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The One With Scenery Coffee And Balam Coffee's Vandola

Coffee Sprudgecast

Release Date: 02/19/2026

The One With Scenery Coffee And Balam Coffee's Vandola show art The One With Scenery Coffee And Balam Coffee's Vandola

Coffee Sprudgecast

In the 175 episodes of the Coffee Sprudgecast, only a few are truly dedicated and earnestly focused on that most imporant of concepts: Proof of Taste. And on the latest episode, we take proof of taste to 100. Only the flavors matter. Only the best brew will do. Are you on the list? Are you ready to prove your taste once and for all?? On this week’s episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen start by brewing coffee using a gorgeous ceramic  that was thrown, glazed, and fired in Costa Rica. Then we dive into the world of , the London-based...

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On this episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast we go on decidedly delicious deep dives. It's *all* about proof of taste—and we're here to prove that taste is what matters above nearly all else. Listen in our as intrepid founders glide over the modernity of romance in 2026, subject listeners to an Orwellian abuse of the word "purist", and enjoy (how Bizzarri, how Bizzarri) as an espresso. Like the mighty I Ching, like the collected works of Shakespeare, this episode contains multitudes, so please expect all that and truly, so much more. Hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen, no stranger...

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In the year brew thousand… ! The new year is upon us and, as such, there has never a more relevant time to look into the future. Fueled with pour-overs of brewed using an appropriately futuristic brewer, Sprudgecast hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen make their startling predictions for 2026. Did someone say futuristic brewer? Yes, that’s right. Live on the show, the hosts try out the , a high-tech pour-over brewing kit that pairs with the Wabilogic phone app. The brewer is loaded with sensors (two scales, temp probe, and TDS) that send data in realtime to the app—providing...

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The 2025 Sprudge Holiday Blend Coffee Cupping show art The 2025 Sprudge Holiday Blend Coffee Cupping

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It’s officially Holiday Blend season here at the Sprudge Headquarters. To celebrate, we conducted an epic coffee cupping with exceptional . Once properly overly caffeinated, Coffee Sprudgecast hosts and Sprudge co-founders Zachary Carlsen and Jordan Michelman hopped on the mics to unpack and share notes. ‘Tis the season, so brew up a hot cup of holiday blend, fix yourself a plate of speculoos, and have a listen! This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by , , , , , and .

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On today's episode of The Coffee Sprudgecast, hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen drip drop minerals, dish about coffee events and the seventeenth annual Sprudgie Awards (noms open November 10!) Michelman discusses his experience at HOSTMilano, the massive food convention that played host to the 2025 United States Barista Championship, and the La Marzocco Out of the Box Event in Milan: fresh coffee, new gear, hot collabs, and frothy gossip. On this episode, the hosts were sipping a delicious . Thanks, Presta! Stay tuned to Sprudge and for the very latest. This episode of the Coffee...

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Barreling into November—this podcast needs a drink! At the top of the latest episode we rip a generous glug of with coffee from . The reaction? “Oh.” “Oh?” “Ohh.” The unique flavor sensations don’t end there—hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen Ceado Hoop Brew a . To round things out, the hosts taste Partners Coffee’s Colombia Chiroso limited release—a beautiful cup to carry them through the episode. Check out the latest coffee offerings from . Stay tuned to Sprudge and for the very latest. This episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast is sponsored by , , , , , and...

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It's busy out there in the world of coffee: national barista champions from across the globe are in Milan for and . Who will become the 2025 World Barista Champion? Only time will tell! In the meantime, we've got another humdinger of an episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast. Much is discussed on this episode but the real meat is in the macchiato. Espresso macchiato? Macchiato latte? Caramel Macchiato? "Traditional" macchiato? What's a real macchiato anyway? After a brush with macchiato clarification at a coffee bar in Portland, host Jordan Michelman had questions.       ...

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More Episodes

In the 175 episodes of the Coffee Sprudgecast, only a few are truly dedicated and earnestly focused on that most imporant of concepts: Proof of Taste. And on the latest episode, we take proof of taste to 100. Only the flavors matter. Only the best brew will do. Are you on the list? Are you ready to prove your taste once and for all??

On this week’s episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen start by brewing coffee using a gorgeous ceramic Vandola that was thrown, glazed, and fired in Costa Rica. Then we dive into the world of Scenery Coffee, the London-based coffee company that just took home top honors in the Notable Roaster category at the 17th Annual Sprudgie Awards. Experimental processing, traditional brewing methods, coffee and coffee gear from near and far: truly this episode has it all…and then some!

A little more on this incredible vessel you see above, courtesy of Coffee Balam, who sent us their beautiful Vandola Coffee Brewer designed by Minor Alfaro Alpízar along with their Alfaro Master Roast coffee blend of Catuai and Caturra grown and processed on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula. Together they made a gorgeous, smooth, and beautiful brew. Coffee Balam donates five percent of proceeds to support cultural preservation projects in the Chorotega community.

Trying this brewer + roaster combo was a total surprise to us, and we were thrilled to have such a cool concept come in through the general contact form at Sprudge. If you out there in Sprudge land reading this have something incredible you’d like to send our way for future consideration on the pod, get in touch!

Meanwhile, Scenery Coffee took home top honors at our global voted Sprudgie Awards, and were kind enough to send along some coffees to sample at Sprudge HQ, with which everyone on team Sprudge was quite impressed. We brewed two of their lovely coffees on this week’s episode—India Ratnagiri Estate LAB-6 and Costa Rica Corazón de Jesús “Los Toños” Java—and spent time learning more about both (Scenery’s website is excellent). We brewed those coffees this week with the Miir Coffee Hand GrinderMiir Pourigami brewer, an Acaia Pearl coffee scale, and enjoyed from Slow Pour Supply 2-Way Cups.

Check out these coffee tools and other coffee gear at our popular gear hub Coffee Gear!

At the end of the day, taste was well and truly proven. Because that’s what it’s all about. We really can’t say it enough. It’s all about…proof of taste.