IT’S JUST COFFEE!

This week, we’re exploring whether using mineral-adjusted water during fermentation can influence coffee flavour. Now we’re at Toby’s Estate in Fitzroy, where Nicholas Rae guides us through a taste-test: coffee fermented in mineralised water, tasted blind against a control. Will the mineralised coffee come out on top…especially in the eyes of our resident World Barista Championship judge, Ben Bicknell?

Plus! Condesa Co.Lab delivers the weekly green coffee market report. And! Coffee Weekend is happening November 7th-8th at the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne - don’t miss out.

Coffee Break is your weekly inside scoop into the coffee community. Everything from on the fly barista tips, honest and unfiltered cafe reviews (eek), hospitality stories and gate kept coffee secrets.

Want more coffee content?

IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236

Coffee Weekend: https://www.instagram.com/coffeeweekend_melb/

Toby’s Estate: https://www.instagram.com/tobysestatecoffee/

Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments.

Proudly supported by:

Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/

Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/



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How do decisions made on the farm show up in the cup? Today we’re joined by Nicholas Rae, Head of Coffee at Toby’s Estate, who has been working to answer that question through specialised coffee research.

Toby’s is one of the few roasters to have a research plot, almost a hectare of land at Daterra Coffee Farm in Brazil. It’s here they investigate coffee processing, specifically how water composition during fermentation impacts coffee flavour. So… What happens when you treat coffee with minerals, does it increase the cup score, and ultimately, do these findings have the potential to change the industry?

Much to consider!

If you're new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day - It's Just Coffee!

Toby’s Estate: https://www.instagram.com/tobysestatecoffee/

Want more coffee content?

IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=4e8cead0-6644-4c4a-b419-28c825b1b236

Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments.

Proudly sponsored by:

Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/

Thanks for listening!

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History in Panama. Pan Wei has taken out the 2026 World Barista Championship, the first ever win for China, and Acaia’s Susie Kealy was on the floor for all of it.

We break down the routines everyone’s talking about, the signature drinks that pushed the limits, and what actually separated the top six. Did our predictions hold up? (Mostly no.) And what does Susie think local cafes are getting wrong?

From the WBC stage to your corner cafe, this is your Panama debrief. Plus, Condesa Co.Lab brings the weekly green coffee market report.

Much to discuss!

If you’re new here (welcome!), Coffee Break is your weekly inside scoop into the coffee community: on-the-fly barista tips, honest and unfiltered cafe reviews (eek), hospitality stories and gatekept coffee secrets. — It’s Just Coffee!

Find Susie here: https://www.instagram.com/susiebootz/
Acaia: https://www.instagram.com/acaiacoffee/
It’s Just Coffee: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod

Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments.

Proudly supported by:
Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/
Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/

Thanks for listening!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good coffee isn't a point of difference anymore. It's the price of entry. Joining us to unpack what comes next is Cosimo Libardo.

We trace Cosimo's path from selling espresso machines to running a Sydney roastery, sitting on the SCA board and now leading the official grinder of the World Barista Championship. Then we get practical: what are the warning signs a café has lost its position? How do you test a new one without a market research budget? And how do you make it real in your menu, your pricing and the accounts you say no to?

From the red flags you'd spot within a minute of walking in to the step-by-step recipe Cosimo runs every time, this is your repositioning playbook.

Time to stand for something!

If you're new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day — It's Just Coffee!

Find Ceado here: https://www.instagram.com/ceado/?hl=en

Want more coffee content?
IT'S JUST COFFEE: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod

Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com for any questions or comments.

Proudly sponsored by:
Apax Lab: https://apaxlab.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does a second café really double your money? And what about the seventeenth? Following his Main episode, Dave Makin of Axil Coffee Roasters sits back down with Rohan and Ben for a Coffee Break on what it actually takes to run a multi-venue café group in 2026, and on building a brand-new venue in the middle of it all.

Condesa Co.Lab also brings us the weekly green coffee market report.

COFFEE BREAK! is your weekly inside scoop into the coffee community. Everything from barista tips and honest café conversations to the coffee knowledge people don’t always share.

Want more coffee content? IT’S JUST COFFEE!: https://linktr.ee/itsjustcoffeepod

Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com with your questions, café stories or hot takes.

Proudly sponsored by:
APAX LAB: https://apaxlab.com/
Condesa Co.Lab: https://condesacolab.com.au/

Thanks for listening!

#CoffeeBreak #CafeBusiness #SpecialtyCoffee #DaveMakin #AxilCoffee
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