Shows
La Taza HablaPart 1 - The Journey Begins: Built for the ClimbIn this episode Don Cox—better known as Bald Guy—takes us behind the scenes as a recent guest on the Explore Boone Podcast where he shares how he went from the pulpit to the roastery. Discover how a history student at App State transformed into an artisanal coffee roaster after a life-altering Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) shifted his path from a PhD to the pursuit of the perfect cup.
Don shares his deep-rooted connection to the coffee lands of Mexico and Rwanda, explaining the philosophy of La Taza Habla (The Cup Talks). This episode explores the techn...
2026-01-0215 minLa Taza HablaRemembering Bill Kennedy - Mentor, Teacher, Friend, and His LegacyIn this heartfelt tribute episode of La Taza Habla, host Don Cox honors the life and legacy of Bill Kennedy, CEO and founder of San Franciscan Roaster Company, who unexpectedly passed away in December 2024. Over two decades of friendship, Bill transformed specialty coffee through American-made coffee roasting equipment, education programs, and unwavering mentorship.
This deeply personal episode recounts their first conversation in the early 2000s when Bill refurbished Don's 25-pound roaster—his very first customer—sparking a partnership that would impact coffee professionals worldwide. From his background as an educator and principal to becoming a coffee industry pion...
2025-12-1209 minLa Taza HablaEp 2: Mexico's Map of FlavorDiscover the intricate flavor map of Mexican Specialty Coffee, a world leader in high-quality, organic coffee. In this episode, your 20-year veteran host of La Taza Habla takes you on an origin journey through Mexico’s "Big Three" growing regions: Chiapas, Veracruz, and Oaxaca. Learn why Chiapas is the "heavyweight champion," producing 40% of the country’s coffee with a chocolate-rich flavor profile and intense citrus acidity, thanks to its high-altitude volcanic soil. We explore Veracruz, the "wise veteran" and Mexico’s oldest coffee roasting region, known for its delicate, approachable cup with cinnamon and soft citrus notes. Finally, we unveil...
2025-12-0510 minLa Taza HablaEp 1: Mexican Coffee - Why Organic Was an AccidentHow is it that the number one producer of organic coffee in the world has hungry coffee farmers? In this episode of La Taza Habla, we unpack the Paradox of Fragility that defines Mexican Coffee. Unlike other origins, Mexico’s coffee culture was built from the bottom up by smallholder farmers and indigenous communities—an "accident of history" caused by the Spanish obsession with gold over agriculture .
We begin with the sensory ritual of Café de Olla—brewed in clay pots with piloncillo (raw cane sugar) and cinnamon—before diving into the economic devastation of 1989. That year, the...
2025-11-2110 minLa Taza HablaLumber Grades and Great Coffee: How a 2x4 Explains Specialty Coffee
Join Don Cox as he revisits the question: "What is quality in coffee?" by introducing the Lumber Analogy. We break down why the score system—even for high-value Specialty Coffee—is, at its core, a Structural Inspection. We explore Commodity Coffee (70-79 points) as "Grade 3 lumber" riddled with Defects. The 88 Poins of a Kenyan AA I am considering for the holidays guarantee a flawless structure, but Subjective Pleasure dictates the final decision. Discover why your palate matters more than the label, and how the Objective Quality score ultimately validates your personal taste. Find out what the "rare air" 88-point Keny...
2025-11-1410 minLa Taza HablaEp 2: Colombia's Mountain Map of FlavorWhy does one bag of Colombian Coffee taste like sweet chocolate and another like lime? In this episode of La Taza Habla, we unlock the secret to Coffee Flavor by revealing Colombia’s "mountain map". Moving beyond the economics of Part 1 (The Paradox of Plenty ), we dive into Coffee Terroir and how the three Cordillera mountain ranges create hundreds of distinct microclimates.
Host Don Cox takes you on a tour of five key Coffee Origin regions —from the juicy citrus of Huila (home to the Cadefihuila Coffee Cooperatives ) to the electric brightness of Nariño. We confront the o...
2025-11-0710 minLa Taza HablaEp 1: Colombia - The Paradox of PlentyWelcome to La Taza Habla, where 20 years of specialty coffee stories reveal the hidden truths in your cup. In this deep-dive, we explore the precarious state of Colombian Coffee—a global icon that’s now teetering on the brink of crisis. We trace its fascinating origin story, from 18th-century "penance planting" by Jesuit priests that spurred expansion across regions like Santander, to the current model dominated by small holder farms.
You’ll discover the "Paradox of Plenty," a term that explains why the intensive, meticulous coffee picking labor—including the crucial "floating process" used to guarantee the high qua...
2025-10-3110 minLa Taza HablaEP 2: Liquid Geography: Costa Rica’s Coffee in the CloudsDiscover the liquid geography of your morning cup! In this intimate episode of La Taza Habla, your host takes you on a sensory four-sip journey through a rare Costa Rica coffee from the high-altitude Chirripó origin. We explore why this region produces beans unlike any other, beginning with the geographical shock that the coffee was grown at an elevation equivalent to thirteen Empire State Buildings stacked. Learn how microclimates and the strictly hard bean (SHB) classification create a flavor profile of dark sugar, nougat, and cocoa. More than just specialty coffee, this cup tells a 125-year-old story of ethical s...
