Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries
James Harper
Coffee stories with an extra shot of history and science.
Filter Stories is a podcast revealing coffee’s hidden microscopic secrets, its powerful past, and how your choice of beans impacts tens of millions of people.
See the behind-the-scenes stories on Instagram @filterstoriespodcast.
If you haven’t already, please subscribe to the show and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
Fruit juice or creamy almonds? Your guide to controlling cold brew flavors
When I started making cold brew this last year, I treated it like hot brew filter coffee. But no matter how I adjusted the grind or tweaked the brew time, I hardly got any differences in flavor…
Then it hit me: cold brew isn’t just a slower hot brew—it’s a completely different game with its own rules!
In this episode, I speak with leading coffee researchers who break down the microscopic dance between water and coffee that explains why cold brew plays by its own playbook.
And I bring you i
Cold Brew, Part 1: How temperature transforms coffee flavors
For years, I used cold brew as a last resort—the only brew method to tame dark, oily beans that were too bitter for hot water.
Then one day, I took a chance on a Guatemalan Gesha and brewed it cold. The result? A massive explosion of florals I’d never tasted before. That single cup sent opened my eyes into how extraordinary cold brew can be.
In this episode, I speak with world-leading coffee scientists who explain why brewing with cold water tastes so different from chilled hot coffee.
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Introducing: Season 3 of The Science of Coffee
We’re back with another series of The Science of Coffee—and this time we’re diving even deeper into coffee’s hidden microscopic secrets!
Over the past year, narrative audio producer and coffee professional James Harper has scoured academic journals, ventured deep into coffee farms, and conducted bold tasting experiments.
Now, he’s weaving those discoveries into captivating audio stories that reveal why coffee tastes the way it does—and how we can make it taste even better.
In this new seri
Freshness and Grinding, Part 2: How grinders work deep inside
Deep inside your coffee grinder, tiny changes can have massive consequences. This episode takes you deep inside Mahlkönig’s grinders to show you how coffee is ground and the importance of particle sizes on flavour. If you’re a home coffee lover, you could easily spend thousands of dollars on your coffee grinder. But after diving deep into the R&D of grinder manufacturing, I learned that after a certain point spending more probably won’t produce a better tasting cup of coffee for you! -----
Freshness and Grinding, Part 1: Protecting your coffee's flavours
For your coffee to taste its best, it’s crucial you buy fresh roasts and grind fresh.….….Or maybe not. When I began creating this episode, I was convinced that ‘fresh is best’. But, after delving into the science of coffee freshness, I don’t believe that anymore. This episode goes deep into how diffusion and oxidation changes a coffee’s flavours.You’ll learn what it takes to store your coffee grounds unbelievably well. So well, that if you do it right, you will struggle to taste the difference b
What Is Good Science? Part 2: How to think like a scientist
In the last episode, I discovered that rinsing my Chemex filter papers was a waste of time! As a result I’ve managed to claw back over seven days of my life left on earth. But why stop there? The coffee industry is full of elaborate ways of brewing and savouring coffee: fancy drippers, cold metal balls, “slurp-able” cupping spoons.These are very fun, but how many of them actually affect the flavour of our coffee?I fear elaborate coffee gear is wasting our time and money. They're distracting us f
What Is Good Science? Part 1: How to brew coffee like a scientist
Should you rinse your filter paper before making a filter coffee? Almost everybody in coffee internet says you should. But what if most of coffee internet was wrong?In this episode, I show you how I try to answer this question like a professional sensory scientist would. It’s hard. It’s frustrating. But ultimately, it’s worth it because I end up saving seven days of my life left on earth!Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subsc
Organic Coffee, Part 2: Why don't we see more organic coffee farms?
Farming coffee organically is amazing because soils are more alive, birds and insects are more plentiful, farmers avoid getting sick with agrochemicals. But, if it’s so great, why is less than 10% of the world’s coffee grown organically?The fact is, going organic is hard. Much harder than growing coffee conventionally. In this episode I show you the story of one of Central America’s most successful organic coffee cooperatives, RAOS, and the four big hurdles that stood in the way of their early f
Organic Coffee, Part 2: Why don't we see more organic coffee farms?
