Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions (Mirror Coffee Roasters)

Coffee processing plays a huge role in flavor. It's one of the biggest variables that impacts the end flavor profile. We have already covered the core three processing methods, washed, honey, and natural, however, in this episode we dive into a few of the experimental processing methods. We cover thermal shock, carbonic maceration, and mosto process in coffee.Pick up coffee here: https://mirrorcoffeeroasters.com/Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/Mirror Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster located in Bellingham, WA

This was such an enjoyable conversation to have as we looked back over the many years of experiencing the holiday season. From the scent of the holidays to iconic Christmas movies, and even experiencing world record snowfall, the holidays are always such a unique and memorable part of the year for us. Reminisce with us on these classic holiday season memories.

Running a coffee roasting business alone has many moving parts, but grasping coffee roasting itself is just as difficult if not more intricate. There's still so much to learn and explore in this craft, but we wanted to give some guidance to beginner coffee roasters. Here we break down a couple coffee roasting basics, and a couple resources we recommend for starting your journey!

Coffee roasting companies that don't have a storefront, like us, oftentimes don't get the local, face to face interaction that can be very helpful for business growth. Even though launching a storefront for your coffee roastery might not be in the plans, there are other ways to have those interactions with guests that can be very financially beneficial and help you expand your reach.

How you store roasted coffee at home can have a huge impact on its flavor. Coffees should be rested off of roast, especially if they're roasted light, however, how you rest coffee matters! It's the difference between a vibrant, juicy cup and a cup that tastes subdued and leaves you hoping there was more. In this episode, we dive into how to store coffee and some ways we've found that preserves coffee flavor.

Pick up coffee here: https://bit.ly/36gPLRUFind us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/Mirror Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster located in Bellingham, WA

Starting a coffee shop or a coffee roastery are both challenging and a risk. After having started a roasting company and helped owners start cafes, we've noticed some of the differences between these two coffee businesses. In this episode, we take apart the pros and cons of starting both a coffee shop and a roasting company.

Narrative Coffee, here in WA, models excellence very well. Everything from their coffee program to their food menu is refined for a very pleasant experience. Alex Scariotta, the new owner of Narrative Coffee, shares more about what it they're doing at Narrative, his personal story of growth in coffee, and how important it is to build an exceptional team in coffee.

This is an introduction to coffee roasting. We go through the tools you need to get started outside of a roaster, how to approach your first 20 roasts, and how you can improve after those initial coffee roasts. We tried to go very practical in this episode and help those who are thinking about starting a coffee roasting operation or are getting into home roasting as a hobby.

Pick up coffee here: https://bit.ly/36gPLRUFind us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/Mirror Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster located in Bellingham, WA

On this coffee podcast episode, we have Andrew Pernicano from Flair Espresso! This was such an enjoyable conversation as we dived into the story behind Flair Espresso, how they come up with new coffee gear for home baristas, and what it's like making coffee with the Flair 58 espresso maker. Andrew shares about what he's noticing amongst home baristas and coffee enthusiasts, and what they're working on in this upcoming year.

This is a Q&A episode where we got some questions from you and answered them on the podcast. We cover a few topics including today's coffee culture, what we did professionally before starting Mirror, and our greatest fears and dreams.

We chat with Taylor, who helps produce coffee in Indonesia, about their local coffee scene, different processing methods, and why talking about coffee sustainability is not all about paying farmers more. This episode is filled with insight into coffee farming at origin and its overlap with culture.

What does coffee taste like? Today we're talking about flavor notes on coffee bags. Are they helpful? Do you buy coffee based on the notes labeled? Maybe you have no idea what coffee flavor notes on a bag mean? Today we dive into flavor notes, how we come up with them, and why we even have them on coffee bags.
This discussion is a sequel to our previous episode where we break down how we describe what our coffee taste like. If you haven't listened to that, we'd highly recommend you listen to it!

We want to help set you up for your next interview at your favorite coffee shop. Although it could feel like experience behind bar is prioritized, but we think there are other ways you can increase the chances of getting hired at a cafe. We talk about being a regular, building meaningful friendships, and a few ways to prep for your interview. There are a handful of practical steps you can take that can increase the chances of you getting hired at the coffee shop you’ve been eyeing.

The last episode in our Level Up series is focused on leveling up your palate. Because taste is at the core of coffee, developing your palate is probably the most important thing you could do as a coffee enthusiast or professional. It can drastically change how you experience coffee and might even be the thing that you're missing from enjoying coffee even more than you do now. In this episode, we provide practical tips on how you can grow as a coffee taster and expand your palate.

