Coffee Sprudgecast

Suns out, cardamom buns out! It's summertime here in the Northern Hemisphere and that can only mean one thing: the season of Build-Outs is upon us! Since the dawn of the internet, we've celebrated new cafes, cafe builds, remodels, refreshes, tear-downs, and glow-ups in a feature series we call The Build-Outs of Coffee. And each year we celebrate podcast style with the Sprudge Podcast Coffee Sprudg...

Another fabulous week, another fabulous Coffee Sprudgecast episode. We're going full Proof of Taste on the pod this week, with several coffees ranging from outstanding to thank god we're still standing. Little Buddy, Danny Devito, Small Americano, Italiano. Call it whatever you want, but let's be real: three, four ounces of hot water with espresso, this little drink is delightful, and we slam one...

It's Hood strawberry season here in Portland, Oregon and we have strawberry fever here at the Coffee Sprudgecast. Hood season also means it's Build-Outs of Coffee season and hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen are champing at the bit to kick things off next week . Will this be the biggest build-outs season ever? To take build-outs buzz to 11, the hosts share a Strawberry White Chocolate Moc...

We're deconstructing vanilla lattes on the newest episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast! Hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen sip their way through another episode of Sprudge's flagship podcast with the help of some truly unique coffees, flavors, and milks. Later in the show Zachary Carlsen interviews the founder of Post Brew Coffee Mints, a new product made specifically to fight the scourge of...

It was the product that baffled and dazzled the attendees of World of Coffee San Diego in equal measure. We're talking, of course, about Soup Latte. Not a soup caffè latte, mind. No espresso involved—we're talking a chuggable micro-foamed milk-based soup. Soup Latte debuted at World of Coffee sampling three of their five flavors: Broccoli Cheddar, Coconut Curry, and Truffle Mushroom. The product w...

World of Coffee 2026 was quite literally everything—a three-day bacchanal of coffee culture, coffee business, and coffee innovation, in the sunny center of San Diego. The vibes? Immaculate. The coffee? Delicious. Our team covered the event from top to bottom all weekend long, from curated guides to immersive live social media coverage. But now it's our chance to look back, reflect on the show, and...

As far as food fads go, protein and the desire for more protein seems to be as enduring as the non-fat craze of the 80s and 90s. Protein injection into familiar foodstuffs and beverages seems to only be getting more pronounced. This also applies to coffee. Protein enhanced coffee beverages, or "proffee", lines RTD shelves in the grocery store and even Starbucks is joining the game with a range of...

The Coffee Sprudgecast is back, it's springtime, the world is buzzing about World of Coffee San Diego , and we're buzzing about The Sprudge Twenty Presented by Pacific Barista Series . Nominations are now open for the eighth annual Sprudge Twenty class , honoring inspiring coffee professionals worldwide.

Perusing the cookbook sections at thrift stores can be a real treat. While digging through well worn copies of Dump Cakes and other Cathy Mitchell classics, we absolutely screamed when we discovered a pristine third edition copy of The Ghirardelli Cookbook (1986). We've worked with Ghirardelli for a number of years, and on the Coffee Sprudgecast here in 2026 we are teaming up to dive deep into the...

In the 175 episodes of the Coffee Sprudgecast, only a few are truly dedicated and earnestly focused on that most imporant of concepts:  Proof of Taste . And on the latest episode, we take proof of taste to 100. Only the flavors matter. Only the best brew will do. Are you on the list? Are you ready to prove your taste once and for all?? On this week's episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, hosts Jordan...

On this episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast we go on decidedly delicious deep dives. It's *all* about proof of taste—and we're here to prove that taste is what matters above nearly all else. Listen in our as intrepid founders glide over the modernity of romance in 2026, subject listeners to an Orwellian abuse of the word "purist", and enjoy Caffe Umbria Bizzarri Blend (how Bizzarri, how Bizzarri) as...

The Coffee Sprudgecast celebrates the seventeenth year of Sprudgie Award winners and honorees, presented in partnership with Pacific Barista Series, on this very special episode. Hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen fuel up before getting into it with the help of Klatch Coffees' Valentine's Day offering  Aphrodite Nº 3 and the delightful Garden Lemongrass herbal tisane from DONA . The Aphrod...

