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 down with Verve Coffee Co-Founder Colby Barr to learn more about what it was like working with the Gra...
Jul 01, 2025•45 min
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, dedication, craftsmanship, and the community it takes to build something great. On the Coffee Sprudgecast...
Jun 20, 2025•27 min
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) without using animals . It's a fair and cruelty free Kopi Luwak! No civets were harmed in the making...
Jun 06, 2025•29 min
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 paid for every pound of green coffee contracted in the most recent harvest year, and cup quality data,"...
May 16, 2025•13 min
On this special episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen talk about the winners of the 16th Annual Sprudgie Awards. This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by TerraCycle , Ceado , Pacific Barista Series , La Marzocco , Ghirardelli , and DONA ....
May 09, 2025•25 min
On this very special episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen list off all the incredible things to see, do, and experience at this weekend’s SCA Expo in Houston, Texas. On the show we also try out the new double-the-size AeroPress XL and make not one but TWO delicious YesPlz “Soft Power” Blend coffees in one pump! It’s a genuine flavor journey and testament to the size and girth of one of specialty coffee’s favorite brew methods. To celebrate coffee history’...
Apr 24, 2025•32 min
It's time again for another rousing episode of the Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen on the Sprudge coffee podcast The Coffee Sprudgecast! Learn about how we curate our popular city guides , find out about the 16th Annual Sprudgie Award Finalists ( voting open now !) On this episode of The Coffee Sprudgecast Michelman and Carlsen wet their whistles with a Chemex brew of Bekele Kachara Natural out of Muraga, Ethiopia roasted by our friends and partners Heartwood Coffee Roasters . "Bekele emplo...
Mar 21, 2025•25 min
On this episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, hosts Michelman and Carlsen drink Partners Coffee's limited-edition Valentine's Day "Be Mine" specialty instant coffee and the 4th Place Guatemala Cup of Excellence coffee—a natural pacamara from the Ponderosa farm roasted by Proud Mary . It's Sprudgies Season! Lots of discussion is had about the Sixteenth Annual Sprudgie Awards. Nominations are open through the end of Presidents' Day weekend— submit a nomination today! This episode of the Coffee Sprudg...
Feb 14, 2025•20 min
A new year, a new Coffee Sprudgecast. It's 2025 and hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen talk about all of the incredible Sprudge Design Award winners on the latest episode of Sprudge's coffee podcast. Ceado Hoop Brewers come out to brew up a lovely cup of Verve Coffee's special Green Tip Gesha from Elida Estate in Panama. Before diving into the coffee, the hosts tried a hot Black Scottie Chai out of Snohomish, Washington using hot steamy oat milk. Lots of ginger, lots of spice: a classic ...
Jan 22, 2025•36 min
Hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen ring in the holidays with an epic seventeen coffee cupping on the latest episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast. So many holiday blends (some not blends at all!) to taste through—and Carlsen and Michelman slurp through them all! Dune Coffee – Holiday Blend Equator Coffees – Holiday Blend Joe Coffee Company – Rockefeller Holiday Coffee La Barba – Jubilee Madcap Coffee – Winter Solstice Mr. Espresso – Caffè Festivo Night Swim Coffee – The Holiday Blend Olympia...
Dec 20, 2024•31 min
Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen return for another rousing episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast. Myths are busted, minds are opened, and we have thoughts on special gifts for special friends. Michelman and Carlsen drink a Chemex of Klatch Coffee's Empire Blend and brew a couple of Ceado Hoop Coffee Brewers of PERC Coffee's box set of Cinnamon and Lychee co-ferments from Colombia. Michelman and Carlsen discuss their holiday wish list. Vintage mugs, hand grinders, pod machines ( and the Nod Pod ...
Dec 09, 2024•32 min
On this episode, hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen drink coffees from Verve Coffee, Sightglass Coffee, and Dito Coffee powered by Madcap. The Dwell Brewer is used, as well as the Lafeeca DJ electric kettle.
