IT’S JUST COFFEE!

Your coffee may have changed, and nobody told you.

With green coffee prices at record highs, some of the biggest coffee brands are swapping arabica for cheaper robusta and changing their labels without saying anything. In Australia, Moccona swapped “100% arabica” for “100% coffee beans”. Coles’ Gold instant doubled in price and dropped its arabica claim. In many markets, the law doesn’t require brands to tell you which beans are in the jar.

This week we go through the ABC’s reporting. Is robusta really the villain? Is it legal? (Yes.) Is it honest? (That’s the debate.) Then we turn it on ourselves. Specialty loves to point at the supermarket aisle, but how many cafes can tell you exactly where their beans came from, who grew them and what they paid? If we want people to trust us, does specialty have to be fully traceable too?

From the supermarket shelf to your local cafe, this is your crash course in what’s really in your cup.

Read the label. Then ask questions.

COFFEE BREAK! is your weekly inside scoop into the coffee community. Everything from on-the-fly barista tips, honest and unfiltered café reviews (eek), hospitality stories and gatekept coffee secrets.

Read the ABC article here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-09/coffee-brands-drop-premium-arabica-beans-in-price-squeeze/107242310

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

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What does it take to grow a coffee brand across Asia and the Middle East without giving up a single share? Fresh off the plane for Coffee Weekend, Kurasu founder Yozo Otsuki came straight from the airport to the studio to tell us.

With Rohan out sick, Ben holds the chair solo. We go back to Yozo’s first sip of light roast at Single O in Sydney (his verdict: “these Aussies don’t know anything about coffee”). Then we get into how a Kyoto kid raised around his family’s kissaten turned an online gear store into 23 shops, mostly through licensing. Why does he refuse to raise capital? What’s the one thing a licensing partner can never change? And when partners want to go all in on matcha, how much do you bend? We also get into Japan’s convenience-store coffee glow-up, what Blue Bottle’s path tells the rest of us, and why the matcha boom could be a lifeline for a struggling tea industry.

From Kyoto kissatens to licensing deals in Dubai, this is your masterclass in growing a coffee brand on your own terms.

Plus a hot take that might ruffle a few feathers: “specialty coffee doesn’t really mean anything.”

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!

CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 01:54 Japan’s convenience-store coffee glow-up 06:02 First sip in Sydney: “These guys don’t know coffee” 11:28 Is Japan really coffee heaven? 15:27 How tourism built Japan’s specialty scene 21:33 Inside Kurasu: 23 shops, one roastery 23:37 Why licensing beats raising capital 33:18 The Blue Bottle question 42:52 What can you compromise on? 46:48 Quickfire round 55:32 Is matcha helping or hurting a Japanese coffee brand? 58:42 Matcha’s revival and why it needs a shared language 1:03:40 Hot Take: specialty coffee doesn’t mean anything 1:09:05 Shoutout 1:11:09 Where to find Kurasu

Find Yozo & Kurasu here: https://www.instagram.com/kurasu.kyoto/

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

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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!

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

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