Coffee is one of the most popular commodities in the world and runs on a complex supply chain. If we're being honest, it's far from perfect. From low wages to climate change, there are real issues at hand that we should seek to solve, but we're not the only industry with problems. Kenna Warren joins the podcast as she talks about her studies in social entrepreneurship and what she has found in the fashion industry. Although very real problems exist, there is a glimmer of hope.
In this podcast episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions, we talk to Kenna Warren about social entrepreneurship and how we can move towards a healthier way of running businesses and purchasing products.

Mark just got back from San Francisco and of course he had to hit the best coffee shops in the area. San Francisco has a rich coffee culture that is such a pleasure to discover as someone visiting the city. We also talk about Sergei's trip to Florida and what we think is the most important part of the coffee shop experience.

When it comes to making coffee, we tend to lean towards putting an emphasis on the basics of brewing. It's easy to overcomplicate coffee extraction, different brewers, and entertaining speculations so much that we lose the basics that get us most of the results.  On the other hand, if it wasn't for the desire to push the boundaries of what's possible and obsess over the details, we would be very far behind where we are now. Thanks to the rise of a niche group of folks, innovation is being encouraged more and more in our industry.

Coffee Roaster based in Bellingham, WA
Shop Our Coffee: https://bit.ly/36gPLRU
Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/

The current climate of the coffee industry is going to affect us all in one way or another. Because coffee is a global industry, it adds layers and layers of complications. In this podcast episode, we break down what is happening and some of the changes we as coffee drinkers and business owners in the industry will experience.

One of the challenges of having a coffee roasting business is green coffee buying. How you buy green coffee will define the quality level of your finished product. In today's podcast, we dive into how we balance green coffee inventory with coffee harvest seasons from origin to origin. Although there's a lot of nuance to this conversation, we did our best to cover the topic and share how we've maneuvered green coffee inventory over the last few years.

Many of us have had a coffee enlightenment at some point in our lives. That moment you taste your first natural process Ethiopian, and you realize the bitter, instant coffee you grew up on was falling short of an amazing coffee experience. The complex flavor of coffee is why we're so meticulous about farming, processing, roasting, and brewing. On the other hand, we've realized that it has become so much more than just a great tasting coffee.
In this podcast episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions, we talk about three things that completely change the daily coffee experience outside of flavor.

Over the last two years, we've received many emails from folks around the world asking about starting a coffee roasting company. Most of the time, they are questions that deal with the same general uncertainties and unknowns. That being said, we decided to revisit some of these topics and hope to help those searching for answers about roasting coffee.
In this episode, we unpack several different questions we received in an email recently.

This year flew by fast, and very quickly did we pocket another year as a coffee roasting company. It's been an incredible year of relationships, connection, incredible coffee, and competition. In this episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions podcast, we look back at the year and reminisce on our favorite moments of the year.

Coffee roasting is an art, craft, skill, and mystery. Well to a certain extent it's a mystery. We've listened to countless podcasts, read books, attended roasting classes, and many great resources of information will not agree on a handful of roasting approaches. Although we've learned a lot from many educators, some things you won't quite fully grasp until you charge a batch of green coffee into the roaster.

In episode 33, we break down three things we learned from experience as coffee roasters with hopes that it encourages, inspires, and educates coffee roasters around the world.

Sergei returned from his trip to Florida, and he had the opportunity to hit all of his favorite coffee shops in Florida. Sergei gives us a run down of some of his favorite cafes he was able to visit and share his experiences. Both of our recent trips out of town has sparked a lot of thought about the specialty coffee experience in cafes. Today we touch up on what we think can be improved to make these visits that much sweeter.

Oftentimes, coffee business owners are stuck with always needing more time, overworking, and feeling like you're not getting much back. Time is one of your most valuable resources so we have to learn to manage it well and make sure it's getting the most done while helping you achieve your goals. This episode covers how we're maximizing efficiency in our coffee roastery and how we approach using it to grow.

Coffee is one of our biggest passions we're pursuing and see ourselves continuing to go after it for the next decade. The craft behind coffee is both challenging and rewarding at the same time. That being said, do we ever get bored of coffee? In this podcast episode, we talk about the boring, monotonous parts of coffee that are often not talked about.