Farming coffee organically is amazing because soils are more alive, birds and insects are more plentiful, farmers avoid getting sick with agrochemicals. But, if it’s so great, why is less than 10% of the world’s coffee grown organically?The fact is, going organic is hard. Much harder than growing coffee conventionally. In this episode I show you the story of one of Central America’s most successful organic coffee cooperatives, RAOS, and the four big hurdles that stood in the way of their early f
Organic Coffee, Part 1: The magic of soil
The world’s farming soils are deteriorating quickly.Conventional coffee farming where plants are grown using agrochemicals allowed farmers to reap huge harvests these last 70 years. But these agrochemicals have been at the expense of soil health. I travel to Honduras to explore a potential solution: organic coffee farming.Come with me as I show you the organic farming tricks of Don Rufino, one of the region’s leading organic farmers. He nurtures the soil around his coffee trees using mountain mi
Coffee Roasting, Part 2: Roasting made easy
Roasting coffee can be maddening. Just 4° Celsius is enough to make the same green beans taste distinctly different! And there are so many things roasters can play around with: temperature, time, fan speed, drum speed, types of probes…the list goes on and on. So, if you want to start roasting yourself, where do you start!?In the first half of this episode, I interview one of the world's leading roasting teachers who takes me through his published scientific research to give a clear answer. It’s
Coffee Roasting, Part 1: How heat transforms coffee beans
What flavours do you want from your coffee?Every coffee bean begins its life green. And if you brewed it up without first roasting it, you’d get a yellow-green cup of grass-flavoured water.But, as soon you apply heat to a bean, the flavour can morph to from something quite vegetative to a very acidic unripe fruit, then a very sweet fruit, and eventually dark roasted flavours.This is the magic of coffee roasting!In this episode of The Science of Coffee, I show you a full roast in action on the RO
Smell and Taste, Part 2: Are you and me tasting the same flavours?
Ever wonder why you and your friends can taste the same coffee, but you can’t agree on the flavour notes? Join me as I explore this metaphysical mystery! I speak with leading scientists and ask: are the flavour receptors in your nose and mouth the same as mine? How does music and the shape of a cup affect what we taste? What about our different cultural backgrounds and language? Best of all, I put all these questions to the test in the Athen’s World of Coffee trade show. Many poor unsuspecting F
Smell and Taste, Part 1: How to be a better coffee taster
So you’ve just taken a sip of a very rare coffee, and flavours of passion fruit explode in your mouth.But here’s the thing: that flavour of passion fruit is not coming from your mouth. It’s not even coming from your nostrils. It’s being picked up behind your eyes!In this first episode of The Science of Coffee's second series, I unravel how our sense of smell and taste works to help you be a better coffee taster. I shrink us down microscopically and we dive into your tongue to show you why good b
Introducing: Season 2 of The Science of Coffee
We're back with another series of The Science of Coffee!Across 10 science stories, narrative audio producer and coffee professional James Harper takes you on a journey into coffee's hidden microscopic secrets. James has spent the last year traveling to Central America, Greece, Norway, Switzerland and interviewing dozens of the world’s leading coffee scientists. This insights will help you appreciate coffee more deeply and make even better coffee at home. We'll explore organic coffee growing, del
4) Just Friends? America's love affair with coffee
America is coffee-obsessed. From Central Perk’s red couch being the centre of major plot twists in Friends to the fact the average American drank more than two cups a day.And the conventional explanation is pretty straightforward: an English colonist introduces coffee to Jamestown in 1607. 150 years later Americans rebel against the British by throwing tea chests into Boston harbour and drinking coffee becomes their patriotic duty. Oh, and of course who won the civil war? The side that had the c
3) Espresso Lungo: The slow road to Italy's democratic espresso culture
