Coffee Knowledge Hub – Details, episodes & analysis

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Coffee Knowledge Hub

Andrew Tolley

Business

Frequency: 1 episode/23d. Total Eps: 40

Do you work in the coffee industry or want to work in the coffee industry? This podcast is about the business of coffee, for people who want to improve their coffee businesses, start a coffee business, or be better at their jobs. Learn from industry leaders and experts from across the globe. Learn from the mistakes many have made before. Hosted by Andrew Tolley and Tibor Varady, whose experiences traverse cafe startup, management, training, retail, roasting, and leading diverse teams. We have a combined industry experience of over 30 years. We have been successful competitors, we are both past Chairs of the Barista Guild of Europe (as it was then). We are excited to help you navigate the dynamic world of coffee businesses.

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Data updated on 27/08/2026

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https://www.instagram.com/daggercoffee
2 shares
https://www.instagram.com/thecafeexpert
2 shares

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Score global : 43%

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What happened to balance in coffee with Peter Giuliano

Season 1 · Episode 40

Wednesday, August 26, 2026 • Duration 45:24

On the surface, this is a niche topic about a single attribute in the sensory evaluation of coffee. In fact the removal of balance from sensory scoresheets underpins much of the updated conception of how coffee professionals can subjectively and objectively evaluate the sensory experience of coffee.
If you're a cupper who is alarmed at the assertion that scoring coffee 80+ to make it specialty is subjective, rethinking balance could open a door to a new understanding. If you're a cupper who is upset that there is no longer an objective overall score for coffee, Peter argues that the subjective experience is a higher order experience, hard to quantify, but is still critical for the sensory evaluation of coffee.
This conversation between Andrew Tolley and Peter Giuliano traces “balance” from its origins as a wine term, which Ted Lingle imported into coffee cupping in the 1980s as part of the *Coffee Cuppers Handbook*. We discuss its quiet removal from the Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) system as a result of feedback from a survey of 1,600 cuppers through to its current, softer echo in World Coffee Championship “taste experience” scoring.
This podcast episode of the Coffee Knowledge Hub Podcast covers:
-history of balance as an attribute in coffee
- with new and diverse tasting experiences — from traditional specialty coffees to trendy, innovative styles — how we can build standards for different environments
- how we can bring different modalities into the tasting experience to better capture the overall perception of a coffee
- how we can communicate with customers and serve balanced, consistent coffees for different audiences
Peter and Andrew close the episode by diving deeper into practical tips for cafes to deliver a balanced, consistent espresso to their customers. So definitely stick around until the end.
And if you have read this far and just want to know what balance is: It was defined as the interaction of flavour, aftertaste, acidity, and mouthfeel. Where a higher scoring coffee had all the positive impressions that the cupper expected and none of these dominated or detracted from another in a negative way. The cupper would score it 6-10 based on their impression.
Find the link to the podcast episode in our bio or listen to it on your favorite podcast platform.
If you like the Coffee Knowledge Hub Podcast, please make sure to subscribe, comment, follow or leave a review.
LINK

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What is specialty coffee anyway? A conversation with Rob Stephen

Season 1

Thursday, August 6, 2026 • Duration 50:56

Is the specialty coffee industry going through an identity crisis, or just growing pains. We zoom in and out on the industry at different parts of the value chain to better understand what is happening in the specialty coffee industry.

Rob Stephen has a 30+ year career in coffee. He is co host of the Coffee Memo, CEO of Covoya Specialty NA, an SCA Board Director and past SCAA president amongst many other things.

This conversation was candid and expresses our own views, not organisations we are affiliated with. It will give many coffee professionals something to think about.

Green coffee identity (25 magazine, full report also available)

Watch and chat on the coffeeknowledgehub.com

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Darleen Scherer: the brand strategist who helps you stand out from the crowd

Season 1 · Episode 39

Wednesday, July 15, 2026 • Duration 58:55

Darleen Scherer has zoomed in on what makes businesses stand out from the crowd since her first job in advertising in the 90’s and through her coffee career that started in the early 2000’s.