Roasting coffee is similar to dialing in a cup of coffee or shot of espresso. Under and over extracting your coffee leaves you with an unpleasant taste in your mouth, and there's nothing better than a perfect extraction. The same goes for roasting, and in this episode, we dive into how we perceive dialing in our batches and what we're tasting for in our QC.

Jessica Greenwalt, a creative director at Vayner3, joins us to talk about all things web3, emerging technologies, and the implications of different technology. She's also the founder of Pixelkeet and Co-Founder of Unum Game and has extensive experience with the newest technologies being developed today. We talk about espresso and milk terminology, the state of NFTs, and how we can use emerging technologies in coffee.

You bought an espresso machine for home. Your espresso tastes good, but you can't get your milk steaming and texturing right. It's something we commonly hear and that's why this episode is all about nailing your milk steaming at home. This podcast episode addresses common milk steaming issues, how to get the right texture, how milk affects your steaming, and more.

Pick up coffee here: https://bit.ly/36gPLRUFind us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/Mirror Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster located in Bellingham, WA

Coffee culture all around the world is very different from what we experience here in the states. Since we just returned from travels in Singapore and Indonesia, we invited our friend Justin to talk about his experience in Korea, his most memorable coffee experiences there, and what makes coffee culture in Asia so special.

Mark just got back from competing in the U.S. Aeropress Championship in Arkansas at Onyx Coffee Lab and got 3rd place. This episode breaks down his recipe, preparation, and the mistake that cost him first place.

Baristas do a lot more than just make coffee at a coffee shop. They're the ones cleaning up spills, washing floors during closing, and communicating with customers from all backgrounds. In addition to serving an excellent cup of coffee that is dialed and brewed with precision, there's so much more that's happening in the background that isn't talked about.
In this episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions, we bring on one of our favorite local baristas, Micah Jones, to share his experience and share the big picture vision of working behind a coffee bar.

Buying and roasting new coffee is always such an exciting process. From tasting the samples to packaging and selling it for folks to enjoy at home, it comes with its fair share of discovery, nuance, and of course challenges. These challenges can come from green coffee quality, logistical issues, and so much more. One of the tasks we need to maneuver is roasting a coffee for the first time.
In this episode, we talk about how we approach roasting a new coffee and what we look to achieve in that first roast!

Loving the craft behind coffee is one thing, but building a thriving business is another. Often times we hear people start coffee shops because they love it which is an absolute must when embarking on such a journey. It doesn't take long to realize that is not the only part necessary to being successful. In this episode, we dig deep into the sobering truth of running a coffee business.

Coffee processing plays a huge role in flavor, and may be one of the most important steps in the entire coffee supply chain. Although we may have seen washed, honey, and natural processed coffees on the shelf at the local coffee shop, we may not know what those words mean and what is happening at the farm level. Now with the rise of many experimental processing, words and labels are getting even more complicated with anaerobic, carbonic maceration, and so on.
In this podcast episode, we talk about the major processing methods, what they are, and some of the general flavor profiles they can bring out in coffees.

Coffee roasting, water chemistry, and coffee flavor notes are all linked together and are a bit more complicated than we'd like. Both coffee roasting and water chemistry create a flavor experience unique to the combination, however, when one is off, things usually are thrown off.

Filter roasts and espresso roasts have been around for a while in coffee, however, are they absolutely necessary? Can't you just have one roast for both brew methods? In this episode, we touch up on the pros and cons of different roasts for different brew methods and why for now we've chosen an omni roast approach.

It's that time of year when we're doing our holiday gift shopping. Many of us will be searching for those couple people in our lives who would die without coffee. We thought it might be helpful to break down the best Christmas gift ideas for coffee enthusiasts from a coffee fanatic's perspective. Any of these gifts will surely make the coffee lover in your life overjoyed and potentially brewing you a tasty cup as a sign of gratitude.

An eventful few weeks for the coffee industry with new gear rolling out at World of Coffee in Milan as well as recent coffee news that's worth highlighting. On this episode, we highlight the new Mahlkonig EK Omnia, the updated La Marzocco Strada X, and the recent news with Alaska Airlines.

We continue our podcast series on how to level up in coffee. In this episode, we're diving into what that looks like for baristas. We cover things like going above and beyond in your job, paying close attention to what happens behind the bar, why might need to leave your current job, and so much more. This episode gets very practical for baristas and sets you up to grow in your craft. Shop Our Coffee: https://bit.ly/36gPLRU Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/

Making coffee outdoors has become one of our favorite things to do. On this trip to the WA coast, we share our process and how we make coffee out in the wild during these trips. We would highly recommend trying to make coffee in the wild at least once!