One morning back in the ‘80s, Howard Schultz walks out of his Milan hotel, stumbles into an espresso bar, and fundamentally changes coffee history. He discovered (and then popularises) the iconic, timeless Italian coffee experience: Rich thick coffee, an affordable price and great theatre. But this Italian ritual is surprisingly young, so young that Howard Schultz was in school while some of it was being developed!In this third episode of Series Two of A History of Coffee, we show you why for mo
2) A Lasting Stain: Haiti, Colonialism and Coffee
Haiti was once the biggest, most profitable coffee growing region in the world. But today Haiti is one of the world’s poorest nations where you can’t get a bag of Haitian beans delivered to Berlin in a week for love nor money. In this second episode of Series Two of A History of Coffee, we show you how colonialism and racism dragged Haiti into poverty, and the role of coffee at the centre of it.Be warned: this episode contains graphic descriptions of violence. A History of Coffee is a collaborat
1) It's Just Coffee? How coffee houses changed the world
A coffee shop is a lot more than just a place to drink coffee. The seats and sofas encourage you to invite a friend, and chat.And chatting is powerful: ideas that emerge from these caffeine-fuelled conversations give birth to modern finance and even the founding of great artistic and scientific institutions.Meanwhile, other ideas threaten those in power, and have led to many attempts to ban coffeeshops (and even coffee itself!) these last 500 years.In the first episode of Series Two of A History
Introducing: Series Two of A History of Coffee
We're back with more stories about the tiny psychoactive seed that changed the world and continues to shape our lives today.In Series Two, we reveal how the invention of the coffee shop revolutionised societies, why colonialism, racism and coffee have kept once prosperous Haiti poor today, how Italy's revered espresso culture was created, and we debunk many myths around America's supposed love affair with coffee.If we want to make coffee a more equitable industry that’s also kinder to the enviro
6) Sonic Seasoning
Imagine you’ve got a cup of coffee in front of you. You haven’t tasted it yet. You therefore don’t know what it tastes like, right? Wrong. Some scientists argue that you actually do know what it will taste like (more or less), and the act of tasting simply confirms what you have already imagined it will taste like. And that’s because a growing body of research is revealing that sight, sound and touch all affect your expectation of a coffee’s flavours. In this episode, I explore how certain sound
5) Latte Foam
When was the last time you picked up a cappuccino with a mountain of foam perched on top? Maybe these are the cappuccinos you make every morning at home.I personally really, really dislike them! The foam is cold, raspy, and gets in the way of the actual coffee liquid.How much better would your mornings be if, instead, your cappuccino had that creamy, silky “microfoam” you find in a specialty coffee cafe?In this episode, I take you deep into the bubbles of latte foam to show you what makes them,
4) Espresso Technology
A good espresso is a sublime experience: rich, sweet, and wonderfully caffeinated. But, who woke up one morning and thought to themselves, ‘I’m going to build a contraption that forces a tiny amount of super hot water with incredible pressure through a bed of very finely ground coffee’?Well, the fact is, the first “espresso” machine built 150 years ago was awful in almost every way. Worst of all, if you gave that coffee to anybody on the street, nobody would say it’s even an espresso!But, over t
3) Plant Genetics
How can you make better coffee at home? Well, an easy way is to buy higher quality beans. But, I’m concerned this is going to get harder and harder for you in the future. Climate change is making coffee taste worse while also pushing farmers into financial hardship. In this episode we explore how genetic development can produce a coffee tree that might save the day. Is there a wild coffee tree happily growing in the forests somewhere that could be our silver bullet? What about if we mix existing
2) Coffee Extraction
How you brew your coffee dramatically affects what you taste. And I do mean dramatic! Brewing up the same bag of coffee beans can taste like a slice of heaven, or a slap in the face. So, what exactly is happening at a microscopic level when water swirls through coffee grinds? Why does boiling water extract certain flavours, while letting the kettle cool for five minutes make it taste markedly different? In this episode, we dive deep into the academic research conducted at the UC Davis Coffee Cen
1) Water For Brewing Coffee
