Owning a small business is challenging, rewarding, fun, and a huge learning experience. Over the last two and a half years of running a coffee roasting business, we've had to grow in ways we didn't expect to grow. Although many people start business to make more money, there is so much more benefits that come with it. In this episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions, we talk about the skills we learned owning a small business and how you can leverage your current experience for your longterm dream.

Coffee roasting is much more complex than just turning coffee brown. Dialing in the best roast for each coffee is both an art and skill, but maintaining peak quality is just as important. How does a roaster maintain quality as the green coffee changes over time? How do we make sure each roast tastes up to the standard of our initial dial in? In this episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions podcast, we dive into quality control as a coffee roaster and what it takes to do that consistently.

We took last week off to head out of town for Sergei's birthday. It was a much needed vacation. We drove to Portland, OR with plans to enjoy the city's coffee scene and enjoy all the delicious food it. What caught us by surprise was a Cup of Excellence coffee tasting that our friends Onyx Coffee were hosting with a couple world class coffee producers. In this coffee podcast episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions, we talk about Portland's coffee scene, both the good and the bad, and connecting with Guatemala's best coffee producers.

Recently, we were recording some video content about our business model, vision and mission, and the goals for the near future. We were left asking ourselves, what would happen if we failed as a coffee roasting business? What is at stake in the grand scheme of things? This led to a much needed conversation that hopefully will leave you inspired to look towards your goals in your personal and professional life.

Coffee processing plays a huge role in flavor, and may be one of the most important steps in the entire coffee supply chain. Although we may have seen washed, honey, and natural processed coffees on the shelf at the local coffee shop, we may not know what those words mean and what is happening at the farm level. Now with the rise of many experimental processing, words and labels are getting even more complicated with anaerobic, carbonic maceration, and so on. In this podcast episode, we talk about the major processing methods, what they are, and some of the general flavor profiles they can bring out in coffees.

Starting any business from scratch is intimidating. There are so many rules to follow and things that need to be done right especially when it comes to taxes, city permits, laws, and so much more is in involved. Several folks from our audience has reached out with questions about launching a start up as a coffee roasting business or a coffee brand. Although we can't answer all the questions since many of these variables involve your particular location, we do outline some things to consider and a general direction that might help you get started.

Change is inevitable, and in today's modern time, the world is constantly changing ever so quickly. Owning and running a coffee roasting company is no different. From keeping up with new coffee brewers, green coffee buying, and roasting to constantly learning about business, scaling, and more social media platforms, everything is asking for attention. In todays episode, we talk about some of the changes we had to go through as a roasting company and why change might actually be healthy.

The Hario V60 coffee brewer has become one of the most popular brewers in the coffee industry. Whether you use it every day for your pour overs or you keep seeing it appear in cafes, movies, and Instagram posts, it's a far from anything new, and that's for some very good reasons. For us it's become our daily driver, and we thought it might be worth doing a dive into all things Hario V60. Tune in to this episode for a break down of one of the best coffee brewers on the market that has stood the test of time!

Coffee is one of the most popular commodities in the world and runs on a complex supply chain. If we're being honest, it's far from perfect. From low wages to climate change, there are real issues at hand that we should seek to solve, but we're not the only industry with problems. Kenna Warren joins the podcast as she talks about her studies in social entrepreneurship and what she has found in the fashion industry. Although very real problems exist, there is a glimmer of hope. In this podcast episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions, we talk to Kenna Warren about social entrepreneurship and how we can move towards a healthier way of running businesses and purchasing products.

Transitioning from being a multi-roaster cafe to a coffee roasting company is not easy. Roasting itself has a lot of technical skills that need to be learned, mastered, and executed on. On the other hand, there are some unforeseen challenges that don't get talked about often. We have our good friend and fellow roaster, Tim Shenkin, on this week's episode. Tim is the manager of Makeworth Market in Bellingham, WA which is now becoming Makeworth Coffee Roasters. In this episode, Tim shares the process of transitioning into a roasting company and some of the nuances that he's navigating in the process.

NFTs took the internet by storm in 2019 - 2022. Many people, including ourselves, were confused why jpeg images were selling for thousands of images. The NFT space started to look like a scam and virtual fade that sounded ridiculous to the everyday web user. As much as wanted to shake it off as unimportant, we were intrigued by the phenomena and started looking into it. After hours of podcasts, YouTube videos, articles, and a few NFT purchases, our approach has changed towards them, and the coffee industry might have to rethink its approach to this new technology. In this episode, we breakdown our journey of learning more about NFTs and why the coffee industry should reconsider how they can be used.   DISCLAIMER: we are still learning as this is all very new for many of us. If you believe we shared something incorrectly, leave a comment on YouTube or send us a DM or email.

