How To Taste Espresso Like A WBC Judge | COFFEE BREAK!

What the World’s Best Brewers Are Doing Differently | COFFEE BREAK!

Fresh from the 2026 World Brewers Cup in Brussels, Ben breaks down the coffees, brewers and techniques used by the competition’s top six finalists. We look at how World Champion Nas Jaafar, Australia’s Simon Gautherin and the rest of the finalists approached their routines, from the rise of hybrid brewers and fast-flow filter papers to shorter ratios, lower temperatures and coarser grind sizes. Plus, we unpack Bavis Kwong’s wild “sandwich extraction”, Simon’s two-coffee brewing method, the continued dominance of Panama Geisha and whether these competition techniques can actually improve the coffee you brew at home! Coffee Break is your weekly inside scoop into the coffee community. Everything from on-the-fly barista tips, honest and unfiltered café reviews (eek), hospitality stories and gatekept coffee secrets. CHAPTERS 00:00 Back From Brussels 02:04 The Top Six Brewers 06:24 Is Brewers Cup More Accessible? 09:38 Hybrid Brewers Take Over 11:05 Modern Filter Coffee 13:53 Is Percolation Dead? 14:42 Fast Filter Papers 15:03 Panama Geisha Dominates 18:25 Natural vs Washed Coffee 21:48 The Sandwich Extraction 24:43 Simon’s Two-Coffee Brew 26:10 What Home Brewers Can Use 28:20 Are These the World’s Best Coffees? 30:13 The Future of Pour-Over Want more coffee content? IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod [https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod] Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com [hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com] for any questions or comments. Proudly sponsored by: Marco Beverage Systems: https://www.instagram.com/marcobeveragesystems/ [https://www.instagram.com/marcobeveragesystems/] Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/ [https://apaxlab.com/] Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/ [https://condesacolab.com.au/] Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/ [https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/] Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The World’s Best Coffee Roaster Says Ultra-Light Roasts Are a Flex | BENJAMIN BRASSART!

Ultra-light roasting might have pushed coffee forward, but has it now become more about flexing than flavour? Benjamin Brassart has just been crowned the 2026 World Coffee Roasting Champion, becoming the first Belgian to win the title, on home soil and in his first appearance at the World Championships. In this episode, Benjamin takes us behind the scenes of one of coffee’s least understood competitions. We unpack how competitors assess unfamiliar green coffees, build a three-coffee blend, create a roast plan and predict what judges will taste in the final cup. We also explore what everyday roasters can take from competition, including how to identify vegetal, woody and baked flavours, why cupping is a roaster’s most important skill, and how different machines shape the final result. Plus, Benjamin shares how he launched Boo Coffee Roasters, what it’s really like working on a fluid-bed roaster and why the perfect profile means nothing if you cannot taste what needs to change. CHAPTERS 00:00 Roasting Championships 01:47 Meet Benjamin Brassart 05:14 Starting Boo Coffee 07:41 Fluid-Bed Roasting 10:50 How the Competition Works 14:17 APAX LAB 15:10 Skills Every Roaster Needs 19:35 Fixing Problem Coffees 20:44 Roasting Defects 24:20 Lessons from Competition 29:00 Are Ultra-Light Roasts Dead? 31:05 Building a Winning Blend 35:40 Advice for New Roasters 38:05 Roasting Automation 41:05 Riverina Fresh 41:45 Benjamin’s Hot Take 43:05 The Person Behind the Win Find Benjamin here: Instagram: @benj.brassat Find Boo Coffee Roasters: Instagram: @boocoffeeroasters Website: boocoffeeroasters.com APAX LAB: @apaxlab apaxlab.com RIVERINA FRESH: @riverinafresh riverinafresh.com.au Want more coffee content? IT’S JUST COFFEE: linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com with your questions, hot takes or guest suggestions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

How To Taste Espresso Like A WBC Judge | COFFEE BREAK!