Nov 27, 2024•33 min
Welcome back to a very, very special new episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, in which hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen make a Chemex of Touchy Coffee while talking about the fifteenth anniversary of Sprudge ! The Touchy Coffee comes courtesy of the Welcome Conference, the annual New York City hospitality symposium, where six roasters served 1,800 guests on eighteen La Marzocco Linea Mini espresso machines. Touchy Coffee joined forces with roasters Onyx Coffee Lab , Counter Culture Coffe...
Sep 26, 2024•35 min
Board game cafes, UK import cafes, colorful cafes, and specialty coffee institution cafes are opening new locations. We cover the gamut during the Build-Outs of Coffee season here at Sprudge. Today, on the Coffee Sprudgecast, our flagship coffee podcast, we wrap up the season with our fourth Coffee Buildcast. Builds make us thirsty, so we’re delighted to drink coffee from our friends and partners at Partners Coffee in Brooklyn, New York! Using the Cerapotta, a new ceramic coffee brewer/filter , ...
Sep 10, 2024•41 min
Is it "nat" summer? Co-host of the Coffee Sprudgecast (and Sprudge co-founder) Jordan Michelman certainly thinks so. On Volume 3 of the 2024 Coffee Buildcast—our celebratory summer podcast spectacular celebrating the spectacular Build-Outs Of Coffee season—we feature four incredible builds from Denton, Texas to Bassano Del Grappa, Italy. But before diving into the thrill of the build, the hosts dip into some terrific new coffee—naturally processed coffee—from our friends at The Barn in Berlin : ...
Aug 09, 2024•34 min
Today's episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast focuses on builds. That's right, it's the second episode of the 2024 Build-Outs of Coffee Coffee Buildcast podcast series . Today on the show, we drink coffee from Scandinavian Alps Coffee in Hemsedal, Norway, brewed with the Ceado Hoop Brewer . We met these folks at the 2024 World of Coffee Europe event in Copenhagen, Denmark at the Cafe Imports activation. We love the coffee and the package it comes in! This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsor...
Jul 25, 2024•26 min
In the last episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, the Sprudge coffee podcast co-hosted by co-founders Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen, there was a lot of talk about The World of Coffee Copenhagen and what was to come: world competitions, new products, activations, cardamom buns, outside of the box thinking, professional development. Now, the dust has settled, the World of Coffee swooped into Copenhagen, ate up all the butter and cheese sandwiches, and left. What happened? Find out on this epis...
Jul 12, 2024•41 min
It’s a very special episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast! We’re hours away from the opening of World of Coffee in Copenhagen—the big Specialty Coffee Association trade show, and with it? Competitions. New products. Exquisite activations. Thinking out of the box. So much to do and then some. It’s all our co-hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen can handle to talk about it all. Read on and listen in for some of our favorite reviewable moments. Along with all the trade show poop, the hosts also g...
Jun 26, 2024•26 min
Born to build it out! Hosts Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman are back with another special Coffee Sprudgecast—the first edition of the Coffee Buildcast—celebrating the annual Sprudge Build-Outs of Coffee summer series —in podcast form! The 2024 Build-Outs of Coffee is presented by Ceado and Dona . The 2024 Build-outs of Coffee is sponsored by Pacific Barista Series , La Marzocco , and Ghirardelli . This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by Ceado , Pacific Barista Series , Ghirar...
Jun 21, 2024•26 min
The Coffee Sprudgecast is back with a fresh, new episode featuring beautiful coffees and teas and an especially beautiful brewer! The episode starts with a lovely steep of DONA Wah White Peony Tea and segues into a beautiful brew of Sakura Blend with custom neon blue Hario v60SP from our friends at Post Coffee out of Japan. The fun doesn’t end there as hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen drink a special brew from Vietnam with the warm, woody, sweet, smoky essence of agarwood from Nen Coff...
May 23, 2024•28 min
On the latest episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, Zachary Carlsen brews BlendIn Coffee Club’s Colombia Los Nogales, the winning 2024 US Brewers Cup Championship coffee (which also happens to be their house decaf coffee!) Weihong Zhang of BlendIn Coffee Club in Houston, Texas, your 2024 United States Brewers Cup champion , took top honors in Rancho Cucamonga using a decaf Typica variety from Colombia, with a coffee he serves on bar every day. Pick up a bag of it online or in their cafe year-round....
