya, pineapple, juicy pear, and the subtle complexity of herbal tea. Crafted with passion for coffee, our Songbird invites you to share a cup and savor the melody in every sip.
Blendin Coffee Club Los Nogales Decaf
This is the best decaf coffee we have ever tasted. It doesn’t taste like any regular decaf coffee, thanks to the unique processing method. The coffee cherries first undergo fermentation and are then depulped. The mucilage is saved and utilized for the decaffeination process. Similar to sugar cane EA (ethyl acetate) decaf, instead of using sugar cane, mucilage serves as the agent. After the decaffeination process is complete, the coffee is dried on raised beds for 15 days and stabilized for an additional 20 days before milling.
View this post on Instagram
Other Mentionables
Coffee Design: Memli Coffee Lab
The Coffee Sprudgecast with guest host Elizabeth Chai featuring 2024 US Barista Champion Frank La
World of Coffee and the World Barista Championship in Busan, Korea
Listen to the complete episode right here:
This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by Baratza, Pacific Barista Series, Ghirardelli, and DONA.