Filament Coffee Podcast

We're back for 2024 with our Christmas Special Episode. It's been a while, but you definitely can't tell. In this episode Chris shares his revolutionary parenting technique for clearing out a crowded playground, Aaron proudly announces his cinematic achievement of starting (but not finishing) exactly one movie this year, and Brendan recounts 'the incident' at our live show...

Have you ever daydreamed about owning a cafe? Maybe you've spotted one for sale and are on the fence? Today's episode is a must-listen. Meet Matt Kenworthy, a numbers man who, along with his wife Ash, took the plunge and bought not just one but three cafes in 2019. He shares his journey from mortgage broking to owning and running the East Vic Park institution formerly known as Antz Cafes...

This is one to watch on video if you can! Oh what a special day it is when Chris puts in more than 3 minutes of preparation! This week he told us he has something special ready, but we couldn't have imagined he'd written a complete scene from his new Screen-Play "The Story of Filament Coffee” Before we run through the first table read, Aaron starts the episode off by discussing the...

Our Very first video episode! And what a way to start! Watch the video episode on YouTube here . After Chris reads some timely obituaries, Aaron kicks us off with his six-part manifesto to get us to all slow down, and take time (30 seconds or 30 minutes) the next time we have a coffee. Then we workshop the kid's book. An idea we had back on episode 50 when Aaron brought in a book about a mole...

The Matt that matters most, Matt Muhl from Brightside Coffee joins us for the first time this year as we discuss all that is new and noteworthy in the world of coffee. We kick off with a coffee update from Matt. Price relief is on the horizon,  with the Brazil harvest looking “absolutely baby glam” to quote the man himself. With exports up for the world's biggest coffee producer, price relief...

50 Episodes! And what a way to celebrate Aaron tells us he's quit coffee, tells us he's been giving his daughter coffee, and then tells us he owns a book that is literally about a badger trying to find an animal who defecated on him. He also discusses the Story of the Aeropress, the Crazy coffee idea by a Stanford Professor and Frisbee maker that made millions. After a shaky start, the o...

This is a big episode, tackling a big topic: Australia's dying coffee culture. What was once the envy of the coffee world has become a myriad of mediocrity as more and more people take their bikes and their laptops to cafes in 2023, only to be met with the lazy attitudes of the barista. Maybe you've been denied chocolate sprinkles on your cappuccino because it isn't ‘authentic’? May...

In this episode, we break down the best coffee makers for camping and tell you why they're no good. Ever tried to make a coffee for a group of people with your Aeropress? You can't do it. What about packing all the kit needed to brew up a fresh pot with a v60? You're dreaming. We tell you what to look for in a camping coffee maker and which one to pick up for your next camping trip...

A business focussed episode this week as we talk about the Valley of Death; that perilous journey every small business faces when they decide to scale up. It's a decision that all businesses face after a short time, including ours. Aaron leads our discussion and asks us what drives a small business owner to make that leap? Is it money, is it ego, is it something else? Why isn't it enough...

The weekly C02 footprint of the average cafe in Australia is equal to the C02 output 57 cars. Do you think your reusable cup is helping to reduce this? It isn't. A Climate focussed discussion this episode as we ask the question: is Australia's obsession with reusable cups just a big distraction when it comes to the impact of C02 emissions of your favourite cafe? Chris discusses the most...

This was a really fun one. In this latest episode, we dive into three crucial coffee questions: 1. Is the specialty coffee shop in trouble? Can they survive today just making good coffee, or are they doomed to shut their doors without moving into roasting or food service? 2. How can we fix the World Barista Championship so that it's more financially inclusive for all competitors; and 3. What...

We're back for 2023! In this episode, we dive into the story of the US-based coffee roaster who was ripped off $250,000 trying to make it in the wholesale market. Were they unlucky, or did they just stuff up their contract? What would Filament do? We discuss the future of espresso, in Italy and everywhere else. Is it on the way out? We talk about the palate preference of coffee lovers in 2023...

Good golly we had some laughs reading these in 2022. We absolutely love hearing from our listeners, and reading out what you write to us in the Listener Question segment has become a favourite of ours. To celebrate a brand new year of the podcast, we've put together a mix of the best questions of 2022 for you all to enjoy. We'd like to thank every one of our listeners, but in particular...