Few things compare to the satisfying feeling of buying coffee gear that check all your boxes, preferences, stylistic choices, and ultimately empower you to brew a tasty cup. That being said, more coffee gear is being released than ever before. New gear is fun, but is it all worth it. In this episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions, we break down some of our experiences with roasting equipment, brewing gear, and reflect on some bad purchasing decisions.

Baristas do a lot more than just make coffee at a coffee shop. They're the ones cleaning up spills, washing floors during closing, and communicating with customers from all backgrounds. In addition to serving an excellent cup of coffee that is dialed and brewed with precision, there's so much more that's happening in the background that isn't talked about. In this episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions, we bring on one of our favorite local baristas, Micah Jones, to share his experience and share the big picture vision of working behind a coffee bar.

Koji Process. You may have heard of it, and we wouldn't be surprised if you haven't. it's a fairly new experimental coffee processing method, and it's innovative. Over the last decade, we've seen experimental processing become more and more popular yielding some very interesting flavor profiles in coffee that previously were not possible. Koji takes it up a notch, but have these processing methods gone too far? Are processing methods impacting flavor far too much? In this episode, we break down what the Koji Process consists of, an our experience with our first several brews of it.

Home baristas are changing the coffee industry. From gear becoming more and more affordable with the access to information and education only increasing over time, it's given room for this niche crowd to grow exponentially. If you could pull an incredible shot of espresso from any roaster in the world at home, then why would you go to a cafe? In this episode, we talk about the ever growing popularity of being a home barista and some of the significant impacts it has on the industry.

From the beginning, starting a coffee roasting company was never just about coffee. There's always been an underlying purpose and vision beyond the coffee bean, and layering that on top of our passions and interests outside of the coffee industry has given roasting coffee fresh life. In this episode, we talk about the community that has helped us reach 10,000 streams on podcast platforms and the other projects we are launch today that go beyond coffee.

Being a small business let alone a coffee roasting business is not easy. On the other hand, it is not much easier running a larger coffee roasting operation. There are trade offs and difficulties in both, however, we're all facing some very unique challenges as global tensions rise, c-market is reaching new highs, and coffee yields are fluctuating around the world.

Sergei just got back from competing in Coffee Fest New York in their latte art competition. He placed in the top 16! We cover a wide range of topics from travel, his preparation for competition, and what made competing for him such a great experience.

Buying and roasting new coffee is always such an exciting process. From tasting the samples to packaging and selling it for folks to enjoy at home, it comes with its fair share of discovery, nuance, and of course challenges. These challenges can come from green coffee quality, logistical issues, and so much more. One of the tasks we need to maneuver is roasting a coffee for the first time. In this episode, we talk about how we approach roasting a new coffee and what we look to achieve in that first roast!

In this industry of craftsmanship, we're always looking for ways to boost our understanding of coffee. Over the years, we've seen huge advancements in great resources for learning more about coffee, however, this tried and true method will take your understanding to the next level.   In this episode, we talk about the one thing that will take your coffee knowledge to the next level!

We launched Mirror Coffee Roasters in Bellingham, WA in December of 2019, and since then we've had the opportunity to source, roast, and serve really incredible coffees. Our job as a coffee roasting company is to source, roast, and share these delicious coffees, but what does a podcast have anything to do with it? As we hit our 50th podcast episode, we want to reflect back on how this has become one of our favorite and unexpected to come out of the last two years of roasting coffee. We also wanted to express how grateful we are for those who have been listening and watching over the last 50 episodes. This is a huge milestone, and we couldn't have done it without this community! We look forward to the next 50 episodes to come as we aim for 100.

Maxwell Mooney has been in the coffee industry for nearly a decade now, and in the next few weeks he will be opening up the second location of Narrative Coffee here in Bellingham, WA. His expertise in the industry and experience starting two coffee shops made for a powerful conversation. We were so excited to chat with him, and listen to what he had to say about the coffee industry. In this episode, we talk to Maxwell Mooney about some of the lessons he's learned as one of the owners of Narrative Coffee, and what was essential to their growth as a cafe.

Competing in specialty coffee is exciting for many of us in the industry. For us, coffee competitions go beyond just receiving a shiny award. Whether you're competing in the barista championships, coffee roasting competitions, or any of the many other categories, there's something more about these events that resonates with us. In today's episode on the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions, we break down why we compete in specialty coffee and why you may want to as well.