Grab a cup of coffee and sit down with us as we talk about whatever comes to mind. Of course coffee had to be part of the discussion. We touch base on drip coffee, how it has grown over the last several years, and how Scott Rao’s UFO Spray Head helps brewing drip coffee on commercial machines.

As the coffee industry continues to grow, science and research is proving more and more beliefs to be wrong. Although these three myths have turned out to be wrong, we still hear them being talked about in coffee forums, mentioned in cafes, and even encouraged in barista training. In this episode we cover three common myths that we should be leaving behind in the past.

Pick up Coffee Here: https://bit.ly/36gPLRU

Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/Mirror

Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster located in Bellingham, WA

Today we talk about the recent natural disaster that hit Central America. A coffee importer we work with in Guatemala shared the news on social media, and it felt so personal for us. We have bought coffee from these countries that were hit by Hurricane Eta, and to know their families and communities were heavily impacted moved us deeply. These moments have significant future impacts for these communities and the coffee industry as a whole.

Coffee roasting is much more complex than just turning coffee brown. Dialing in the best roast for each coffee is both an art and skill, but maintaining peak quality is just as important. How does a roaster maintain quality as the green coffee changes over time? How do we make sure each roast tastes up to the standard of our initial dial in?
In this episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions podcast, we dive into quality control as a coffee roaster and what it takes to do that consistently.

Here in the Pacific Northwest and especially Bellingham, WA, we have drive-thru coffee everywhere. It's become very popular and although we have so many, it's still not our preferred coffee stop which has only made us wonder what we would do if we started one.

In this podcast episode, we talk through our experiences with drive-thru coffee and a few things we would love to see changed.

What does one of the most expensive cup of coffees taste like? What should you expect a coffee scored at 96 to offer? Is this even necessary or beneficial to coffees at these price points sold and brewed?  We answer these questions and more in this episode as we talk about our experience trying Proud Mary's Panama geisha natural called the Black Jaguar. This was by far one of the most memorable cups of coffee we've had, and there is so much to share about the experience.

Coffee competitions are a big part of specialty coffee. It gives those working in coffee an opportunity to showcase their passion for the craft. In this episode, we sit down with Keziah who competed this year as a US barista competitor. She talks about why she competed, her advice to others considering it, and some of her biggest takeaways from being a competitor.

We wrap up our series on coffee flavor profiles by diving into varietals. There are many coffee varietals in the world with nearly all coffees being under two main categories: arabica coffee and robusta. Within arabica coffee, you find many different varietals and each have their unique characteristics. When combining varietals, processing, and origin, you start to build the bulk of what each single origin coffee's flavor profile is made up of.Pick up coffee here: https://mirrorcoffeeroasters.com/Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/Mirror Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster located in Bellingham, WA

One of the most important parts to pulling the perfect shot of espresso is puck prep. It can make or break your shot of espresso, make dialing in challenging if not done well, and can't be skipped over. In this episode, we talk about how to crush your puck prep and some of the tools we use to help us do that.

Pick up Coffee Here: https://bit.ly/36gPLRU Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/ Mirror Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster located in Bellingham, WA

This past month we saw the c-market price reach highs that haven't been seen in 50 years. The coffee industry has long been an advocate for paying producers and farmers more to make a more sustainable supply chain. This is a huge win for producing origins. On the other hand, with inflation, wages, and increased green costs, cafe guests are experiencing rising costs for their drinks. This podcast episode is us processing ideas on the supply chain, sustainability, and our role as coffee roasters.

This episode is all about leveling up as a coffee roaster, and it's packed with very practical steps you can take. We go from broad roast curves to in depth, nerdy green coffee storage solutions. Whether you're just getting started or you've been roasting for years, we think this is packed with valuable information we wish we had years ago.

There's been a lot of buzz around co-fermented coffees lately. With new regulations allowing these coffees to be used in competition, it's becoming increasingly controversial as the industry opens its doors to this processing method. Despite progress in this direction, it's not coming without a lot of push back.

In this episode, we talk about what folks are saying as well as sharing our take on co-fermented coffees.