In this episode we discuss why you need to differentiate your business, how to identify what you makes you special and how to weave your brand identity throughout your business.

Darleen Scherer has a career spanning 30 years across advertising, coffee and brand strategy. You can learn more from Darleen through her weekly Linked In newsletter, her website , substack and the coffee knowledge hub.

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Dale Harris: The World Barista Champion on the road to Ithaka - Part 2

Season 1 · Episode 36

Friday, June 19, 2026 • Duration 56:34

Our original conversation with Dale went for over 2 hours and we didn't want to cut any of the good stuff, so here is part 2.

Dale went into his sourcing policy, and decision framework for evaluating which coffees to buy. This is very different to what other competition winners do with their coffee sourcing in their roasting businesses.

We continued to explore the bigger themes of translating what Ithaka is to his customers and how he is developing this.

In reflecting on this episode and part 1 , the tension for Ithaka is also a long standing tension for the specialty coffee industry. How do we welcome coffee lovers into the specialty arena, where diversity of flavours, brewing methods, recipes, and service styles make discovery a closed door that can easily be opened, but still presents a barrier.

This makes Dale's challenges more relevant and personal for anyone who is on the same path.

https://ithaka.coffee/

Watch this on the coffee knowledge hub

We read and reply to all comments across each channel

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Dale Harris: the World Barista Champion on the road to Ithaka - Part 1

Season 1 · Episode 35

Friday, June 12, 2026 • Duration 56:09

Being the Wolrd Barista Champion and having 20 years of direct experience in the coffee industry is not a free pass to setting up and building a successful coffee business, but that is also the where the joy is.

Dale Harris established Ithaka coffee in 2025 and he shares his experiences. We spoke for over 2 hours and have cut the recording into 2 parts.

Part 1 shares the vision and describes Ithaka. Dale's embracing the complexity of coffee and wants his customers to come down the rabbit hole with him.

He describes in detail his menu, the pros and cons of using a bean to cup machine and customer perceptions.

This is a candid conversation and anyone who knows Dale will see his authentic self, for those who don't, you will see the depth of thought that goes into developing a business, how to build on existing skill sets and embrace learning and the challenges of filling skills and knowledge gaps to create a successful business.

Also, if you enjoy this podcast - check out Ithaka coffee

You can watch it on Spotify, the Coffee Knowledge Hub, and listen on Apple Podcasts.

Insta

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Opportunities, a bit of luck and a lot tenacity: Peter Dore-Smith, Kaffeine

Season 1 · Episode 34

Friday, May 22, 2026 • Duration 48:57

In this 34th episode we're sitting down with someone who we have wanted to sit down with since before we started this podcast. Peter Dore-Smith, the founder of Kaffeine in London, has built one of the most recognised specialty cafes in the world.

Over the next hour or so we're going to cover what it actually takes to run a great cafe — not in theory, but in practice. We'll get into the vision and hospitality philosophy that has defined Kaffeine since day one, the brand and marketing work that keeps it in people's minds, and the operational and financial discipline that keeps it viable. These are the essential blocks for building a business that outlasts trends and remains visible while the competitive landscape evolves.

Peter has always been incredibly generous in sharing his knowledge. If you work in or run your own cafe, or you are thinking about starting one, grab a pen and paper because the masterclass is bout to begin.

https://kaffeine.co.uk/

Instagram kaffeine.london

https://coffeeknowledgehub.com/

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Breaking out of the ‘Specialty coffee’ status quo: Diana Johnston Ledezma Roastersaurus

Season 1 · Episode 34

Wednesday, April 1, 2026 • Duration 01:00:58

Diana Johnston Ledezma doesn’t fit into neat boxes and neither does her highly original coffee brand - Roastersaurus.

It is easy to follow trends - we see it, we like it, we do it. But there are always other ways to achieve the same end goal and there are advantages to doing this.

Brands and products are building emotional connections and communicating intrinsic and extrinsic attributes of the product. In this case - specialty coffee. Roastersaurus is an example of how breaking out of the status quo gives a strategic advantage. Namely - it is original - which attracts a new and specific audience, while also being familiar to ‘specialty coffee’ consumers. The concept differentiates Diana’s coffee and brand from an ever more crowded field.