Our small town, Bellingham, WA, has become quite the coffee hub over the years with several big plans of expansion in the near future. If we're being honest, we did not see this huge explosion of specialty coffee in Bellingham coming. To see it unravel before our eyes with popularity in the last five years has been extraordinary. In this episode, we talk about the history and journey of our small town becoming a Pacific Northwest coffee hub.

Starting a coffee roasting company has become a very popular thing to do. We regularly hear of a new roastery starting from scratch which is very exciting. We're all for more talent, variety, and delicious coffee brands in the industry. On other hand, we also think running a coffee roasting company has been over glorified with a handful of misconceptions. In this episode, we break down a couple reasons why starting a coffee roasting company may not be the right move for you.

Working in the coffee industry as a roasting company, it's often easy to get caught up over details, business logistics, quality control, sourcing coffee, and the many things that come with running a coffee business. When we came across these coffee consumption statistics, it was helpful in many ways as we move forward not only as an industry, home coffee brewers, but also as a roasting company. In this episode, we unpack several interesting statistics about coffee drinkers in America that made us think twice about what we thought we knew.

Before we knew it, 2021 came to an end. With our 2021 Spotify Wrapped reminding us of all the good tunes we've been listening to this year, we're also thinking back to the learning experiences we've had as a coffee roasting business but also as people. There's a lot of unknown ahead of us in 2022, but we are excited and hopeful for what's coming in this new. In this episode, we cover some of the lessons we learned in 2021 and use that to set goals and make changes in 2022.

You wake up, and it's Christmas morning. What does your day look like? Where are you? For us, a cup of coffee is essential whether that's made with a Ratio drip coffee maker, an Aeropress, or a delicious chemex. We also have a couple annual Christmas traditions that are a little different than most. In this episode, we wish you a happy holidays, chat about this eventful morning, and give a you a sneak peak into a Mirror ritual.

Coffee brewing at home is becoming more and more popular with time. Equipment, knowledge, and other helpful resources are becoming accessible which in return is elevating the quality of coffee you could produce at home. That being said, how can you up your coffee brewing game in 2022? In this episode, we break down helpful literature, online resources, and other helpful tips on how you can elevate your brewing experience at home.

Over the last two years, we've received many emails from folks around the world asking about starting a coffee roasting company. Most of the time, they are questions that deal with the same general uncertainties and unknowns. That being said, we decided to revisit some of these topics and hope to help those searching for answers about roasting coffee. In this episode, we unpack several different questions we received in an email recently.

Taking the first steps towards your goals can be just as exciting as it is intimidating. Whether that's what others will think of you, your personal insecurities, or the long road ahead to get to where you want to be, there are barriers that need to be overcome.   In this episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions podcast, we talk about some of the difficulties of taking those first steps can be, some of our personal setbacks, and what we can do to face them.

It's that time of year when we're doing our holiday gift shopping. Many of us will be searching for those couple people in our lives who would die without coffee. We thought it might be helpful to break down the best Christmas gift ideas for coffee enthusiasts from a coffee fanatic's perspective. Any of these gifts will surely make the coffee lover in your life overjoyed and potentially brewing you a tasty cup as a sign of gratitude.

Is that really blueberries you're tasting or did the coffee bag trick you into tasting that? Often times, flavor notes, branding, origin, and our preconceived ideas get in the way of tasting coffee objectively for what it has to offer. Chances are, that's not only happening more often than we'd like, but we're also not developing our pallet when that's the case. It actually ends up hurting our growth as tasters when we allow those things to get in the way. In this episode, we talk about what we've learned over the years cupping coffee, and how we attempt to eliminate bias as coffee roasters when we go about tasting coffees.

Coffee hand grinders have grown not only in popularity, but also in quality and accessibility. Grinders like the Commandante C40 have changed how we look at these tools and what they're capable of. Although they can be inconvenient at times, there are definitely a couple reasons why we think you need one. In this episode, we break down our experience with coffee hand grinders, the Commandante C40, and why they're good to have. Based in Bellingham, WA and shipping! Shop Our Coffee: mirrorcoffeeroasters.com Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirrorcoffeeroasters/

Coffee sustainability at origin has been a huge conversation amongst the specialty coffee community. It's really refreshing to see the industry have these conversations. On the other hand, from our conversations with producers, farmers, importers, and scientists, it's a much bigger issue to take on. One thing is for sure, we have still have a lot to learn. In this episode, we reflect back on some of the powerful conversations we've had with those working closely at origin, and we share the insight we have received with you.