Maxwell Mooney has been in the coffee industry for nearly a decade now, and in the next few weeks he will be opening up the second location of Narrative Coffee here in Bellingham, WA. His expertise in the industry and experience starting two coffee shops made for a powerful conversation. We were so excited to chat with him, and listen to what he had to say about the coffee industry.
In this episode, we talk to Maxwell Mooney about some of the lessons he's learned as one of the owners of Narrative Coffee, and what was essential to their growth as a cafe.

We just passed our first year since starting our coffee roasting company, and it's been a wild ride. So many unexpected events happened and we learned a lot as a business. In this Coffee Roaster Warm-Up Session, we talk about some of the things we have learned as a new coffee company in its first year. Thank you so much for the support! We are looking forward to this upcoming year.

As a coffee roasting company, we're always pursuing excellence in all we do. This is great until it starts to hurt us and stunt our growth. Both of us are perfectionist, and we've also noticed how much it has suppressed us from living out our full potential and growing.  In this Coffee Roaster Warm Up Session, we talk about what that's like dealing with perfectionism while still going after excellence.

When will you start a coffee shop? We get that question all the time. As we approach two years of running our coffee roasting company, we reflect back on why we started a roasting company specifically in the first place. Although owning a cafe sounds a bit more exciting than a roasting company, we had intentional reasons for what we did.   In this podcast episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions, we breakdown why we started a coffee roasting company instead of a coffee shop.

Coffee competition isn't perfect. We competed in our first aeropress competition and loved it! It was a great experience overall, but there were a few things that were challenging. As much as we wish competition was a flawless system of evaluation of who's the most skilled, it oftentimes isn't that. This is a debrief of our experience competing in the Canadian regional aeropress competition.

Is pour over coffee really better than french press coffee? Although that's been an industry standard for the last decade, we argue why french press coffee ( immersion brewing ) is in some ways a better way to make coffee at home than pour overs ( percolation brewing ). We also venture into talking about the aeropress and the newest brewer on the market, the Tricolate brewer.

Based out of Bellingham, WA
Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/

The most important part of running a coffee shop business are the people you serve and the people you work with. You can get away with having bad coffee, but you can't get away with serving people poorly or not having a good team around you. In this episode, we talk all about investing specifically into your team behind the coffee bar which has the potential to change the whole trajectory of your team.

Coffee might just taste like coffee to you. The idea of tasting flavor notes in coffee might sound both overwhelming and impossible, but we've all been there at some point. That's what inspired this podcast episode to begin with! We wanted to share a simple guide on how to approach tasting your everyday coffee, and what you can be thinking about as you dive into this hobby. There's a lot more to it than what we covered here, however, this should get you drinking your morning brew a little differently.

We hope you enjoy this episode. Share this with someone who might find this helpful!

You've decided to start your coffee shop, coffee cart or buy coffee for your restaurant or employees at your business. The question we've seen come up over and over again is how and where do I buy coffee beans. Although this may seem like common sense, in some cases this could make or break a cafe or business. In this episode, we talk through how we would approach buying coffee and what you should be aware of in the process.

We've all been there where we go to a cafe only to receive a beverage we did not like or wasn't brewed right. Although few things can be done at this point, is giving feedback the right thing to do? Would anything change if you did give feedback? As a barista, it may be uncomfortable to receive feedback, however, it's far from the end of the world.

In this episode, we talk through both giving feedback and how we should approach getting negative feedback.

Podcasting and listening to podcasts have become nearly as common as listening to music. Podcasts have become a resource of education, entertainment, storytelling, and a form of journalism. Even though it has many similarities to an AM station on your radio, it has many differences that have made it seamlessly integrate with culture.  On this episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions podcast we talk about our favorite podcasts and how podcasts are changing how we live, think, and learn.

Fishing season started a couple weeks ago here in the Pacific Northwest. It's been years since we've enjoyed a good fishing season. As small business owners and running a coffee roasting company, it is far too easy to get in the nonstop cycle of working, getting things done, and keeping up with new trends in the industry. Over the last few weeks, we've jumped back into fishing.
In this episode we talk about how fishing has impacted how we run our business, and what we have learned from it over the last couple weeks.

Based in Bellingham, WA
Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/

The flavor difference between a light roast coffee and a dark roast coffee are substantial. Unfortunately, dark roasted coffee has some weight and negativity attached leaving many coffee roasters around the world, especially those leaning on the lighter side of the spectrum, completely abandoning that approach to roasting. Like most things, there are both pros and cons.
In this episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions podcast, we talk about a topic we don't hear discussed enough which is dark roast coffee.

