Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries – Details, episodes & analysis

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Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries

James Harper

Arts

History

Science

Frequency: 1 episode/38d. Total Eps: 81

Coffee stories with an extra shot of history and science.

Filter Stories is a podcast revealing coffee’s hidden microscopic secrets, its powerful past, and how your choice of beans impacts tens of millions of people.

See the behind-the-scenes stories on Instagram @filterstoriespodcast.

If you haven't already, please subscribe to the show and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

🇩🇪 Germany - food
20/08/2026
#71
🇬🇧 Great Britain - food
19/08/2026
#77
🇩🇪 Germany - food
19/08/2026
#35
🇫🇷 France - food
19/08/2026
#97
🇬🇧 Great Britain - food
18/08/2026
#53
🇩🇪 Germany - food
18/08/2026
#31
🇺🇸 USA - food
18/08/2026
#95
🇫🇷 France - food
18/08/2026
#81
🇬🇧 Great Britain - food
17/08/2026
#60
🇫🇷 France - food
17/08/2026
#61

Spotify

No recent rankings available

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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https://podyssey.fm/podcast/itunes1428327760-Filter-Stories
43 shares
http://www.eepurl.com/dD-sY1
32 shares
https://headquarters.studio/
20 shares

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RSS feed quality

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Score global : 69%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

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Latest published episodes

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Freshness and Grinding, Part 2: How grinders work deep inside

Season 5 · Episode 10

Monday, May 6, 2024 • Duration 47:24

Deep inside your coffee grinder, tiny changes can have massive consequences.

This episode takes you deep inside Mahlkönig’s grinders to show you how coffee is ground and the importance of particle sizes on flavour.

If you’re a home coffee lover, you could easily spend thousands of dollars on your coffee grinder. But after diving deep into the R&D of grinder manufacturing, I learned that after a certain point spending more probably won’t produce a better tasting cup of coffee for you!

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Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!

Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my Substack newsletter.

Write a review on Apple Podcasts
Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story
Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify

Explore Mahlkönig’s range of world leading grinders, trusted by baristas globally.

Go deeper into the world of grinding

Take Barista Hustle’s Advanced Espresso course
Learn from Lance Hedrick where the sweet spot is for buying a coffee grinder
Get super nerdy with Jonathan GagnÃ©’s writings on grinding
Read up on Samo Smrke’s work on coffee fines

Connect with my very knowledgeable guests

Arnaldo Rodrigues - LinkedIn
Luca Lange - LinkedIn
Chris Meier - LinkedIn
Dario Burger - Instagram

The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:
https://bit.ly/3EEpuxN

BWT Water and More
Marco Beverage Systems
ROEST
Sustainable Harvest
Mahlkönig
https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO

The Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories

Read moreCollapse

Freshness and Grinding, Part 1: Protecting your coffee's flavours

Season 5 · Episode 9

Monday, April 22, 2024 • Duration 49:40

For your coffee to taste its best, it’s crucial you buy fresh roasts and grind fresh.…
.….Or maybe not.

When I began creating this episode, I was convinced that ‘fresh is best’. But, after delving into the science of coffee freshness, I don’t believe that anymore.

This episode goes deep into how diffusion and oxidation changes a coffee’s flavours.

You’ll learn what it takes to store your coffee grounds unbelievably well. So well, that if you do it right, you will struggle to taste the difference between two month old coffee compared to those same beans freshly ground!

But here’s the weirdest thing: Maybe, just maybe, you will prefer old coffee more than the fresh stuff.

----------

Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!

Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my Substack newsletter.

Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify
Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram storyhttps://apple.co/3jWYtxq
Write a review on Apple Podcasts

Explore Mahlkönig’s range of world leading grinders, trusted by baristas globally.

Dive deeper into the science of coffee freshness

Do a Certificate of Advanced Studies with the Coffee Excellence CentrePick up a copy of the SCA’s Connect with my very knowledgeable guestsSamo Smrke - 19 Grams Coffee Roasters in Berlin - Arnaldo Rodrigues - The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations: is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast

Introducing: Season 2 of The Science of Coffee

Season 5

Tuesday, January 2, 2024 • Duration 02:18

We're back with another series of The Science of Coffee!

Across 10 science stories, narrative audio producer and coffee professional James Harper takes you on a journey into coffee's hidden microscopic secrets.

James has spent the last year traveling to Central America, Greece, Norway, Switzerland and interviewing dozens of the world’s leading coffee scientists. This insights will help you appreciate coffee more deeply and make even better coffee at home.

We'll explore organic coffee growing, delve into the science of roasting, uncover optimal storage and grinding techniques, enhance your tasting skills through sensory science, and share James' journey towards thinking more like a scientist.

Press the Subscribe button so you don't miss future episodes! https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO

Follow James on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0O

The Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories: https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e

The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:
BWT Water and More
Mahlkönig
Marco Beverage Systems
Sustainable Harvest

4) Just Friends? America's love affair with coffee

Season 4 · Episode 4

Monday, May 29, 2023 • Duration 44:24

America is coffee-obsessed. From Central Perk’s red couch being the centre of major plot twists in Friends to the fact the average American drank more than two cups a day.

