What better way to end the first full season of "Opposites Extract" than by surrounding ourselves with friends and coffee family from all over? In this year-end show, Joe and Meister bring in their colleagues on the sales teams both at HQ in Minneapolis as well as based in Europe and Australia. It's a multicultural extravaganza! Plus, Meister and Joe reflect on the whirlwind of season one, sneak-peek some of what's to come, and hopefully spread a little caffeinated cheer. We'll be back in March for season two, with a new format, more fantastic guests, and of course plenty of laughs and surprises.

Ep. 35: Season Finale! 

Kalle Freese

Kalle, a former Finnish barista champion, coffee-shop owner, and now cofounder and CPO of Sudden Coffee, joins us for a conversation on how his new company is revolutionizing instant coffee for a specialty market.

Ep. 34: Suddenly Everyone Wants Instant Coffee with Kalle Freese

Jeff Hann

In this short interview, Meister has a chat with director Jeff Hann and producer Roland Fraval, whose feature-length documentary "The Coffee Man" follows former World Barista Champion Sasa Sestic around the globe in search of interesting coffees and a fascinating story. Roland and Jeff speak about their filmmaking careers thus far, what's down the road for them, and how their work on this movie turned them both into bona fide coffee obsessives.

Brief: Interview with Jeff Hann and Roland Fraval of "The Coffee Man"

Urban gardener and co-owner, coffee-buyer, and roaster for St. Louis, MO's Blueprint Coffee, calls in to the show to argue the merits of natural or biological farming, an agricultural technique that uses native ecosystems to encourage farm health and success. Joe and Meister use this opportunity to "beta test" a new show format, as they consider what Season 2 will look (well, sound) like.

Ep 33: The Dirt on Dirt with Andrew Timko

Opposites Extract was recorded live in Detroit, MI where Joe and Meister were honored to be masters of ceremonies for six unique, thought-provoking, and illuminating presentations by coffee professionals from throughout the region. We gather the speakers around a table to talk about their topics, ask one another questions, and continue the conversation that was started during the program.

Ep. 32: Live from La Marzocco: On the Road in Detroit, MI

Opposites Extract was recorded live from the Vue in Columbus, OH, where Joe and Meister were honored to be masters of ceremonies for six unique, thought-provoking, and illuminating presentations by coffee professionals from throughout the region. We gather the speakers around a (tiny) table to talk about their topics, ask one another questions, and continue the conversation that was started during the program. Tune in next week for the second part of the two-part series, recorded live in Detroit, MI.

Ep. 31: Live from La Marzocco: On the Road in Columbus, OH

Levi Andersen

Things get sweet when Kerry Foods' resident barista and mixologist Levi Andersen comes in studio to argue the benefits of flavored syrups, specialty drinks, and flavor creativity in specialty coffee cafes. He also whips up some original drinks for Joe, Meister, and producer Andy to taste.

Ep 30: Give Us Some Sugar with Levi Andersen

Andy Newbom, long-time green coffee developer and author of Coffee Spanish for Coffee Buyers, calls in to debate Joe on the big topic of microlots.

Ep. 29 - The Microlot Debate with Andy Newbom

Paul Schlader

We sit down in the studio with Paul Schlader, cofounder and co-owner of Birch Coffee in NYC, to discuss (but not strictly debate) the pros and cons of business models that are strictly wholesale, strictly retail, and those which blur the lines between the two. Does it help or hurt a business to be a back-of-the-house brand? How much opportunity is there in focusing your caffeinated energy on the street level?

Ep. 28 – Wholesale vs Retail with Paul Schlader of Birch Coffee NYC

Jamie Isetts

In this episode Meister takes on Jamie Isetts in a debate about the subjectivity of what we define as good and bad taste.

