AA Cafe Podcast

Cristina Garces and Ariel Montoya visited DoubleShot for the first time the week of Independence Day. After visiting Washington, D.C., they hit the coffee capital of the world, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Cristina is the daughter of Don Ernesto, who was once the largest independent producer of coffee in Colombia. Ariel was the owner of Hacienda El Boton, producer of the very first natural out of Colombia: our very own Maduro. This episode is probably the longest in AA Cafe history, but it's packed with compelling content. Listen in bits, but listen twice. Shoot us an email with your comments and questions: sales@doubleshotcoffee.com. Get the coffee here: DoubleShotCoffee.com

DoubleShot roastmaster, Brian Franklin has just returned from another trip to Nicaragua. He and Mark talk about what coffee farms are really like and the difficulty of getting to Dos Manzanas and Finca Massif. While en route to Finca Massif Nueva Segovia, Brian interviewed Luis Miranda about the farms and how he got into coffee. It's worth a listen. And worth thinking about. Buy the coffee they're drinking at DoubleShotCoffee.com.

Mark and Brian keep it brief this time and let the DoubleShot regulars talk. It's a lengthy cast of eighteen characters, all with something interesting to say. Quite a range of voices and stories and memories of DoubleShot history. Listen to the end for some juicy, intimate content where the tables are turned and Brian spills the beans on his private life. Thanks to everyone who participated in this episode, to everyone who didn't but still has a story to tell, and to everyone whose lives have been touched in any way by the DoubleShot. You are the reason DoubleShot exists.

With the DoubleShot's 20th birthday just around the corner, Mark and Brian reconvene to taste one of the two coffees Brian sourced and roasted for the occasion. It's sold as a box set called The Gemini Project, which is available at DoubleShotCoffee.com.  The coffee jolts their memories and they spend the majority of the episode talking about the past. A few of the things they remember from twenty years of coffee and hijinks.  Talk to Mark and Brian in person at the 20th birthday celebration March 5. All day and half the night.

Brian Franklin opened DoubleShot Coffee Company on March 5, 2004. On March 5, 2024 we celebrate its 20th birthday. And there's a lot to celebrate. In this episode, Mark and Brian talk about the theme of this year's party and walk through an entire day's event schedule. There will be commemorative cups, a commemorative beer, unusual coffees, and a game to keep you entertained. Listen up, you don't want to miss this. More at DoubleShotCoffee.com Download the new DoubleShot app here.

January 20-25 Mark and Brian traveled down to Costa Rica to visit Hacienda La Minita. It was Mark's first foray into coffee territory. And La Minita was Brian's first origin trip in 2005. Here they chronicle some of the details of the trip, observations, and takeaways. To purchase a pound of La Minita, go to DoubleShotCoffee.com. Read more about the trip at DoubleShotCoffee.com/blogs/newsletter

Each year, Mark and Brian convene for one last episode of AA Cafe in which they enumerate their "Ten Things." Every year is different, but they all come from the heart. It's a moment to forget about all the turmoil of the holidays and take a breath before the onslaught of a new year, and to focus on some things that make life really special. This episode is all about simple pleasures. Think of your ten, they tell theirs. And if you want to see Brian's ten things he doesn't do, check that list out at DoubleShotCoffee.com. And while you're there, pick up a bag of Juan Ramon's cascara tea. Happy New Year.

The DoubleShot's second and final holiday coffee is from Nicaragua! From a farm called Montelin in Nueva Segovia owned by a young man named Juan Ramon Diaz, jr. This episode is packed with info about the coffee, about the farm, and about the cascara that came from these coffee beans. Luis Miranda (Finca Massif) interviewed Juan Ramon in Spanish, and DoubleShot Folk hero Clint Stevens translated it all into English. Listen, and then go check out the latest holiday offerings at DoubleShotCoffee.com.

The holidays are upon us, and the DoubleShot has released their first holiday coffee of the year: Maracay Pink Bourbon Natural. Mark and Brian convene to sip and talk about it. An interview with the producer of the coffee, Luz Helena Salazar, interpreted by Felipe Arcila, her son and the owner of Cofinet - the company that sold the coffee to DoubleShot. See the gifts mentioned on the podcast here: DoubleShotCoffee.com.

Felipe Arcila, the owner of a Colombian exporter called Cofinet, visited the DoubleShot earlier in the year to talk shop. Brian cupped a bunch of samples and bought a hefty alotment, all from one farm: Maracay. Obviously the roastmaster had to go and visit the farm, meet the producer (Luz Helena Salazar), and cup a lot more coffees. In this episode, Brian talks with his host from Cofinet, Maria Ocampo, en route to another coffee farm. Mark and Brian go over the main takeaways from the trip. You can find that Maracay coffee here: DoubleShotCoffee.com

Originally recorded and published on Halloween 2016, this episode was re-Edited for Halloween night 2023. A weaving of ghost tales from the ever-memorable, former DoubleShot baker Shelley Womack and Big Bob Hendrick, who went off to BE a ghost in 2022. You can probably find him knocking around and flickering lights at The Rookery tonight. Happy Halloween.