And the conventional explanation is pretty straightforward: an English colonist introduces coffee to Jamestown in 1607. 150 years later Americans rebel against the British by throwing tea chests into Boston harbour and drinking coffee becomes their patriotic duty. Oh, and of course who won the civil war? The side that had the coffee.

But, actually, the truth is much more surprising, and reveals a much more counter-intuitive story of America.

In this final episode of Series Two of A History of Coffee, we offer you a story of America through the lens of a black drink, another black drink, a third black drink and perhaps even a fourth.

A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’.
Don't miss future episodes by pressing the 'Subscribe' or 'Follow' button in your podcast player.

-----------

Please spread the word about A History of Coffee!

Follow us on Instagram - Jonathan (@coffeehistoryjm) and James (@filterstoriespodcast ) - and tag us in an Instagram story.

Write a review on Apple Podcasts (http://apple.co/3jY42aJ)

Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3K2h4RQ)This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by , manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for your home and coffee bar for almost 100 years ()Read Jonathan’s book, )Listen to other coffee documentaries on James’ (Download all episodes of this second series right now by subscribing to the ‘ (http://bit.ly/2NArChO)Learn how Brazil massively expanded output in episode three of the first series of : Coffee Catches Fire (https://bit.ly/2NArChO)Brew up some ! (https://bit.ly/40R6IuY)Discover Deb Hunter's podcast (https://bit.ly/3L5OZet)

3) Espresso Lungo: The slow road to Italy's democratic espresso culture

Season 4 · Episode 3

Monday, May 15, 2023 • Duration 44:57

One morning back in the ‘80s, Howard Schultz walks out of his Milan hotel, stumbles into an espresso bar, and fundamentally changes coffee history.

He discovered (and then popularises) the iconic, timeless Italian coffee experience: Rich thick coffee, an affordable price and great theatre.

But this Italian ritual is surprisingly young, so young that Howard Schultz was in school while some of it was being developed!

In this third episode of Series Two of A History of Coffee, we show you why for most of Italy’s history, coffee was thin, expensive, dull to watch…and that’s if you were lucky enough to even be drinking the real stuff at all!

A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’.

-----------

Don't miss future episodes by pressing the 'Subscribe' or 'Follow' button in your podcast player

Please spread the word about A History of Coffee!

Follow us on Instagram - Jonathan (@coffeehistoryjm) and James (@filterstoriespodcast ) - and tag us in an Instagram story.

Write a review on Apple Podcasts (http://apple.co/3jY42aJ)

Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3K2h4RQ)

This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by , manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for your home and coffee bar for almost 100 years ()Read Jonathan’s book, )Listen to other coffee documentaries on James’ (Download all episodes of this second series right now by subscribing to the ‘ (http://bit.ly/2NArChO)Go deeper into the story of espresso machines: about Espresso Machine Technology (https://bit.ly/3zZCivl) (https://bit.ly/3MOX7kQ), Officina Rancilio 1926 (https://bit.ly/3Q7vqTI) espresso machine (https://bit.ly/41uBryd), the BER Rancilio Station (https://bit.ly/3mD0lNA)

2) A Lasting Stain: Haiti, Colonialism and Coffee

Season 4 · Episode 2

Monday, May 1, 2023 • Duration 47:33

Haiti was once the biggest, most profitable coffee growing region in the world.

But today Haiti is one of the world’s poorest nations where you can’t get a bag of Haitian beans delivered to Berlin in a week for love nor money.

In this second episode of Series Two of A History of Coffee, we show you how colonialism and racism dragged Haiti into poverty, and the role of coffee at the centre of it.

Be warned: this episode contains graphic descriptions of violence.

A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’.

-----------

Don't miss future episodes by pressing the 'Subscribe' or 'Follow' button in your podcast player

Please spread the word about A History of Coffee!

Follow us on Instagram - Jonathan (@coffeehistoryjm) and James (@filterstoriespodcast ) - and tag us in an Instagram story.

Write a review on Apple Podcasts (http://apple.co/3jY42aJ)

Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3K2h4RQ)

This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by Rancilio, manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for your home and coffee bar for almost 100 years ()Read Jonathan’s book, )Listen to other coffee documentaries on James’ (Download all episodes of this second series right now by subscribing to the ‘ (http://bit.ly/2NArChO)

1) It's Just Coffee? How coffee houses changed the world

Season 4 · Episode 1

Monday, April 17, 2023 • Duration 45:41

A coffee shop is a lot more than just a place to drink coffee. The seats and sofas encourage you to invite a friend, and chat.

And chatting is powerful: ideas that emerge from these caffeine-fuelled conversations give birth to modern finance and even the founding of great artistic and scientific institutions.

Meanwhile, other ideas threaten those in power, and have led to many attempts to ban coffeeshops (and even coffee itself!) these last 500 years.