Our first in-person podcast guest is Edwin Martinez, the CEO of Onyx Coffee and third generation Guatemalan coffee producer at Finca Vista Hermosa. They import spectacular Guatemalan coffees for roasters to add to their menu. Edwin has an inspiring story that starts in Guatemala at origin and navigates through starting a coffee shop, owning a coffee roasting business, and now importing coffee. On this episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions, we dive into his story and touch up on running a business, importing coffee, sustainability, and more.

We're doing our first Q&A on the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions podcast! On our Instagram this week, we asked folks to submit your questions, and we were pretty excited to see what we got. We got questions anywhere from V60 questions to pour over recipes, coffee grinders, and small business life.

Coffee roasting is an art, craft, skill, and mystery. Well to a certain extent it's a mystery. We've listened to countless podcasts, read books, attended roasting classes, and many great resources of information will not agree on a handful of roasting approaches. Although we've learned a lot from many educators, some things you won't quite fully grasp until you charge a batch of green coffee into the roaster. In episode 33, we break down three things we learned from experience as coffee roasters with hopes that it encourages, inspires, and educates coffee roasters around the world.

Grab a cup of coffee and sit down with us as we talk about whatever comes to mind. Of course coffee had to be part of the discussion. We touch base on drip coffee, how it has grown over the last several years, and how Scott Rao’s UFO Spray Head helps brewing drip coffee on commercial machines.

When will you start a coffee shop? We get that question all the time. As we approach two years of running our coffee roasting company, we reflect back on why we started a roasting company specifically in the first place. Although owning a cafe sounds a bit more exciting than a roasting company, we had intentional reasons for what we did.   In this podcast episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions, we breakdown why we started a coffee roasting company instead of a coffee shop.

We all have goals and dreams we hope to accomplish. In a time of instant gratification, it's very easy to be distracted from what you're out to achieve especially when it's a long term goal. Staying focused in the midst of distractions and, in our case, competition is a challenge but absolutely essential.  In this Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions podcast episode, we think out loud about some of the difficulties we've run into and some practical tips of how you can stay focused on your next greatest accomplishment.

The current climate of the coffee industry is going to affect us all in one way or another. Because coffee is a global industry, it adds layers and layers of complications. In this podcast episode, we break down what is happening and some of the changes we as coffee drinkers and business owners in the industry will experience.

Over the last several years, there's been a surge of interest in the home barista niche. Whether that's having a home pour over bar or a single group head espresso machine with some of the best grinders in the world, more and more people are getting into brewing top notch coffee at home. On the other hand, we continue to see more coffee roasting companies and cafes open which is growing the demand for skillful baristas behind bar. Although there are similarities between the two, they are also different in more than one way. In this episode, we break down some of the similarities and differences of being a home barista vs working in the industry as a professional. We also talk about how to find the place that fits you best between the two!

Do we need more coffee gear? What about more pour over brewers? Over the last several years, we've noticed a huge increase in coffee equipment hitting the market. From innovative espresso machines to home coffee grinders to pour over brewers of every shape and size, but is it all necessary? In this Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions episode, we break this coffee gear conversation down and share our personal experiences with some of this gear.

What does coffee taste like? Today we're talking about flavor notes on coffee bags. Are they helpful? Do you buy coffee based on the notes labeled? Maybe you have no idea what coffee flavor notes on a bag mean? Today we dive into flavor notes, how we come up with them, and why we even have them on coffee bags. This discussion is a sequel to our previous episode where we break down how we describe what our coffee taste like. If you haven't listened to that, we'd highly recommend you listen to it!

What does your coffee taste like? Is it bold, smooth, burnt, light, or maybe it just tastes like coffee. Describing what our coffee tastes like can get really complicated really fast.  It's been said that there are over 850 aroma and flavor compounds found in coffee, and that's scientifically proven. How we discern that in our coffee tastings or cuppings can get a little crazy. In this episode of the Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions, we break down the words we use to describe what we're tasting in coffee and how you can too.

Coffee blends have been a debated topic over the last decade in the specialty coffee community. Although there isn’t anything horrible about coffee blends, which we touch up on some of the positive aspects to them, they’re definitely not perfect. To a certain extent, it goes beyond just a preference. In this Coffee Roaster Warm Up Session, we dissect some of the arguable points for both. Although we do lean towards single origin coffees, this podcast highlights both sides from an objective stance.

In this episode, Sergei talks to his good friend Taylor about what it has been like for him living and now working in Indonesia for the last seven years. This podcast is packed! They talk about robusta, arabica, helping the people of Indonesia, and how he's after impacting the future of Indonesian coffee.