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. This is exactly what host Jordan Michelman did the evening Zhang was announced the 2024 champion!
The decaf underwent a decaffeination process developed by Oscar Hernandez of Finca Los Nogales in Huila, Colombia. After de-pulping, the green coffee is then decaffeinated using, in part, its mucilage, which helps “[avoid] off flavors and [enhance] complexity with floral and fruity notes,” Zhang told Sprudge in an interview with Zac Cadwalader.
Sprudge’s coverage of the 2024 US Barista Championship in Rancho Cucamonga is presented in partnership with Third Wave Water.
Zachary Carlsen replicates the brew process deployed on the Brewers Cup stage as accurately as possible (with a slightly different hand grinder and variety of Hario V60—listen in to find out more). The process is especially interesting due to its use of two water temperatures and a touch of water bypass at the end.
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 highlights.
The competitions: 2024 US Latte Art Championship, 2024 Roasting Championship, and the 2024 Coffee In Good Spirits Championship off-site at the new Lavazza Training Lab.
Our Chicago Guide and special competition coverage on Finals Sunday from Arielle Rebekah!
Tech and innovations reporting from our editor-at-large on the floor Jenn Chen!
The True Artisan Cafe from La Marzocco featuring some of the very best coffee roasters in the country.
Special thanks to Bellwether Coffee, our Presenting Sponsor of our SCA Expo Coverage, and thank you to our coverage sponsors Created Co. and Proper Syrup!
Relevant Coffee Hops Cold Brew from Vancouver, Washington.
We just love RTD! Special thanks to Snapchill Coffee for presenting the Ready To Drink series on Sprudge this year.
George Howell loves Buzzy the Bean on LinkedIn.
The vegan Doe Donuts' Chocolate Espresso Bear Claw from Portland, Oregon is delicious with a chocolate sauce and espresso glaaaaze.
Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher is a delicious alcohol-free drink.
This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by Baratza, Pacific Barista Series, Ghirardelli, and DONA.