Podcasts: we just love ’em.
Our own humble little show, The Coffee Sprudgecast, launched back in February of 2016 and is fast approaching its hundredth episode. Along the way we’ve taped shows from the TED conference, journeyed to the London Coffee Festival, hosted a live variety show in New York’s East Village, recorded across Europe with stops in Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris, talked through years of Sprudgie Award winners and nominees, offered special correspondent coverage from barista competitions around the world, and interviewed artists, baristas, founders, collaborators, culture mavens and all the rest of the fascinating people who make up the world of specialty coffee.
But we want more.
And so today we’re excited to announce a project long in the works, perhaps uniquely timed to today’s strange moment but the result of months of prep, taping, concepting, and partnerships. We had intended to drop this news just before the now-canceled 2020 SCA Expo in Portland, but there’s still no time like your present.
We are launching a coffee podcast network. It is, we are reasonably the sure, the first coffee podcast network in human history and we can’t wait to share it with you. At last, the wait is over. Welcome to the Sprudge Podcast Network—a growing mixtape of podcast shows dedicated to coffee, culture, and the intersection therein.
First out of the gate, launching today is No Free Refills, a pop culture podcast hosted by Ezra Baker (Stumptown Coffee) and Tymika Lawrence (Atlas Coffee), produced by Sprudge collaborator Jeremy Hernandez. This is a totally new and different kind of coffee show: pop culture obsessives Ezra Baker and Tymika Lawrence are offering guided deep dives into the world of reality TV, internet culture, and modern life. Fueled by a delicious pot of coffee at the start of each episode, our hosts tackle the big issues, revel in the mess, and offer plenty of laughs along the way.
Episode one of No Free Refills tackles the cult reality TV show 90 Day Fiancé. Listen to it now! Transcript available here.
Today we’re also announcing the upcoming release of two more shows, which will drop later this week.
A Better Table is hosted by Sprudgie Award-winning journalist and community organizer Umeko Motoyoshi. This show is a journalistic deep dive into the topics that matter in today’s coffee world, from disability access to coffee producer rights at origin to labor organizing in the modern coffee workforce, and much, much more. Motoyoshi’s fearless journalism isn’t afraid to ask big questions: who is coffee for, what ways can we challenge existing systems, and how do we come together to create a better table for all.
Episode One of A Better Table will launch Wednesday, April 22nd. Watch this space.
Seed To Cup is hosted by Sprudge co-founder Jordan Michelman. Inspired by interview podcasts, late-night TV, and radio, Seed To Cup is our chance to learn the origin stories of the companies, founders, and major coffee culture movers that help shape the industry. Each show features a deep dive interview with a different fascinating figure from the world of coffee and lets us learn their life story, early experiences with coffee, and big business decisions along the way that have helped them achieve success in the world of coffee. Aided by an in-depth interview research process, this show is a canvas for original storytelling. The companies and individuals in coffee you love all have a deeper story behind the scenes—that’s what we’ll be bringing you in this new show.
Episode One of Seed To Cup will launch Friday, April 24th. Watch this space.
These three new shows joining the Coffee Sprudgecast as part of our new, regularly updating network of coffee podcast content. And we’re just getting started—in the coming weeks we’ll be announcing more shows with insightful, delightful hosts from around the world. Stay tuned, and hey—if you like our shows, be sure to rate us on iTunes and send good feedback to our team. It means the world to us.
Thanks for listening, thanks for reading, thanks for supporting Sprudge!
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