Based in Bellingham, WA and shipping!
Shop Our Coffee & Apparel: https://bit.ly/36gPLRU
Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/
Find us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MirrorCoffeeRoasters

Iced coffee is quickly growing in popularity and especially amongst Gen Z. With summer around the corner, sometimes an iced coffee is refreshing however it often lacks the nuance and flavor profile we like in hot coffees. In this episode, we share how to get the best out of your iced coffee, the kinds of coffees we found that work well, and how to make cold brew taste even better.

Pick up our coffee here: https://bit.ly/36gPLRUFind us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/

Mirror Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster located in Bellingham, WA

Recently, we've heard of several well known coffee brands sell either a big chunk or all of their business to other big brands. Oftentimes people call this selling out and paint in negative light, but is that always the case?

In this episode, we share our thoughts and look at past acquisition to get a better idea of what this could mean.

Cold brew is a beverage we're all too familiar with yet we don't think it gets talked about enough especially in specialty coffee. After our recent collaboration with Stemma Brewing out of Bellingham, WA, it has come to our attention that cold brew coffee can be sweet, complex, and not your average brew.  In this episode of Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions, we talk about some of the biggest aspects of brewing amazing cold brew and some practical tips on how you can make it at home.

From the beginning, starting a coffee roasting company was never just about coffee. There's always been an underlying purpose and vision beyond the coffee bean, and layering that on top of our passions and interests outside of the coffee industry has given roasting coffee fresh life.
In this episode, we talk about the community that has helped us reach 10,000 streams on podcast platforms and the other projects we are launch today that go beyond coffee.

Starting a coffee shop or a coffee roasting business can be difficult as it is, but you can do a few things to make it easier on yourself. In this episode we talk about the one thing we highly recommend that will launch your coffee shop business in the right direction and set you up for success.

Comandante is known for their superior hand coffee grinders that have been seen being used on the competition stage including this year at the 2023 Brewers Cup Championships at SCA. Comandante has led their own brewing competitions for years now and this year they came to Vancouver, BC. We knew we wanted to participate, but we had no idea we'd be winning the 2023 Canadian Comandante Championship.

In this episode, we break down how the competition is run, our approach to brewing, and what this means for us as a roasting company.

What sets a coffee roasting company apart from others? As home baristas, we've noticed that everyone claims to roast the best specialty coffee. Given how subjective coffee flavor is, is that enough to be different and stand out? In this podcast episode, we break down a few ways we think coffee roasters can stand out and provide more value to coffee drinkers and home baristas.

On this Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions podcast episode, we talk about holiday blends and buying your first home espresso machine. Sergei recently picked up a lever machine for home which he's been wanting for a while, however, it wasn't quite everything he expected. His experience with his first home espresso machine over the last several weeks gave him some insight on why someone would want to get a machine for home use and what you should consider when buying a machine for your home.

Coffee Roaster based in Bellingham, WA
Shop Our Coffee: https://bit.ly/36gPLRU
Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/

Is that really blueberries you're tasting or did the coffee bag trick you into tasting that? Often times, flavor notes, branding, origin, and our preconceived ideas get in the way of tasting coffee objectively for what it has to offer. Chances are, that's not only happening more often than we'd like, but we're also not developing our pallet when that's the case. It actually ends up hurting our growth as tasters when we allow those things to get in the way.
In this episode, we talk about what we've learned over the years cupping coffee, and how we attempt to eliminate bias as coffee roasters when we go about tasting coffees.

Most of us, if not all, have experienced burnout whether that's within the coffee industry or not. We know what those exhausted, long days feel like when you've lost your passion and drive to do the work let alone do anything. It sucks. With this episode we wanted to break down what burnout is, what might be causing it, and how we can do to avoid falling into burnout.

High scoring coffees in 100g cans or bags are becoming increasingly popular. They're oftentimes delicious and pricy so making the most of that limited amount is always a struggle. In this episode, we break down how to limit waste, what you can try to dial in those coffees quicker, and our approach to getting the most out of those coffees. Pick up coffee here: https://bit.ly/36gPLRU Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/ Mirror Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster located in Bellingham, WA

Recently, we were recording some video content about our business model, vision and mission, and the goals for the near future. We were left asking ourselves, what would happen if we failed as a coffee roasting business? What is at stake in the grand scheme of things? This led to a much needed conversation that hopefully will leave you inspired to look towards your goals in your personal and professional life.