Apr 24, 2024•24 min
Hold on to your coffee-loving merchandising trucker hats, because it's time for another action-packed episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast. This week, hosts Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman are all abuzz about the imminent Specialty Coffee Association Expo this weekend in Chicago, Illinois. The comps! The booths! The gallons and gallons of alternative milks! We'll be there—with perhaps a special visit from Buzzy the Bean! Check out the latest show, and read on for show notes, links, and highlig...
Apr 11, 2024•30 min
Our coffee podcast program The Coffee Sprudgecast returns with an episode fresh off the US Coffee Champs première partie at Klatch Coffee in Rancho Cucamonga. Over a sun-soaked Southern California weekend, the 2024 United States Barista Champion , Brewers Cup Champion, and Cup Tasters Champion were crowned. Sprudge co-founders and hosts Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman talk through it with the delicious assist of Klatch Coffee’s seasonal Songbird Blend. Host Zachary Carlsen had a conversatio...
Mar 26, 2024•29 min
Our coffee podcast The Coffee Sprudgecast is back for another rousing episode where hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen take a shortcut… a tiramisu shortcut? Michelman discusses an epic event held with La Marzocco in Florence to promote But First, Coffee that included a whole tiramisu cupping (three cakes that used three different coffees). Carlsen springs a package of Twinkies and claims to be able to make a quick tiramisu out of it. There’s some horror, some shock, followed by some shoc...
Mar 03, 2024•41 min
Breaking! There’s a new episode of Sprudge coffee podcast The Coffee Sprudgecast ! On the newest episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen talk about the winners of the 15th Annual Sprudgie Awards , all while drinking the newest iteration of the Wilder Blend from Verve Coffee Roasters in California . This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by Baratza , Pacific Barista Series , Ghirardelli , and DONA ....
Feb 15, 2024•21 min
It's 2024 and time for a new installment of the Coffee Sprudgecast! In this episode, hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen sip DONA teas and tisanes, drink espresso-forward beverages with Olympia Coffee Roasting Company , and look ahead at what is shaping up to be a very big year here at Sprudge. From award programs to the decade-long Build-Outs of Coffee series , the fun just doesn't stop. If you listen deep enough, you'll even hear a podcast listener exclusive scoop! So listen right now! ...
Jan 11, 2024•29 min
Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen return for another spirited episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast. Several beverages were prepared for this episode—including fresh offerings from Madcap Coffee, Greater Goods Coffee Co., PERC Coffee, and Rishi Tea. That's a lot of buzz for one session. This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by Baratza , Pacific Barista Series , Ghirardelli , and Moccamaster ....
Dec 06, 2023•26 min
Podcast listeners, do we have a surprise for you. That’s right, there’s a new episode of The Coffee Sprudgecast. Hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen are back with fresh coffee, new gear, and a heck of a lot news and updates. Nightswim Coffee’s Ultraviolet Blend is brewed live on-air using the new award-winning Hoop Brewer from Ceado and the results are surprising! Never one to limit oneself to a single beverage, the hosts also try a new Rishi Tea botanical blend . This episode of the Coff...
Nov 09, 2023•25 min
The latest episode of the coffee podcast The Coffee Sprudgecast is out! Hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen are back—and they’re drinking delicious a new offering from Bellingham, Washington superstars Camber Coffee . The pair had the La Papaya Anaerobic Typica from legendary Ecuador producer Juan Peña . Brewed in a Chemex, the coffee’s flavors of pineapple, milk chocolate, maraschino cherry really shined. While the Ecuador La Papaya Box Set is currently sold out, you can sign up for Camb...
Sep 29, 2023•28 min
Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen are back for another exciting episode of the coffee podcast The Coffee Sprudgecast. Michelman and Carlsen drink some stunning coffee from Monogram Coffee . The hosts enjoy La Llama from Bolivia and an exceptional offering from Finca Takesi , a small-screen gesha coffee brewed in an automated dripper and a Chemex, respectively. La Llama is part of their Wonder Collection , coffees that exhibit an adventurous quality and is a Coco Natural processed coffee. Mono...
Aug 31, 2023•21 min