Water really matters when you’re brewing coffee. Different waters can dramatically change how a single coffee will taste. But what is the right water for the best coffee? In this episode I will give you the answer, but I will first take you back billions of years to tell you the story of a single mineral and how it's responsible for making our coffees taste lame. Because here’s the thing: water science is chemistry, and chemistry is very complicated and easily forgettable. But with a great story
Introducing: The Science of Coffee
The Science of Coffee is a journey into coffee's hidden microscopic secrets to help you make even better coffee at home. Across six episodes, documentary maker and coffee professional James Harper takes you deep into the world of water for coffee, coffee extraction, plant genetics, espresso technology, latte foam and sonic seasoning. Subscribe to The Science of Coffee here: https://bit.ly/3TdDnHOThe Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories. Fo
Coffee's Ticking Time Bomb
Sri Lankan coffee has delicious notes of chocolate and caramel. But it’s basically impossible to find, and we’re going to bet you’ve never drank it. But that's really odd, because Sri Lanka has the perfect climate to grow coffee, and was once one of the biggest coffee growing countries in the world. But Sri Lanka was the victim of an ecological ticking time bomb. And this bomb is still ticking, and is going to explode again. In this special episode of Adventures in Coffee, producer James Harper
Is really expensive coffee really worth it?
Would you ever pay £75 for 100g of coffee beans? Today I'm sharing the most popular episode from Adventures in Coffee, a sister podcast to Filter Stories that I co-created. I'd love to know what you thought of these Adventures in Coffee episodes so we can make an even better show for series 2. Just drop your thoughts in this 5 minute survey here: http://bit.ly/AIC_SurveyYou can listen to more episodes from Adventures in Coffee here: https://bit.ly/300V4jS
Coffee Cycle Saturdays
Today I'm sharing the story of a coffee drinker, Jools Walker, and how coffee helped her complete an inner journey. Listen to more episodes from Adventures in Coffee here: https://bit.ly/300V4jSRead Jool's book, Back In The Frame: https://amzn.to/2NTbb0rPiano music written and performed by James Harper.
6) The Future of Coffee?
Do you grind your beans fresh before brewing your coffee? If so, you are helping overturn a race-to–the-bottom with deep roots in colonial extraction that today is leaving millions of coffee farmers impoverished. Or, at least, that’s what many specialty coffee companies would like you to believe. The truth is a lot less rosy.In this final episode of A History of Coffee, Jonathan and James explore where the specialty coffee movement came from, whether it will succeed in arresting coffee’s race-to
5) Desperately Seeking Sustainability
When was the last time you bought a coffee that was Fairtrade certified?Certifications make it easy for consumers to put their ethics into practice. But, hidden beneath the glossy sticker is a maze of complications and paradoxical outcomes. In this fifth episode of A History of Coffee, Jonathan and James explore where coffee certifications came from, how they tried to stop coffee’s devastating race to the bottom and assess whether they succeeded.A History of Coffee is a collaboration between Jam
4) A Dark Bitter Powder
How do you drink your instant coffee? If you’re like most of the world, you fill your mug with milk and sugar to sweeten the taste. By adding milk and sugar to your instant, you helped bring new growers - and consumers - into coffee, but arguably contributed to a crisis that left hundreds of thousands of people malnourished. In this fourth episode of A History of Coffee, Jonathan and James explore how the popularity of instant coffee dramatically alters the balance of power amongst coffee growi
3) Coffee Catches Fire
A hundred years ago one Brazilian man owned so many coffee trees he could fill every inch of a European country with them.But why does Brazil grow so much? And who is drinking these lakes of caffeine?In this third episode of A History of Coffee, Jonathan and James explore how industrialisation dramatically and permanently strips away Brazil’s forests, and why coffee becomes a part of the American dream. A History of Coffee is a collaboration between James Harper of the Filter Stories - Coffee Do
2) Slavery, Suffering and Affordable Luxury
Why do we get upset when we’re charged €36 for an ordinary cappuccino?The answer flies us to the Caribbean where white Europeans make black Africans suffer. In this second episode of A History of Coffee, we uncover how colonialism squeezes the price of coffee, and how that changes European culture forever. Future episodes are already out on the ‘A History of Coffee’ podcast channel! http://bit.ly/2NArChOPress Subscribe so you don't miss future episodes!A History of Coffee is a collaboration betw