Change is inevitable, and in today's modern time, the world is constantly changing ever so quickly. Owning and running a coffee roasting company is no different. From keeping up with new coffee brewers, green coffee buying, and roasting to constantly learning about business, scaling, and more social media platforms, everything is asking for attention.
In todays episode, we talk about some of the changes we had to go through as a roasting company and why change might actually be healthy.

We chat with founder, Douglas Weber from Weber Workshops about their approach to building some of the best coffee gear in the world. From becoming known for their coffee grinders to creating beautiful accessories and tools for the coffee bar, Weber Workshops has made its mark in the industry. Weber Workshops: https://weberworkshops.com/ Pick up coffee here: https://bit.ly/36gPLRU Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/ Mirror Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster located in Bellingham, WA

We had a spontaneous guest join us, Alex Sciarrotta owner of Narrative coffee, as we talked about underrated and overrated parts of coffee. We touched up on coffee varietals, coffee competitions such as Cup of Excellence, and even got into Sergei's iconic outfits behind bar. We had a lot of fun recording this episode and diving into these topics together.

Ansley Randall is a graphic designer and mural artist based out of Florida. She's played a huge part here at Mirror Coffee Roasters by designing our new coffee bags which were released earlier this year. In this episode, we talk about her journey from barista to graphic designer and a few helpful tips on how coffee businesses can work with graphic designers to grow.

There's so much happening in the coffee industry. This episode is our *almost* unfiltered take on a few trends we see in coffee and breaking down what we think about them. No offense is intended and we hope you can enjoy the banter.

Have home coffee bars and setups become the death of the coffee shop? With the rise of interest in better coffee gear, more education online around coffee, and accessibility to coffee from around the world, will cafes struggle to pull those interested in higher end coffees if they can brew it at home? We talk about the dynamics between brewing at home and getting a cup of coffee as well as what managers and cafe owners can start doing to step up their game.

Pick up coffee here: https://bit.ly/36gPLRU Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/ Mirror Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster located in Bellingham, WA

Buying green coffee is arguably one of the most important aspects of a coffee roasting company. With an endless amount of possibilities and options out there, how does one decide which coffee to buy? In this episode, we discuss one of the several key aspects we look for in coffee which is the flavor profile.

Based out of Bellingham, WA
Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/

A special episode with Jimmy The Barista where we talk about what his journey has been like creating content around coffee, how he started in coffee, and his mindset in growing as a creator. Listen until the end because there are so many insightful pieces of information for creatives, coffee shop owners, and roasters.

Subscribe to Jimmy: https://www.youtube.com/@jimmythebarista

Jimmy's IG: https://www.instagram.com/jimmythebarista/

Shop Our Coffee: https://bit.ly/36gPLRU

We sit down with Chris Deferio from Keys To The Shop to give you clear, practical tips on how to grow your coffee shop business. Ideally, your coffee shop is growing 10-20% year over year and if that's not happening, we break down how to make that a reality. Chris shares so many valuable insights on how to scale your coffee business. Boasting more than two decades of widespread coffee experience, Chris Deferio’s impact on the coffee industry is well known. His career has taken him all over the world, training organizational management and leadership, barista skills, and latte art to folks looking to elevate their respective craft and business. Chris launched the Keys to the Shop podcast in 2017 after noticing a need for content about leadership and management in the coffee industry. Today, the podcast has nearly 1,000 episodes, 3 million downloads (and counting,) and guests representing 30 different countries. In conjunction with the podcast, Chris offers consulting services for coffee shop owners and has worked to help more than 80 companies accomplish their respective business goals.To learn more about Chris Deferio, the Keys to the Shop Podcast, and working with Keys to the Shop Consulting, visit https://keystotheshop.com/Keys to the shop instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keystotheshop/

In this industry of craftsmanship, we're always looking for ways to boost our understanding of coffee. Over the years, we've seen huge advancements in great resources for learning more about coffee, however, this tried and true method will take your understanding to the next level.  
In this episode, we talk about the one thing that will take your coffee knowledge to the next level!

Coffee blends have been a debated topic over the last decade in the specialty coffee community. Although there isn’t anything horrible about coffee blends, which we touch up on some of the positive aspects to them, they’re definitely not perfect. To a certain extent, it goes beyond just a preference.

In this Coffee Roaster Warm Up Session, we dissect some of the arguable points for both. Although we do lean towards single origin coffees, this podcast highlights both sides from an objective stance.