2022: The year that was in coffee.  Matt Muhl joins us again this episode, this time to wrap up the highs and lows of coffee in 2022 whilst we enjoy two very unique coffee cocktail creations from Chris and Aaron. Aaron creates a delicious, unique take on the classic Negroni and Chris wows us with a little trick he learned when traveling to make a coffee cocktail for the discrete grocery shopper. W...

Joined by Matt Muhl from Brightside Coffee to celebrate our Christmas Special episode, we get into the spirit of the silly season right from the start. The original title of this Christmas Special episode was "Coffee in Beer" as we followed a similar theme to last year and responsibly enjoyed a couple of local coffee-based beers whilst we recorded this one. It was quickly overshadowed by...

When did people stop taking dogs for walks in parks and start taking them everywhere they go? Dogs have their own beaches, dogs are on trains, dogs are in taxis, and this week; we discuss dogs in cafes.  We've debated dog owner etiquette a little in the last couple of episodes and we get into it once and for all. As three non-dog owners, we apologise in advance, but as you'll find— we ar...

This week, we discuss the future of Arabica coffee with the very real threats that coffee leaf rust and climate change will have on this coffee species. This is only after our resident herbivore, Aaron, tells us all about Cultural Omnivores and their modern-day choices between elite and popular coffee spots. Are you a Cultural Coffee Omnivore? Also in this episode, Aaron updates us on the C-Price...

Have you ever ordered a couple of coffees and had the Barista assume the almond flat white was for the lovely lady, and the long black which she ordered was for the gentleman? It happens more than you think so this week, we try to get to the bottom of it. Also; inflation and the price of a cup of coffee. Inflation isn't slowing down abroad or here in Australia - the cost of a cup of coffee ha...

The weather is warming up and cold brew coffee is back in the minds of coffee lovers all over Australia. A quick search online of "how to make cold brew coffee" yields hundreds of recipes, all with different ratios, different brew times, and different roast profiles. Where do you start? Should you make enough for the whole week or just enough for tomorrow? In this episode, Brendan and Ch...

Another edition of Pies & Pulses; and on this episode, we discuss the highest price for coffee ever sold after the recent Ethiopia Cup of Excellence awards.  The winning coffee sold for a whopping $1300 Australian dollars per kilo green! Also in this episode; Coffee & Cigarettes - why do they go so well together? A recent study hypothesises a pairing as iconic as beetroot and chocolate.  ...

We start this week with Chris explaining himself; why we haven't been able to record for a month—before we get into a brand new format! A round-up of our favourite coffee news is brought to the table where we discuss all that is new and noteworthy in the wonderful world of coffee. In this episode, we find out what the disgraced former CEO of Luckin Coffee (Episode 7) has been up to, we discus...

A year ago, on the podcast, Chris made us a coffee at his house. He used pre-ground, dark-roasted coffee, which he kept in a plastic container.  It was truly terrible, and we were polite about it, but Chris couldn't have cared less about coffee as the co-host of a new coffee podcast. A year later, and a year into sharing the stories and facts we love about coffee, we had a thought—how much ha...

Do you know where your coffee is from?  In 2022, "responsibly sourced" and "ethically purchased" are words used to reassure conscious coffee drinkers that they can feel good about their morning ritual.  But is it that simple? Coffee passes through many hands to reach your cup, as small lot farmers simply don't have the capital or knowledge to distribute their coffee around...

If you live in Australia and drink coffee, chances are pretty slim that you wake up to enjoy a filter-style coffee. Australia's strong espresso coffee culture is renowned worldwide, so why bother with filter coffee? Isn't that just the burnt stuff served in American diners? That's what Chris says, anyway.  And we agree—filter coffee is not for everyone. But we love coffee, so we wan...

I've known Chris Topher since we were 17 years old.  We met at a friend's fancy dress 18th birthday party.  I went as Leonardo, the ninja turtle, and when I couldn't work out what his costume was, he told me he was Frank Abignail Jr from the movie Catch Me If You Can. He's been obsessed with scamming, swindling, deceiving, defrauding and grifting since his high school days, so...