1) A Five Gun Salute to the Origins of Coffee
Here’s a surprising fact: coffee was only invented around the time Michelangelo was chiselling his statue of David. Why did it take so long for humans to invent the cup of coffee?In this first episode of A History of Coffee, Jonathan and James unpack how humans figured out that delicious flavours were contained in the roasted seeds of a coffee tree’s cherries.The answer has nothing to do with dancing goats...but, in some ways, it has everything to do with a shepherd in the forests of Ethiopia. F
Introducing: A History of Coffee
A History of Coffee is the story of how a tiny psychoactive seed changed the world and shapes our lives today. Across six episodes, documentary maker James Harper and professional historian Jonathan Morris narrate how humans race coffee across oceans to keep up with demand for this addictive drink. Coffee creates enormous fortunes for some, and misery for others. Sometimes the environment benefits, but more often it is plundered. If we want to make coffee a more equitable industry that’s also ki
A Girl on a Coffee Farm
Sofía is a teenager living on a coffee farm and was going to school five days a week. But a year later, she’s studying only on Saturdays. This might sound trivial, but I’m going to take you on a journey to show you why this undermines an industry worth over $30 Billion. ———————————A list of charities working in the coffee sector: https://sritson.com/Good-Hands-in-Coffee-BetaBuy your next coffee from a marginalized farmer: http://www.marginalizedfarmers.org/Leave a review for Filter Stories on Ca
Be careful what you dream (it may come true)
You’ve just achieved a life goal. Now what? Dream bigger? Quit while you’re ahead?When Federico Bolaños fulfills his dream of helping a young Salvadoran win one of the hardest championships in coffee, he wants to aim higher. But his business partners tell him he risks losing their business. What Federico does next will change his life and El Salvador in ways he wants, and in ways he doesn’t. At the end of it all, I ask him: did you make the right choice?———————————Buy your next coffee from a mar
Why El Salvador isn't bringing back coffee
El Salvador used to grow a quarter of the world’s coffees. Today, it’s barely more than a rounding error. As coffee production fell, illegal migration to America grew.But there are many Salvadorans who want to grow coffee again and give Trump fewer reasons to build a wall. What’s holding them back?———————————Buy your next coffee from a marginalized farmer: http://www.marginalizedfarmers.org/Leave a review for Filter Stories on Castbox! https://castbox.fm/channel/Filter-Stories---Coffee-Documenta
A Eulogy for Tito
Hector “tito” Vargas passed away in December 2019. We honor him by playing the season finale of the Duolingo Spanish Podcast. Correction: Tito passed away from a gunshot wound and not a heart attack. It's unknown at this stage whether it was suicide or murder. Visiting Panama? I recommend Oscar as your guide: http://muchogustopanama.com/
Is your coffee building Trump’s wall? Part 5: How can we support marginalised coffee producers?
You buying a coffee from El Salvador and Trump building a border wall have nothing in common.
Or do they?
Over five episodes, we explore a story of El Salvador. We confront massacres, wide inequalities and the specialty coffee you drink today.
Buried deep in this story is a group of people our coffee dollars are neglecting across the world.
Part 5 explores how we can direct our coffee dollars towards historically marginalised farmers across the world.
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If you haven't already,
Is your coffee building Trump's Wall? Part 4: The Rich and the Marginalised
You buying a coffee from El Salvador and Trump building a border wall have nothing in common.Or do they?Over five episodes, we explore a story of El Salvador. We confront massacres, wide inequality and the specialty coffee you drink today.Buried deep in this story is a group of people our coffee dollars are neglecting across the world.Part 4 asks whether we are denying economic opportunities to the same people our parents and grandparents did?———————————If you haven't already, please subscribe t
Is your coffee building Trump’s wall? Part 3: Requiem for a Coffee Republic
You buying a coffee from El Salvador and Trump building a border wall have nothing in common.