This blockbuster episode marks the launch of a new Kickstarter campaign to fund The Coffee Purist, a coffee table book filled with the details, stories, and lessons from the career of Brian Franklin. As it were, Mark Brown takes the reigns in this episode and is joined by co-host Katie Hader. Brian joins in as a guest on his own show to line out all the details on the book, the project, and the rewards.  Read more about it on The Coffee Purist website: purist.coffee Or go straight to Kickstarter and back the project: kickstarter.com/projects/thecoffeepurist/the-coffee-purist Campaign ends November 28 at 11a. Don't wait. 

With Tulsa Tough in town this weekend and Mark out of town this week, Brian sits down for a solo session to introduce the latest edition to the DoubleShot Elite: the Omnia Midstream cycling team. They will be competing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in some hot and high-speed criterium races in downtown Tulsa. Captain of the team, Chad Cagle took some time out of the saddle to talk about racing, his team, their goals, and what they represent. See more at DoubleShotCoffee.com. And for the full race schedule, visit TulsaTough.com.

Journalist Julie Wenger Watson published a story in April's issue of Tulsa People magazine about the SoBo district of Tulsa. Her interview for the story with DoubleShot owner Brian Franklin was recorded in the AA Cafe studio, and published in this episode. Julie's kid gloves meet Brian's boxing gloves in this episode. Mark and Brian, as always, round up the conversation with more pertinent and innocuous details. Read Julie's story at TulsaPeople.com. Buy El Conejo Malo at DoubleShotCoffee.com.

DoubleShot Coffee Company just turned 19! Mark and Brian discuss the aging of the business as the customer base increases and fans with 19 years under their belts begin to wane.  Listen in on a brief discussion of Brian and Wiley's trip to Costa Rica. New happenings at La Minita combined with introductions to a few other long-term coffee roasters gave Wiley a taste of the larger industry and opened Brian's eyes to what's happening post-COVID.  This episode winds up with a few messages from friends and customers well-wishing and sharing stories from the DoubleShot. 

In this year-end, holiday spectacular, Mark and Brian settle in for a long Winter's chat. This episode spans the ages with the annual "Ten Things," but begins with a whimsical conversation featuring Natalie Reed of Muddy Paws Pottery. Natalie's Campesino cups are available while they last at DoubleShotCoffee.com/gift, along with a few other gift ideas hand-picked by the Roastmaster himself. While you're there, go on over to DoubleShotCoffee.com/stuff to find a different list of suggestions for things you might want to buy for yourself, which aren't available at the DoubleShot. Pour yourself a big cup of cascara or one of DoubleShot's holiday coffees and get comfy because this is a long listen. Happy Holidays, or whatever.

Andrew breaks into the middle of a conversation about gift giving to deliver the last holiday coffee of 2022, from Nicaragua, El Bosque Yellow Catuai Anaerobic Natural. Tasting and dicussions ensue, then Mark and Brian talk about a few new items to hit the DoubleShot shelves. Notably, The Launchpad is about to make its debut, a device designed to contain all your pourover gear. With promises of top ten lists, the boys sign off and prepare for the final episode of the year.

If you missed the big announcement at the DoubleShot, get all the news here. Mark and Brian sit down to recap, to unveil the next step in the evolution of DoubleShot Coffee Company, and to continue guiding us through a migration of the DoubleShot holiday coffees. To see the Dos Manzanas video, go to DoubleShotCoffee.com/farm.

Something's amiss in the AA Cafe studio. Mark and Brian sit down to chat over a cup of the recently-released, third holiday coffee at DoubleShot: Bambito Estate Red Bourbon Natural. There's apparently change in the air, and the two cohosts discuss a bit of Thanksgiving tradition: football, coffee roasting, and chicken ramen. Buy the coffee and watch the video at DoubleShotCoffee.com.

Mark and Brian reconvene to discuss the latest holiday coffee at DoubleShot, Bambito Estate Yellow Catuai Natural. They reveal the tip of the iceberg as the story of the 2022 holiday coffees progresses and a transition is in the works. A new cup design by Natalie Reed Goehl is also revealed in this episode. Listen, taste, imagine, and stay tuned for future episodes as the story continues. Buy the coffee and the cup at DoubleShotCoffee.com.