Episode 13: Coffee
What’s better than great coffee? Craft beer and bean to bar chocolate made with great coffee.
I started drinking coffee when I was 10 years old, and it’s been a part of my life ever since, from fevered writing sessions as a teenager to all-nighters in college, to long conversations with friends as an adult. Coffee is used extensively in the worlds of craft beer and bean to bar chocolate, and today we explore the world of coffee beer and coffee chocolate.
In this episode we talk with craft brewers, bean to bar chocolate makers, and artisan coffee roasters about the synergy between these products, as well as how coffee and cacao intersect at origin over topics of ecology and ethics.
Beers discussed in this episode include Wolf’s Ridge Daybreak, Ozark Coffee Cream Stout, Fossil Cove Coffee IPA, Alesmith Speedway Stout, MadTree Local Blend.
Chocolate bars mentioned in this episode include Onyx Terroir Colombia, Ratza Coffee Bean, Maverick Espresso Dark Chocolate, and Maverick Ruya Turkish Coffee Dark Chocolate.
Coffee roasters mentioned in this episode include Onyx Coffee Lab, Deeper Roots, Mission, Boston Stoker, Stauf’s, Phoenix, One Life, and Solar Roast.
If you want to learn more about ethics within coffee sourcing, you can listen to Ashley Rodriquez’s interview with Vava Angwenyi on her excellent Boss Barista podcast
The music for this episode was sampled from an instrumental version of the song “Free”, written and performed by indie folk musician Anna p.s. Anna conveys a sense of weariness throughout her simple yet resonant songs, but it’s a weariness that keeps a blanket of hope tucked up under its chin, even as the rain keeps falling outside the windows. You can find out more about Anna at her website.
Chris Davison has a BA from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Colorado State University. Chris has been in the brewing industry for 8 years and has spent the last 6 as the Head Brewer at Wolf’s Ridge Brewing in Columbus, OH. He is currently President of District Midwest of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA) and serves on the MBAA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force.
With a bachelor's degree in Studio Art from Indiana University, Sara Ratza has found that creating chocolate has bridged the gap between her love for the studio and culinary arts. As a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner and Western Herbalist, it has become a passion to formulate unique flavors using the best beans and ingredients she can find.
As Brewmaster of the Seventh Son Brewing Company and Antiques on High, Colin Vent strives to create unique beers that are layered, thoughtful, enjoyable, and complex. In addition to brewing Colin has a professional background in fine dining and holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in ceramics from The Ohio State University.
Paul Picton is the co-founder of Maverick Chocolate in Cincinnati, Ohio. During his career selling jet engines, Paul would return home with coffee and chocolate from around the world. When he retired, he needed a new source for chocolate, and decided to start a chocolate company to make it himself.
Jon Allen is the co-owner and head green buyer for Onyx Coffee Lab. He spends about four months of the year traveling in search of the world’s best coffees, and when he’s not traveling, he’s head of creative direction and quality control at Onyx’s home base in Arkansas.
Preston Stewart is an Arkansas native and University of Arkansas graduate in Biochemistry & Spanish. He has been in bean to bar chocolate for 8+ years. He is an Ecole Chocolate graduate in Chocolate Making and Chocolatier, and completed the FCCI Cacao Grader Intensive program. He is a chocolate aficionado, beer enthusiast, coffee novice, and a dad joke veteran.