Ep. 27: Flavor with Jamie Isetts

Opposites Extract is a show dedicated to exploring specialty coffee through lively, reasoned, and civil debate about a whole range of topics relevant to anybody who works drinks, loves, hates, dreams about, thinks about, works with, or is simply curious about coffee. (In other words, you don't have to be pro to be pro or con.) In each episode, debaters will square off and argue from assigned sides, as determined by a random coin toss. Participating debaters pledge to honor and represent the position they are assigned, regardless of their personal opinions and perspectives. At the end of each episode, debaters will have an opportunity to discuss their actual thoughts about the topic, and their process in formulating their arguments. Things might get a little heated sometimes, but hey, we're brewing here.

Awesome.

Very informative and entertaining. Extremely well produced!

Fantastic Season

Opposites Extract is a show dedicated to exploring specialty coffee through lively, reasoned, and civil debate about a whole range of topics relevant to anybody who works drinks, loves, hates, dreams about, thinks about, works with, or is simply curious about coffee. (In other words, you don't have to be pro to be pro or con.) In each episode, debaters will square off and argue from assigned sides, as determined by a random coin toss. Participating debaters pledge to honor and represent the position they are assigned, regardless of their personal opinions and perspectives. At the end of each episode, debaters will have an opportunity to discuss their actual thoughts about the topic, and their process in formulating their arguments. Things might get a little heated sometimes, but hey, we're brewing here.

Opposites Extract: A Debate Podcast about Coffee

Charles Babinski

In today's episode, Meister debates the virtues of automated coffee brewing with Charles Babinski, former U.S. Barista Champion and current co-owner of Los Angeles's Go Get 'Em Tiger and G&amp;B Coffee. Does "manual" always mean "better," and can there ever be an art to making coffee by machine?

Ep. 17: Automatic vs. Manual with Charles Babinski

Christopher Feran

Coffee cupper, buyer, and consultant Christopher Feran joins us to argue about natural coffees: Should they even have a place in specialty coffee, and do we need to have a separate grading system for them? The conversation starts out a little fermenty, but it has a nice sweet finish.

Ep. 10: Natural Process Coffees with Christopher Feran

Tony Querio

Tony Querio, Director of Coffee at Spyhouse Coffee Roasting Company, and 2016 Roaster Champion faces off against Roaster Joe for our first in-house debate. They grapple over which factor has a greater influence on a coffee's flavor, the green coffee, or the roaster's hand.

Ep. 6: Roasting - Nature vs. Nurture with Tony Querio

Opposites Extract: Episode 2 features a debate about the role of “Educating the Consumer” and features Amanda Byron, the director of coffee for Joe Coffee Company in New York City and Philadelphia.   Question 1. Should baristas focus on educating guests about specialty coffee? Question 2. Should we be training baristas to be educators and communicators as much as we train them on things like brewers and extraction and customer service? Question 3. Should baristas regularly discuss the plight of the farmers as it regards café pricing structure? Question 4. Should baristas offer guests guidance about how to best enjoy their beverage experience?   Amanda has been in the specialty coffee industry for longer than she’d like to remember, and was the first employee of Joe when the original West Village location opened in 2003. Follow Joe Coffee Company on Twitter @JoecoffeeNYC and Instagram @joecoffeecompany, and find them on Facebook.

Ep. 2: Educating the Consumer with Amanda Byron

Lorenzo Perkins

Believe it or not, lots of people love "bad" coffee: Should we let them? In this week's debate, Fleet Coffee's Lorenzo Perkins argues whether it's specialty coffee's moral duty to encourage people to drink better quality coffee. We also discuss what "bad" and "good" coffee is, and how consumers can understand the difference.

