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.

Craft coffee is unique to different parts of the world, even on the East and West coasts of the United States. Our guest, Nick Jesch from outside Portland, Oregon, discusses with Joe his expertise in all aspects of the coffee process: from dirt to the cup. As a dealer, Nick is experienced with a wide range of equipment, roasting and brewing methods, and so much more. Nick has stories to share about coffee farmers and successfully transforming mediocre beans into exceptional roasts.

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This week on the podcast, Eric and Joe talk about Thrasher Coffee’s new decaf and espresso roasts, coffee bag packaging, and debate how much coffee drinkers are willing to pay for their coffee. There are two kinds of coffee customers. Which one are you?

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This week on the podcast, Eric and Joe talk about one of the most perplexing issues of coffee: the ever complex number of flavors we taste from any variety of coffee bean. From floral notes to delicate spices, coffee can somehow taste like… almost anything edible and sometimes unedible! We explores the top nine categories of flavor and pick our favorites and shed light on personal experience with their taste testing specialty coffees.

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This week on the podcast, Eric and Joe reveal a little known scientific fact: Coffee does not dehydrate you! And another myth to bust: “Coffee is bitter”. The guys look at the differences that acidity and bitterness make to coffee flavor profiles, and weigh how much the bitterness comes from roasting coffees.

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Eric and Joe confront awkward social pressure at the coffeehouse counter. Do you have the guts to order what you want? Or are you afraid of what people will think of your fussy coffee beverage? Reuters report shows that most of us are so concerned that others are judging us that we order something we don’t actually want!

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Joe Darnell and Reed Hash, a senior at University of Southern California in L.A., discuss craft coffee on the West Coast and in international travel. As a student new to and in love with handcrafted coffee, and with some experience with all things counter culture in college, Reed has field tested espressos, Americanos, coffee roasters, coffee brewers and more.

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This week on the podcast, Eric and Joe discuss the difference between waiting on a good cup of coffee, and grabbing the easiest-most-readily-available coffee for the masses. What’s in your cup? We don’t always have the best and most convenient hot beverages imaginable readily available. So, what do you do if you have to pick between the two?

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This week on the podcast, Eric and Joe discuss aging coffee beans, follow-up on Celestial Seasonings’ herbal infusions, and their loves/hate relationship with decaffeinated coffees. What do we like about decaf? Where the industry is heading? The guys talk about the four types of decaf processing and their tastes.

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John Giuliano of Brewing Coffee Manually joins Joe to discuss his brewing ritual: how he stumbled upon craft coffee, roasts his own and enjoys online coffee subscriptions, collects brewing tools, and more.

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This week on the show, Eric and Joe discuss Starbuck’s latest offering: cold brew coffee, and what people are saying about it. And for the main topic, the guys talk about the health risks and benefits of coffee, and what it means for your wellness, exercise, cognitive function, and more.

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