Top Brew

Welcome to the online home of Top Brew, hosted by Joseph Darnell and Eric Rauch.

In their weekly coffee discussion, Eric Rauch and Joe Darnell plunge into the depths of the world’s favorite bevereage. It’s all about recipes and brewing techniques, roasting beans to perfection, counter culture, and the fun we have together over a hot cup of joe.

Welcome to the online home of Top Brew, hosted by Joseph Darnell and Eric Rauch.

In their weekly coffee discussion, Eric Rauch and Joe Darnell plunge into the depths of the world’s favorite bevereage. It’s all about recipes and brewing techniques, roasting beans to perfection, counter culture, and the fun we have together over a hot cup of joe.

Eric and Joe introduce the new coffee beverage, Cascara, which is brewed with the coffee fruit’s pulpy cherry, and they help perfectionistic coffee enthusiasts take control of their angsty coffee brewing ritual. Whether you’re making tea-like coffee, or seeking nirvana in every cup, the guys have thoughts for you.

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Fancy Gesha coffee beans sell for more than $70 a 12 oz. bag. Eric and Joe discuss how they feel about high-end coffees and what place they deserve on your shopping list. Also, Eric discusses the process he used to create Thrasher’s Christmas Blend, and Joe shares his first impressions of his new Kalita Wave dripper.

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Eric and Joe enjoy an Irish coffee together and discuss its origins, how to perfect the recipe, find the right ingredients, use traditional Irish coffee mugs, and give some other tips for adventurous coffee enthusiasts to try at home.

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Joe Darnell interviews returning guest, John Guiliano. Writer, photographer and coffee enthusiast, John is a year into his coffee journey at BrewingCoffeeManually.com. We discuss his writing practices, routine for content creation, his new “Choose Your Weapon” t-shirts, and excellent reasons to write a coffee journal.

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Joe has bad news about his Chemex, Eric is weirded out by Joe’s observational skills, and together they discuss ways a listener of the show could upgrade his coffee at home.

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A Hallmark in a Cup
Ep. 40Oct. 2831m 8s

For the big Four Zero, Joe and Eric discuss changes in Joe’s household that led him to switch from an AeroPress to a Chemex. In review, the guys debate the merits of a coffee-to-water ratio chart, and Joe names the factors of ‘Eleven Things Only a Coffee Snob Would Understand’, so you can grade yourself on your true level of eccentric coffee snobbery.

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Eric and Joe wish you a happy ‘Back to the Future’ day, and introduce a segment of follow-up. They talk about human genes and how caffiene is metabolized, the plunging price of commodity coffee around the globe, the science behind flavoring a pumpkin spice latte, and how some coffee drinkers use salt to mask bitterness in their brew.

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“K” is for Keurig
Ep. 38Oct. 1437m

There are twelve Keurig coffee makers for sale at Joe’s local Target. People love these devices, so what do we make of them? Eight years ago, Joe’s java journey started with two of these machines. How did Keurigs lead him to artisinal coffee? Eric and Joe debate the pros and cons of K-cups and evaluate what coffee drinkers they serve best.

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Believe it or not, Eric has never had a Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte. So we sat down to have one of this year’s pumpkin-puree-infused recipe and give it our review while we cringe at the number of toxic artificial and “natural” ingredients Starbucks uses for their fancy beverages.

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Joe returns from vacation in Panama City thirsty for craft coffee in Atlanta, so he gives a report of his first visit to Octane Coffee in Midtown. Also, Eric and Joe review Stumptown Coffee Roaster’s ‘brew kits’ intended for beginning to enthusiast levels of coffee prep at home and travel.

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