In the first episode of Series Two of A History of Coffee, we show you how the coffee shop changed the world, and we ask whether it still has what it takes to upend society.

A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’.

-----------

Don't miss future episodes by pressing the 'Subscribe' or 'Follow' button in your podcast player

Please spread the word about A History of Coffee!

Follow us on Instagram - Jonathan (@coffeehistoryjm) and James (@filterstoriespodcast ) - and tag us in an Instagram story.

Write a review on Apple Podcasts (http://apple.co/3jY42aJ)

Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3K2h4RQ)

This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by , manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for your home and coffee bar for almost 100 years ()Read Jonathan’s book, )Listen to other coffee documentaries on James’ (Download all episodes of this second series right now by subscribing to the ‘ (http://bit.ly/2NArChO)

Introducing: Series Two of A History of Coffee

Season 4

Monday, April 3, 2023 • Duration 05:01

We're back with more stories about the tiny psychoactive seed that changed the world and continues to shape our lives today.

In Series Two, we reveal how the invention of the coffee shop revolutionised societies, why colonialism, racism and coffee have kept once prosperous Haiti poor today, how Italy's revered espresso culture was created, and we debunk many myths around America's supposed love affair with coffee.

If we want to make coffee a more equitable industry that’s also kinder to the environment, a place to start is understanding the stories and systems that put the coffee into your cup this morning.

Press the ‘Subscribe’ button so you don’t miss future episodes. Listen to all the episodes at once on the A History of Coffee podcast channel.

A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’.

Follow us on Instagram! Jonathan Morris @coffeehistoryjm and James Harper @filterstoriespodcast.

This free educational content was made possible with the support of Rancilio, manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for almost 100 years.

Join us live at the London Coffee Festival 2023! We have three time slots for you to choose from: Saturday, 22 April, 11:00-11:30 and 14:30-15:00, and Sunday, 23 April,14:30-15:00.

6) Sonic Seasoning

Season 3 · Episode 6

Tuesday, January 31, 2023 • Duration 53:48

Imagine you’ve got a cup of coffee in front of you. You haven’t tasted it yet. You therefore don’t know what it tastes like, right?

Wrong. Some scientists argue that you actually do know what it will taste like (more or less), and the act of tasting simply confirms what you have already imagined it will taste like. And that’s because a growing body of research is revealing that sight, sound and touch all affect your expectation of a coffee’s flavours.

In this episode, I explore how certain sounds might make your coffee taste sweeter, while other sounds translate to bitterness. And I expose how some cafe owners might be ruining the flavours of the high-end specialty coffee you paid for without even realising it.

In the second half, I show you why so many of our scientific questions about coffee are going unanswered. I take you deep into the future of coffee science by explaining who’s doing research into coffee science, why they’re doing it, how much it costs and how you can get involved.

----------

Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!

Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story
Write a review on Apple Podcasts
Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify

Explore the technology behind Fiorenzato’s AllGround home coffee grinder

Get more involved in coffee science!

Buy Brita Folmer’s The Craft & Science of Coffee

Read the Specialty Coffee Association's 25 Magazine for cutting edge insights into coffee science, business and sustainability, including Partner with the Explore Felipe Reinoso Carvalho’s , including ’ winning World Barista Championship routineApply to study at the Do an online course with ZHAW’s Subscribe to and complete their online coffee coursesBecome a member of the , , and attend their events!Connect with my very knowledgeable guestsCharles Spence - Fabiana Carvalho - Janice Wang - Felipe Reinoso Carvalho - Chahan Yeretzian - Bill Ristenpart - Peter Giuliano - Jenn Rugolo - Giulia Bagato - Denis Girardi - The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations

5) Latte Foam

Season 3 · Episode 5

Tuesday, January 17, 2023 • Duration 43:05

When was the last time you picked up a cappuccino with a mountain of foam perched on top? Maybe these are the cappuccinos you make every morning at home.

I personally really, really dislike them! The foam is cold, raspy, and gets in the way of the actual coffee liquid.

How much better would your mornings be if, instead, your cappuccino had that creamy, silky “microfoam” you find in a specialty coffee cafe?

In this episode, I take you deep into the bubbles of latte foam to show you what makes them, what destroys them, and how you can craft mouth-melting lattes.

Along the way I also settle the big debate: what is the actual difference between regular Oatly and Oatly Barista Edition!?

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Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!

Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story
Write a review on Apple Podcasts
Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify

Try Oatly Barista Edition (this episode’s sponsor) for yourself

Go deeper into latte foam science!

Measure your latte foam’s bubble size!
Marvel at tetrakaidecahedra foam for yourself
Check out Steven Abbott’s brilliant science website http://bit.ly/3FjXz6w
with Lance HedrickStudy milk science with Connect with my very knowledgeable guestsSteven Abbott - Rituja Upadhyay - Nidhi Bansal - Thom Huppertz - Sofia Eldhe - Toby Weedon - The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations

Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other38

Apple3

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other38

Apple3

Spotify5

Apple Podcasts

Spotify