Ep. 15: Let the People Drink Bad Coffee? With Lorenzo Perkins

Ryan Soeder

Beauty is in the eye – or the cup – of the beholder. Opposites Extract: Episode 3 tackles the topic of latte art, and its role as an attraction or distraction with regards the quality of specialty coffee. Our guest debater is latte-art champion and barista trainer Ryan Soeder of Sunergos Coffee in Louisville, Ky.   The debate begins after a brief discussion of the historical and current impact of latte art on specialty coffee culture.  Question 1. Should customers use latte art as a mark of quality, not only of a particular coffee shop, but also of a barista and even an individual drink?  Question 2. Can a coffee shop that intentionally does not train its baristas to pour latte art still be considered high-quality in this day and age? And can baristas who choose not to pour latte art still be considered excellent baristas?  Question 3. Does our obsession with latte art distract from the messages we are trying to send in specialty coffee about terroir, cup quality, sourcing, flavor characteristics, varieties, processing, etc?   Ryan Soeder got his start in coffee secretly teaching himself latte art while working at Starbucks in Louisville, Ky. He has also worked at Counter Culture Coffee in Boston, and Intelligentsia Coffee in Chicago. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @ryansoeder.

Ep. 3: Latte Art with Ryan Soeder

Lucia Solis

We're letting it marinate with Scott Laboratories fermentation specialist Lucia Solis in this episode arguing the meaning of the word "fermentation," dispelling common coffee-processing myths around coffee, and talking about pickles. Lucia and Joe Marrocco tackle one debate question, followed by a longer-form conversation about the role of fermentation in coffee.

Ep. 19: Getting Fermental on Fermentation with Lucia Solis

Concentrated, controversial, and total cool -- cold brew is the hot topic in the cold-coffee world, and who better to debate its merits than Jenny and Jonathan Bonchak of Slingshot Coffee in Raleigh, N.C.

Ep. 26: Cold Brew Is the New Espresso

Steve and Nick Green of Mill City Roasters swing by to talk with Joe about their company, their roasters, and their educational initiatives including live stream roasting and "Focus on the Roast".

Brief: Mill City Roasters

Jess Steffy

The effervescent and ever-so-bright, Jess Steffy joins Meister in a discussion about how we experience flavor, and share those experiences through language. Soda! Apples! Listen!

Ep. 24: What We Talk about When We Talk about Flavor with Jess Steffy

Jared Truby

Chris Baca

The podcasting duo of Cat &amp; Cloud go head-to-head in a doubles match against Opposites Extract, debating aspects of cafe service.  The conversation continues on the Cat &amp; Cloud podcast.

Ep. 7: Service with Cat & Cloud (Jared Truby and Chris Baca)

Stephen Ezell

It's the age-old battle, waged since the dawn of time: Who is ultimately responsible for a coffee's quality, the roaster or the barista? Stephen Ezell of The San Fransiscan Roaster company squares off against longtime barista and barista trainer Meister--but who will argue which side? Tune in to find out.

Ep 22: Roaster vs Barista with Stephen Ezell 

Does education or real experience make the better barista? Today, Joe debates with Wolf Barn Marnell, longtime barista competitor who's part of the team behind the forthcoming Broadsheet Coffee Roasters in Cambridge, MA.

Ep. 25: Education vs Experience with Wolf Barn Marnell

Almost no one is as equipped to debate the merits of barista competitions vs. "real life" barista experience than longtime barista and barista-competition judge Aaron Ultimo of Ultimo Coffee in Philadelphia. He and Joe tackle whether a winning barista will be a loser behind the bar, and other topics which are Very Good Plus.

Ep. 23: Barista Competitions vs Real Life, with Aaron Ultimo

Carla Martin

Dr. Carla Martin of the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute debates mass-produced or small-batch artisan products, looking at both coffee and chocolate.

Ep. 9: Craft vs. Commercial in Coffee and Chocolate with Dr. Carla Martin

Nathanael May

Nathanael May, director of coffee for Portland Roasting Coffees, takes on the tough question of whether a roasting company needs to have a direct relationship with the farmers who grow the coffee it buys, or if it is possible to buy great coffee without establishing that direct connection.

Ep. 13: Roaster-Farmer Relations with Nathanael May

Colleen Anunu

Fair Trade USA's Supply Chain Manager, Colleen Anunu, tackles this debate about traceability, and joins us for an extended conversation after the main event. Is traceability in specialty coffee meaningful or just marketing, and does sharing the information really make a difference?

Ep. 11: Traceability with Colleen Anunu

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