Or do they?
Over five episodes, we explore a story of El Salvador. We confront massacres, wide inequality and the specialty coffee you drink today.
Buried deep in this story is a group of people our coffee dollars are neglecting across the world.
In Part 3, we discover what it takes to almost kill coffee completely.
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Listen to the Coffee Podcast’s series on the history of the coffee pri
Is your coffee building Trump's wall? Part 2: El Savage
You buying a coffee from El Salvador and Trump building a border wall have nothing in common. Or do they?Over five episodes, we explore a story of El Salvador. We confront massacres, wide inequality and the specialty coffee you drink today. Buried deep in this story is a group of people our coffee dollars are neglecting across the world. In Part 2, we reveal why our economist nicknames his own country "El Savage.”———————————If you haven't already, please subscribe to the show and review us on iT
Is your coffee building Trump’s wall? Part 1: A tale of two El Salvadors
You buying a coffee from El Salvador and Trump building a border wall have nothing in common. Or do they?Over five episodes, we explore stories of El Salvador. We confront massacres, wide inequalities and the specialty coffee you drink today. Buried deep in this story is a group of people our coffee dollars are neglecting across the world. People who decide to migrate north. ———————————If you haven't already, please subscribe to the show and review us on iTunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/pod
Big and Small in El Salvador: Part 3
We meet a man who came from humble beginnings who has achieved what Armando and Maria have only ever dreamed about. ———————————Taste Maria’s coffee and support Filter Stories by joining the Indiegogo crowdfund here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/filter-stories-who-grew-your-morning-coffee#/See the Filter Stories live show in Berlin on the 1st and 4th of October 2019: https://www.facebook.com/events/494233377792673/Sign up to the Filter Stories newsletter here: www.eepurl.com/dD-sY1Recommend
Big and Small in El Salvador: Part 2
Imagine you’re a coffee buyer on a mission to buy Salvadoran coffee. We visit Armando and Maria’s farms. Which farm would you choose to buy from?———————————Taste Maria’s coffee by joining the Filter Stories Indiegogo crowdfund here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/filter-stories-who-grew-your-morning-coffee#/Listen to the About Face podcast here: https://www.aboutfacepodcast.comSign up to the Filter Stories newsletter here: www.eepurl.com/dD-sY1Recommend Filter Stories to other podcast lovers
Big and Small in El Salvador: Part 1
20 years ago specialty coffee patted itself on the back for saving coffee farmers, both big and small, from the misery of low coffee prices. But what's it like for a small coffee farmer getting into this specialty coffee club today?We dive into El Salvador’s Cup of Excellence to contrast the experience of two producers. ———————————Taste Maria’s coffee by joining the Filter Stories Indiegogo crowdfund here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/filter-stories-who-grew-your-morning-coffee#/Sign up to
Unseen Bean: Part 2
Gerry's cafe failed. We investigate why by putting ourselves in Gerry's shoes and experiencing the coffee world as a blind man.———————————Gerry’s roastery: http://www.theunseenbean.com/More Piano music on Coffee People Zine: https://www.coffeepeople.org/pages/musicv01Sign up to the Filter Stories newsletter here: https://www.eepurl.com/dD-sY1Recommend Filter Stories to other podcast lovers on Podyssey! https://podyssey.fm/podcast/itunes1428327760-Filter-StoriesPiano music composed and performed
Unseen Bean: Part 1
Gerry has a disability that keeps 2 in 3 adults out of full time work. But Gerry demolishes expectations over and over again. ————————————Gerry’s roastery: http://www.theunseenbean.com/Sign up to the Filter Stories newsletter here: http://www.eepurl.com/dD-sY1Recommend Filter Stories to other podcast lovers on Podyssey! https://podyssey.fm/podcast/itunes1428327760-Filter-StoriesPiano music composed and performed by James HarperInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/filterstoriespodcast/More episod
Venezuela