Learn more about Roastersaurus and the lessons that can be applied to other coffee brands to help them communicate specialty coffee to increase sales and build long lasting relationships with your customers.

Links:

Roastersaurus is a category finalist for best coffee packaging in The London Coffee Festival Awards 2026, Vote by 8 April 2026

https://invt.io/1wxbs18346l

www.roastersaurus.com

Example of lore (coffee info) page:

Basha Bekele: Raptor Quickfang Lore | Roastersaurus

Instagram:

Blueprint for a thriving specialty coffee industry: Mihai Panfil, Origo Coffee

Monday, March 2, 2026 • Duration 48:03

Andrew and Tibor caught up with the super-impressive Mihai Panfil, founder of Origo Coffee — one of Romania's most influential specialty coffee businesses, spanning two cafes, a roastery, and the experimental coffee brand - BrewZeus .

He's also the driving force behind the Coffee East Coffee Festival, which brings together over 60 roasters and 30,000 visitors each year in Bucharest. Few people have a better view of where Romanian coffee has been, and where it's going.

Some highlights -

From 0 to over 400 specialty cafes in 12 years

Cultivating a specialty industry

Backtracking from automation in favour of the customer experience.

There are lessons here for a global audience:

1. leadership and vision are needed for developing the industry

2. Continuous evolution and experimentation are requisites as the market and different forces shift

Origo Coffee

Linked IN

Coffee East coffee festival

Brew Zeus

takeaways

Mihai Panfil founded Origo Coffee Roasters, a leading specialty coffee business in Romania.
The Romanian coffee market was initially dominated by Italian-style cafes with limited options for specialty coffee.
Mihai's experience at the World Barista Championship inspired him to create a unique coffee experience in Romania.
The first Origo cafe focused on customer interaction and education about specialty coffee.

Water for coffee for cafes and operators with Maxwell Dashwood

Season 1 · Episode 32

Friday, January 30, 2026 • Duration 01:28:24

We know that you can only do the right thing by your coffee by ensuring that the water you use to brew it is the best it can be. The topic made waves in the industry in large parts thanks to Maxwell Dashwood and Dr Christopher H Hendon’s book Water for Coffee published in 2015. Now they have brought out edition 2, which is essentially a rewrite of the first edition.

We spoke to Maxwell to learn how we can apply the updated science and technology as best practices for businesses serving coffee.

We cover a lot of topics including:

Why water for espresso should be different to water for filter
How to optimise water for different brew methods
What to avoid for cafe operators

You can buy the book at these respected online retailers:

UK:

https://maxwelldashwood.com/

Europe:

www.contributor.coffee

Switzerland

https://www.mylittlecup.ch/products/the-physics-of-filter-coffee-jonathan-gagne-livre-sur-la-science-du-cafe-filtre-copy

Crafting the world barista champtionships

Episode 31

Saturday, December 20, 2025 • Duration 38:38

From being an 'immigrant' who wanted to shed the stereotype by doing something really American to being told later in life that she was 'too American, this is a world competition', Cindy Ludviksen has the shaped the World Barista Championships to be the leading global coffee competition. It has profoundly changed countless lives over its 25 year history and given the barista profession credibility.

This interview highlights how Cindy stepped up as a volunteer, shaking off prejudices about her identity to transform an obscure 'sideline' event at trade shows, into a global phenomenon.

This is a case study in leadership, without the authority of an official position and as a minority and a woman.

We learn about the early days of the WBCs and how it evolved to become the professional body it is today. We also get insights into Cindy's aspirations for the future of the WBCs.

For anyone in the coffee industry who has been touched by these competitions, this is essential listening.

You can also comment and watch HERE

Find out more about Cindy through Specialty Coffee Assocation and her Linked In

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Coffee Knowledge Hub – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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Coffee Knowledge Hub – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other52

Instagram9

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other52

Instagram9

LinkedIn7