Coffee with Conservationists – Details, episodes & analysis

Jeff is a leading expert in biodiversity and a passionate educator and natural historian. Pelagic publishing kindly sent me a copy of his latest book “Birds and Flowers, an intimate fifty million year relationship”. (gifted). Me and Jeff sat down to talk about his work studying this relationship, his beginnings in natural history and why the much-loved hummingbirds are far from the only family of birds known to be pollinators.

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Coffee feature: Gajah Mountain from Union Coffee Roasters

Country: Sumatra

Producer: Gajah Mountain

Altitude: 1300masl

Tasting notes: Grapefruit, chocolate truffle, mollasses

Music credits - "Heron Island" by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Richard Bentley⁠⁠⁠

Fiona is Professor of Environmental Biology at the University of Sussex and the founding Chair of Mammal Conservation Europe. Tim is Professor of English Literature at Exeter university. Together they live in the wilds of Devon, from where they were kind enough to dial in to chat to me about their 2023 bestselling book, “Black Ops and Beaver Bombing”.

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Coffee feature from Manumit Coffee Roasters

Country: Uganda

Producer: The Zukuka Bora Coffee project

Tasting notes: Peach, red apple & raspberry

Music credits - "Heron Island" by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Richard Bentley⁠⁠⁠

Rada is a marine science student based in Cornwall. We talk about her Erasmus+ small scale partnership, The Thalassophile Project, which aims to make marine science accessible to everyone - with a focus on d/Deaf and visually impaired people. Follow the project here. Follow the podcast on Instagram | follow me - @george_brynmor on Instagram | Support me on Ko-fi here My 'coffee' feature this episode actually a drinking chocolate from Chocolarder. I'll tell you much more about them in the next bonus episode, so think of this as a teaser for some seriously delicious hot chocolate. Music credits - "Heron Island" by Richard Bentley

Jessica is a wildlife biologist and road ecologist.

We talk about the field of road ecology, and the importance of providing safe passages for wildlife. 

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My coffee feature this episode is Olfactory Coffee. Find out more on their website.

Farm: Aquiares Estate

Country: Costa Rica

Region: Bahia Turriaba

Variety:  Esperanza

Process:  Washed

Altitude:  800 - 1400 masl

Producer:  Don Alfonso Robelo & his family

Certificate:  Organic CO2 decaffeination

Taste: Milk chocolate, Dates, Caramel

Music credits - "Heron Island" by Richard Bentley

Ben is a wildlife filmmaker and graduate of Marine & Natural History Photography at Falmouth university. 

We talk about his final year film “In Search of Owls”, some of the threats facing owls in the UK, and why he dedicated over a year of his life to these stunning animals. 

Watch Ben's film here.

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My coffee feature this week is Plot Coffee. Find out more on their website.

Cultivar: Typica, Mundo Novo, Bourbon
Preparation: Washed
Origin: Sierra Mazateca, Oaxaca
Altitude: 1,600m – 1,800 masl
Price Paid per lot by company to farmers: £11.21/kg

Tasting Notes - pear, caramel and honey. 

Music credits - "Heron Island" by Richard Bentley

Emma is a climate activist and Student Guild President at Exeter University. talk about the Shell Out! campaign, the direct action group Just Stop Oil, and the many nuances within the conversation about no new oil and gas licences. 

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My coffee feature this week is Radical Roasters. Find out more on their website.

Producer - Multiple smallholders from Chota, Peru & Colombia

Tasting Notes - Dark Chocolate, Fudge & Hazelnuts

Process - Washed

Varietal - Variedad Colombia, Castillo & Cattura

Music credits - "Heron Island" by Richard Bentley 

Madeleine is a masters student studying Conservation Biology and Ecology at the University of Exeter, on their Falmouth campus in Cornwall. In the third episode in a series of local walking podcast episodes, we talk about moths! The issues affecting them, their importance to their local environment, and breaking down the stigma surrounding them.

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My coffee feature this week is Counter Culture Coffee. Find out more on their website.

Origin - Honduras  

Producer - Finca El Puente

Tasting Notes - Apricot, nougat, cocoa

Process - Washed

Varieties - Catuaí

Elevation - 1,500–1,680 meter

Certifications: B-Corp Certified, kosher

Music credits - "Heron Island" by Richard Bentley 

For the last episode for quite a long time, Arthur wrote his own bio that I think perfectly sums up his role in this heavily nuanced conversation:  "Arthur is a DSC2-qualified deer manager. He channels his passion for wild areas and the animals that populate them, to offer a rounded and respectful approach to resolving Deer related issues, sensitively and creatively.  Arthur’s connection to the land has forged in him deep respect and recognition of its importance of it, in all our lives. As a passionate outdoorsman, he has delved into the world of silviculture, deer and nature’s ecosystems. You can find out more about Arthur's work here: https://www.thewildorder.com/  Follow the podcast on Instagram / follow me - @george_brynmor on Instagram / Support me on Ko-fi here My coffee feature this week is Old Spike Coffee. I haven't had the opportunity to try this coffee just yet, but I'm very much looking forward to soon. Find out more on their website. Origin - Guatemala Tasting Notes - Milk chocolate, orange, cream Farm - La Comunidad Producer - San Miguel Variety - Bourbon Process - Washed Altitude - 1800m above sea level Music credits - "Heron Island" by Richard Bentley 

Among many other things, Tolmeia is a climate justice activist, freelance artist and host of the podcast 'Idealistically'; and Celina is an ecologist and conservation photographer. We talk about the climate and ecological crisis; the recent heatwaves in the UK caused by this crisis; and finding hope in the face of it all.

You can find out more about Tolmeia's work here: https://www.tolmeiagregory.com/ and Celina's work here: https://www.celinachien.com/ 

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My coffee feature this week is Birds and Beans Coffee. I haven't had the opportunity to try this coffee just yet, but I'm very much looking forward to soon. Find out more on their website.

Origin - Guatemala 

Tasting Notes - A mild and smooth coffee with caramel, fruit and nut.

Certifications: Organic, Bird Friendly, Fair Trade

Music credits - "Heron Island" by Richard Bentley 

Richard is a botanist, ecologist and member of the Scythe Association of Britain and Ireland. Mary is a strong advocate for wildlife and semi-professional scyther. We talk about lawn and meadow ecology, the No-Mow-May campaign and the benefits of hand-scything. We're well into July Now, so sadly any May practices will have to be implemented in 2023!

(P.S. - the "explicit" content is just a little swear word and the name of a public Instagram account. Nothing to be afraid of!)

You can find out more about SABI and Plantlife's campaign on their websites 

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My coffee feature this week is Doi Chaang Coffee co . I haven't had the opportunity to try a specific blend of this coffee just yet, but I'm very much looking forward to soon. Find out more on their website.

Origin - Thailand

Tasting Notes - A sweet taste with a hint of smoky flavour, it finishes with a hint of chocolate and macadamia nut.

Music credits - "Heron Island" by Richard Bentley