In the year brew thousand… in the year brew thousaaaaand ! The new year is upon us and, as such, there has never a more relevant time to look into the future. Fueled with pour-overs of Loyal Coffee's Mountain Melody Blend brewed using an appropriately futuristic brewer, Sprudgecast hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen make their startling predictions for 2026. Did someone say futuristic brew...

We're ready for the World Flairista Championship on this special year-in- rebrew episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast. Podcast hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen take the Flair 58+2 for a twirl with the La Prima Espresso Co. Buon Natale holiday blend. Jordan calls Zachary a "confirmed Flairista". Coffee podcast hosts can't live on espresso alone, so they slurped mightily upon a Ceado Hoop bre...

It's officially Holiday Blend season here at the Sprudge Headquarters. To celebrate, we conducted an epic coffee cupping with exceptional Holiday Blends from 24 coffee roasters . Once properly overly caffeinated, Coffee Sprudgecast hosts and Sprudge co-founders Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman hopped on the mics to unpack and share notes. 'Tis the season, so brew up a hot cup of holiday blend,...

On today's episode of The Coffee Sprudgecast, hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen drip drop minerals, dish about coffee events and the seventeenth annual Sprudgie Awards (noms open November 10!) Michelman discusses his experience at HOSTMilano, the massive food convention that played host to the 2025 United States Barista Championship, and the La Marzocco Out of the Box Event in Milan: fres...

Barreling into November—this podcast needs a drink! At the top of the latest episode we rip a generous glug of State Line Distillery's new Coffee Liqueur with coffee from Madison, Wisconsin's Kin-Kin Coffee . The reaction? " Oh. " "Oh?" " Ohh. " The unique flavor sensations don't end there—hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen Ceado Hoop Brew a special offering from Deadstock Coffee and Portl...

It's busy out there in the world of coffee: national barista champions from across the globe are in Milan for The World Barista Championship at HOST Milano and La Marzocco's Out of the Box . Who will become the 2025 World Barista Champion? Only time will tell! In the meantime, we've got another humdinger of an episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast. Much is discussed on this episode but the real meat i...

The days are getting shorter, the leaves are falling, the pumpkin spice latte recipes are influencing —and for us? It means big European coffee events, awards season, gift guides, and an extra helping of tea in the moody afternoons. Much tea is talked about on the Coffee Sprudgecast thanks to our continuation of the DONA Tea Library deep dive, including a tea sourced from the Wah Estate featured i...

We're exploring brand new cafes from Seattle, Olympia, Long Beach, and Medellin on another special episode of the Coffee Buildcast on the Coffee Sprudgecast (a coffee podcast). At the top of the show hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen enjoy coffee from Caffe Umbria brewed using the new Timemore Sculptor Series Electric Grinder , Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2 Scale , all brewed with the Cea...

We're in the middle of a very busy Build-Outs of Coffee Summer, that time of year when Sprudge spotlights new and exciting projects from near and far. To celebrate, we chose four to highlight on the newest episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast. To keep hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen in tip top form, the two sip espresso on the show. It's a little daring, a little different—most shows will...

On this episode, we're taking you on a wild trip, man. Inspired by Verve Coffee 's recent collaboration with Grateful Dead and their delicious Morning Brew Blend, hosts Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman weird out on Grateful Dead lore. From favorite eras to favorite albums to tales from the golden road, things get a little heady in an extremely chill way. Later in the episode, Michelman sits do...

It's that time of the year again, where the days are long, the coffees are flash chilled, and cafes show up and build-out! On the latest episode the show we explore new cafe build-outs from Bradley Beach, New Jersey, down to Springdale, Arkansas and all the way to Ventura, California. It's all part of our annual Build-Outs of Coffee series, a humdinger of a program focusing on the hard work, dedic...

Welcome to the Coffee Sprudgecast. It's not just a coffee podcast, it's a taste experience, where only the strongest endure. Zachary Carlsen returns from World of Coffee Jakarta on the Coffee Sprudgecast and brings with him delicious coffees, interesting coffees, and coffees he didn't dare dream existed. This includes a Space Roastery coffee that mimics the process of Kopi Luwak (the poop coffee)...

We've got a special bite-sized episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast this week, featuring an interview with 2025 World Roasting Champion Mikaël Portannier . Liz Chai caught Portannier on stage moments after announcements to learn more about his epic win. Host Zachary Carlsen sips Passenger Coffee's India Bhadra while thumbing through a copy of their 2024 Transparency Report. "In addition to prices pai...