Tasting espresso is one of the most important skills in coffee, but it is also one of the least clearly taught. In this episode, we break down how espresso is evaluated using the World Barista Championship sensory framework. Ben Bicknell, World Barista Championship judge and Q Grader Instructor, explains how to assess sweetness, acidity, bitterness, flavour, body, texture, finish and balance, while separating personal preference from actual quality. Then we put the framework into practice by tasting four very different coffees and scoring them in real time. A practical episode for baristas, roasters, competitors, café owners and coffee drinkers who want to taste espresso with more structure, clarity and confidence. Because “I like it” is a preference. Knowing why it works is a skill. CHAPTERS 00:00 — Learning How To Taste Espresso 03:27 — Why Espresso Tasting Matters 09:01 — Quality vs Preference 13:07 — Building A Shared Coffee Language 20:21 — The WBC Espresso Scoresheet 24:16 — Flavour Notes vs Accuracy 28:28 — Body, Texture And Finish 30:44 — How Espresso Gets Scored 37:55 — Ben’s Espresso Tasting Framework 39:28 — Tasting Coffee One 47:53 — Tasting Coffee Two 54:06 — Tasting Coffee Three 59:56 — Tasting Coffee Four 1:06:06 — What The Scores Mean 1:10:21 — Using Feedback To Improve Coffee 1:14:56 — Final Takeaways Want more coffee content?  IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236 [https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236] Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com [hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com] for any questions or comments. Proudly sponsored by: Marco Beverage Systems: https://www.instagram.com/marcobeveragesystems/ [https://www.instagram.com/marcobeveragesystems/]  Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/ [https://apaxlab.com/] Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/ [https://condesacolab.com.au/]   Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/ [https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/] Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The 2nd Best Brewer in the World Says You’re Extracting Too Much | SIMON GAUTHERIN & CARLOS ESCOBAR!

What does it take to become the second-best brewer in the world? Fresh from the World Brewers Cup stage in Brussels, Australian Brewers Cup Champion Simon Gautherin joins us alongside coach Carlos Escobar to unpack the routine, strategy and tiny details behind their world runner-up finish. Simon and Carlos take us inside one of coffee’s most technical competitions: the compulsory round that can decide a championship, the enormous logistics behind bringing coffee and equipment across continents, and the clarity-focused routine that earned them perfect tasting note accuracy from every judge. If you’re new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day - It’s Just Coffee! CHAPTERS 00:00 World Brewers Cup 01:21 Coming Second 05:49 What Wins 11:45 Clarity 16:05 Competition Logistics 18:14 Café Clarity 29:38 APAX LAB 37:45 Brew Better 41:50 Riverina Fresh 44:03 Coffee Freshness 53:02 What’s Next 58:03 Underrated or Overrated 01:01:03 Hot Takes 01:07:19 Future of Brewers Cup Find Simon here:@simon_gautherin APAX LAB: @apaxlab https://apaxlab.com/ Find Carlos here: @carlos.esco.bar Differente Coffee: @differentecoffee Want more coffee content? IT’S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments. Proudly sponsored by: Marco Beverage Systems: https://www.instagram.com/marcobeveragesystems/ APAX LAB: https://apaxlab.com/ Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/ Riverina Fresh: https://www.riverinafresh.com.au/ Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The Crema Debate: Does Your Coffee Taste Better Without It? | COFFEE BREAK!

To crema or not to crema, that is the question. We run a taste-test to reveal the impact crema has on espresso’s taste, and you might be surprised by the results! Plus we explore tools designed to extract a ‘naked espresso’, like the crema separator and Squeaky’s ‘Esplorer Cup’.  00:00 Should We Remove Crema? 01:25 The History of Crema 05:48 Stirring vs Removing Crema 08:31 Coffee Market Report 11:15 Taste Test: Does Removing Crema Improve Espresso? 16:13 The Verdict & Final Thoughts Coffee Break is your weekly inside scoop into the coffee community. Everything from on the fly barista tips, honest and unfiltered cafe reviews (eek), hospitality stories and gate kept coffee secrets. Want more coffee content?  IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236 [https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236] Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com [hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com] for any questions or comments. Proudly sponsored by -   Eco Barista: https://www.ecobarista.com.au/ [https://www.ecobarista.com.au/]   Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/ [https://apaxlab.com/]  Thank you for listening, love ya!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]