As the coffee industry grows and research increases, we begin to realize the ideas we used to believe about filter coffee brewing isn't true. In this episode, we address some of these myths we used to believe about brewing filter coffee. In our last episode, 173, we talk about myths about espresso brewing so if you haven't listened to that episode, we'd highly recommend it! Pick up Coffee Here: https://bit.ly/36gPLRU

Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/

Mirror Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster located in Bellingham, WA

This week we're doing a Q&A podcast episode. On Instagram, we asked folks to ask us questions we can cover on the podcast, and we got some really good topics that were hard to answer in such short time. We had questions about direct green coffee buying, how to learn coffee roasting, what are good cafe manager qualities, and so much more. We enjoyed making this episode and hope you get value out of this conversation!

How you roast coffee is a huge determiner of what your coffee will taste like. Although there are plenty of other variables at work that can arguably impact taste more than roasting, how a roaster approaches the process defines the outcome. What can get tricky is the subjective preferences that play a huge role in the roasting approach we create. In this episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions podcast, we dive into what a coffee roasting style is and how that is affected by taste preference.

This last week, we were setup for an incredible opportunity that almost felt like a dream. It was everything we talked about when we entertained the idea of starting a coffee bar. As tough conversations went on and on, at the last minute we realized this wasn't the right decision to make. Sometimes saying no is the right thing to do even when it's hard.

Based in Bellingham, WA
Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/

NFTs took the internet by storm in 2019 - 2022. Many people, including ourselves, were confused why jpeg images were selling for thousands of images. The NFT space started to look like a scam and virtual fade that sounded ridiculous to the everyday web user. As much as wanted to shake it off as unimportant, we were intrigued by the phenomena and started looking into it. After hours of podcasts, YouTube videos, articles, and a few NFT purchases, our approach has changed towards them, and the coffee industry might have to rethink its approach to this new technology.
In this episode, we breakdown our journey of learning more about NFTs and why the coffee industry should reconsider how they can be used.  

DISCLAIMER: we are still learning as this is all very new for many of us. If you believe we shared something incorrectly, leave a comment on YouTube or send us a DM or email.

Starting a coffee roasting company has become a very popular thing to do. We regularly hear of a new roastery starting from scratch which is very exciting. We're all for more talent, variety, and delicious coffee brands in the industry. On other hand, we also think running a coffee roasting company has been over glorified with a handful of misconceptions.
In this episode, we break down a couple reasons why starting a coffee roasting company may not be the right move for you.

Koji Process. You may have heard of it, and we wouldn't be surprised if you haven't. it's a fairly new experimental coffee processing method, and it's innovative. Over the last decade, we've seen experimental processing become more and more popular yielding some very interesting flavor profiles in coffee that previously were not possible. Koji takes it up a notch, but have these processing methods gone too far? Are processing methods impacting flavor far too much?
In this episode, we break down what the Koji Process consists of, an our experience with our first several brews of it.

This is another Q&A podcast episode with really incredible questions ranging from taking risks as a coffee roasting business, the influence of AI on the coffee industry, and how coffee has impacted our family dynamics. The coffee questions as well as the more personal questions really made us think deeply about these topics and challenged us. We had so many really great questions and we're looking forward to answering the others we didn't get to in the coming podcasts.

Something we hear and are asked often is how we brew coffee based on origin. The same goes for our roasting approach as well. In this episode we talk about how different origins impact the brewing and roasting process and if it's even as important as we think it is.

There's nothing quite like buying a bag of coffee and being disappointed with the results. Although flavor plays a huge role in this, there's another factor we don't always think about which is price. Should a higher cost coffee come with higher quality expectations? What happens when that expectation isn't met? We've been on both ends of the spectrum. We've been disappointed with bags of coffee we've bought from roasters, and we also understand the nuance of being the ones sourcing and roasting coffee.
In this episode, we take a dive into this challenging conversation that we've had many times both as home brewers but also as roasters.

Coffee hand grinders have grown not only in popularity, but also in quality and accessibility. Grinders like the Commandante C40 have changed how we look at these tools and what they're capable of. Although they can be inconvenient at times, there are definitely a couple reasons why we think you need one.

In this episode, we break down our experience with coffee hand grinders, the Commandante C40, and why they're good to have.

Based in Bellingham, WA and shipping!
Shop Our Coffee: mirrorcoffeeroasters.com
Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/