What do you do when you want to buy a cafe but your country is collapsing around you?————————————If you haven't already, please subscribe to the show and review us on iTunes! www.itunes.apple.com/de/podcast/filte…327760?l=en&mt=2Sign up to the Filter Stories newsletter here: http://www.eepurl.com/dD-sY1Recommend Filter Stories to other podcast lovers on Podyssey! https://podyssey.fm/podcast/itunes1428327760-Filter-StoriesPiano music composed and performed by James HarperMore episode information
Stateless
Mikhail is a specialty coffee barista. But he’s stuck on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He doesn’t want to be there and he’s trying to get off. But he can’t. There are boats and planes, but none will let him on. Mikhail is a victim of an invisible curse that affects up to tens of thousands of people who work in coffee. There is a good chance you’ve drank a coffee that was grown, picked or brewed by a stateless person.————————————If you haven't already, please subscribe to the sho
Sofía
What were your dreams at 16? Sofía lives on a remote coffee farm in Nicaragua and hers is to be a great english translator. But Sofía needs school and a lot of luck. Every morning in her blue and white school uniform she walks for an hour to school. The road is deserted and her family knows she may be attacked. And then she walks home. Each coffee we drink holds the hopes of Sofía living a life off this farm. Or is that just wishful thinking?————————————If you haven't already, please subsc
Aquiares
In Central America, you can’t tell the story of coffee without mentioning war. This is Alfonso. He's hugged Fidel Castro and President Reagan chartered a private plane so he could attend a photoshoot at the White House. In the 1980s, Alfonso almost gets murdered three times for trying to bring democracy to Nicaragua.And all the while, his sanctuary, the coffee farm “Aquiares", begins collapsing too. This story reveals the blood and tears that could fill your morning cup of coffee.———————————— If
Tito
Tito lives on a mountain in Panama, is a rebel and doesn’t listen to anyone. Which is why he makes a terrible decision: he buys a coffee farm instead of getting an education. Tito is now stuck, chained to a system that will keep him poor. But Tito doesn’t give up without a fight. He will spend the next 30 years trying to prove he hasn't made the worst decision of his life.————————————If you haven't already, please subscribe to the show and review us on iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/de/podcast
Amish
Raymond's family want him to spend his life using a horse instead of a car, to live off the grid and have little contact with the outside world.But young Raymond is curious and explores the outside world. His father reacts by moving the family into an even more isolated community.Fast-forward 20 years and Raymond is pulling espressos in Melbourne.How did Raymond escape? And how did he end up as a barista in Melbourne?Trigger warning: this episode contains references to sexual abuse. ————————————
Berries and Lemon
Martin is the best barista in Kenya and has a dream to open a cafe. Except, he can't. Kenyans don't drink coffee. But he has a plan: he’s going to win the World Barista Championships to change coffee drinking culture in Kenya forever.But, he's all alone and up against the richest barista teams in the world. Can he do it?————————————If you haven't already, please subscribe to the show and review us on iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/de/podcast/filter-stories/id1428327760?l=en&mt=2Follow on Insta
Firefly
Murray is one of Ecuador's most famous coffee farmers. But there's a problem: he's only earning $2 profit from 250 espressos. How does he survive?While he struggles, his farm is splashed across Instagram and roasters say they have his interests at heart. This is the real story behind the glossy Instagram posts. The reality might change how you look at your next cup of coffee. ————————————Murray's Photography: https://www.facebook.com/murraycooperphotoFollow Filter Stories on Instagram: https://
Asheville
Sarah has just landed her dream job working as a barista for the best cafe in North Carolina. Her cafe will soon be featured in the New York Times and grab international attention. But it has nothing to do with the coffee. Rather, Sarah's bosses will hurt many women in her community. This is the real story about misogyny damaging the life of a young woman, her struggle to regain control and bring her community back together.This is the first ever episode of Filter Stories, the untold stories hid