AA Cafe Podcast

Cristina Garces and Ariel Montoya visited DoubleShot for the first time the week of Independence Day. After visiting Washington, D.C., they hit the coffee capital of the world, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Cristina is the daughter of Don Ernesto, who was once the largest independent producer of coffee in Colombia. Ariel was the owner of Hacienda El Boton, producer of the very first natural out

DoubleShot roastmaster, Brian Franklin has just returned from another trip to Nicaragua. He and Mark talk about what coffee farms are really like and the difficulty of getting to Dos Manzanas and Finca Massif. While en route to Finca Massif Nueva Segovia, Brian interviewed Luis Miranda about the farms and how he got into coffee. It's worth a listen. And worth thinking about. Buy th

Mark and Brian keep it brief this time and let the DoubleShot regulars talk. It's a lengthy cast of eighteen characters, all with something interesting to say. Quite a range of voices and stories and memories of DoubleShot history. Listen to the end for some juicy, intimate content where the tables are turned and Brian spills the beans on his private life. Thanks to everyone who pa

With the DoubleShot's 20th birthday just around the corner, Mark and Brian reconvene to taste one of the two coffees Brian sourced and roasted for the occasion. It's sold as a box set called The Gemini Project, which is available at DoubleShotCoffee.com. The coffee jolts their memories and they spend the majority of the episode talking about the past. A few of the things they rem

Brian Franklin opened DoubleShot Coffee Company on March 5, 2004. On March 5, 2024 we celebrate its 20th birthday. And there's a lot to celebrate. In this episode, Mark and Brian talk about the theme of this year's party and walk through an entire day's event schedule. There will be commemorative cups, a commemorative beer, unusual coffees, and a game to keep you entertained. Liste

January 20-25 Mark and Brian traveled down to Costa Rica to visit Hacienda La Minita. It was Mark's first foray into coffee territory. And La Minita was Brian's first origin trip in 2005. Here they chronicle some of the details of the trip, observations, and takeaways. To purchase a pound of La Minita, go to DoubleShotCoffee.com. Read more about the trip at DoubleShotCoffee.com/bl

Each year, Mark and Brian convene for one last episode of AA Cafe in which they enumerate their "Ten Things." Every year is different, but they all come from the heart. It's a moment to forget about all the turmoil of the holidays and take a breath before the onslaught of a new year, and to focus on some things that make life really special. This episode is all about simple pleasur

The DoubleShot's second and final holiday coffee is from Nicaragua! From a farm called Montelin in Nueva Segovia owned by a young man named Juan Ramon Diaz, jr. This episode is packed with info about the coffee, about the farm, and about the cascara that came from these coffee beans. Luis Miranda (Finca Massif) interviewed Juan Ramon in Spanish, and DoubleShot Folk hero Clint Steve

The holidays are upon us, and the DoubleShot has released their first holiday coffee of the year: Maracay Pink Bourbon Natural. Mark and Brian convene to sip and talk about it. An interview with the producer of the coffee, Luz Helena Salazar, interpreted by Felipe Arcila, her son and the owner of Cofinet - the company that sold the coffee to DoubleShot. See the gifts mentioned on t

Felipe Arcila, the owner of a Colombian exporter called Cofinet, visited the DoubleShot earlier in the year to talk shop. Brian cupped a bunch of samples and bought a hefty alotment, all from one farm: Maracay. Obviously the roastmaster had to go and visit the farm, meet the producer (Luz Helena Salazar), and cup a lot more coffees. In this episode, Brian talks with his host from C