2025-10-2409 minLa Taza HablaEP 1: Costa Rica - The Country That Banned Bad BeansEver grabbed a bag of Costa Rican coffee at the store and assumed you knew what you were getting? In Part 1 of this two-part journey, we shatter that myth. We explore the incredible coffee history of Costa Rica, a nation that literally bet its future on a single plant and used coffee to build its entire infrastructure. Discover the story behind the radical 1989 Robusta ban—a national commitment to coffee quality that made mediocrity illegal—and what that bold move has in common with the American craft beer revolution and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
We'll map out the...
2025-10-1707 minLa Taza HablaFrom Soil to Soul - The Cup TalksWelcome to this episode of La Taza Habla. Before your next sip, join us on a journey into the Global Coffee System, an oscillating and complex machine that connects 125 million people across over 50 countries. This isn't just caffeine; it's economy, survival, and a reflection of humanity's struggles. We peel back the morning aroma to reveal the harsh realities of the Coffee Belt, the slender band between the tropics where your coffee is grown. This episode is a call to be amazed by the bean to cup complexity and connect with the hands that picked the beans. What's in your...
2025-10-1008 minLa Taza HablaAn Amish Cart, a Hurricane, and a Roaster’s FaithWelcome back to La Taza Habla, the podcast celebrating 20 years of specialty coffee stories! In this powerful episode, we sit down with Don Cox, a man whose coffee roasting journey is a testament to extraordinary small business resilience and unwavering faith. Don recounts a staggering series of setbacks, from an economic collapse in '08 and losing his entire operation to an arsonist in 2016, to the ultimate test: a catastrophic hurricane/flood that left his business decimated, with mud 10 feet high.
Learn the incredible survival story of how Don kept the bean to cup dream alive. When his...
2025-10-0313 minLa Taza HablaWestern NC - Thorns & Gratitude: How Disaster Forged A Stronger CommunityIn this special episode of La Taza Habla, we deviate from our usual format to reflect on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene's devastating impact on Western North Carolina's high country. Our host, Don Cox (aka Bald Guy), speaks from the international headquarters in Boone, NC, to share his personal experience and gratitude for the community's response. He reflects on the flooding and landslides that ravaged the area, noting that his generation has never witnessed such an event. The episode highlights how the community, including customers and volunteers, came together to provide essential aid like tractors, water, food, blankets...
2025-09-2604 minLa Taza HablaCheetos, Crackers & Coffee: Keeping Flavor Alive”Welcome to La Taza Habla, the podcast where we dive into 20 years of specialty coffee stories. In this episode, we're busting a common myth: that coffee is best right after it's roasted. We share a personal story from seminary days to illustrate why freshly roasted beans need to rest. The key is a process called degassing, where coffee releases CO2 for 24 to 48 hours, allowing the flavors to truly open up and become balanced and vibrant.
In this episode you will learn about :
The coffee timeline and identify the three biggest enemies of freshness: oxygen, moisture, and lig...
2025-09-1909 minLa Taza HablaWhen Silence Isn't An OptionIn this unscripted episode of La Taza Habla, Don Cox sets aside the usual specialty coffee talk to wrestle with something heavier: the cultural normalization of violence. From the most recent assassination to a tragic stabbing in Charlotte, NC, our communities are fraying. Disagreement has become enmity, and violence is met with silence—or worse, celebration.
Don reflects on why silence in the face of violence isn’t an option, and how sharing coffee can reconnect us as humans. This heartfelt episode explores the cultural shift and invites us back to the table, back to listening, back to c...
2025-09-1207 minLa Taza HablaPart 2: The Daily Grind Made Simple
Welcome to a special episode of La Taza Habla, where we continue our deep dive into the art of coffee grinding and its profound impact on coffee flavor. Join Don Cox as he welcomes back specialty coffee expert Gary Horn from GH Grinding and Brewing Solutions. In this episode, we address common questions from home brewing enthusiasts, from finding the perfect grind size (a little above table salt!) to the debate over misting beans. Gary shares his invaluable insights on why a fresh grind every day is the non-negotiable key to unlocking your coffee's full aromatic potential. We'll explore...
2025-09-0510 minLa Taza HablaPart 1: The Grind is Real: Unlock Your Coffee’s FlavorUnlock the secret to café-quality coffee at home. In this episode of La Taza Habla, host Don Cox sits down with his high school friend and grinding expert Gary Horn, founder of GH Grinding and Brewing Solutions, to demystify one of the most overlooked steps in coffee brewing: the grind. For anyone frustrated by the difference between their home brew and a barista-made cup, this episode is a game-changer. Don and Gary break down complex coffee science and bean to cup theory into simple, actionable steps. They reveal why a uniform grind is essential for proper flavor extraction a...
2025-08-2909 minLa Taza HablaCraft Your Water for the Perfect CupIn this episode of La Taza Habla, join us as we dive into a game-changing discovery about the world of specialty coffee and the single most important ingredient: water. For years, the coffee industry has believed that minerals must be present during the brewing process for proper flavor extraction. But a new concept, "ionic influence on brewed coffee tastes," completely shatters this long-held belief. This research reveals that minerals like magnesium and calcium affect flavor and mouthfeel regardless of whether they are added before brewing or after. We explore two pathways to perfect coffee: pre-brew optimization for those who...
2025-08-2210 minLa Taza HablaFix Your Water, Fix your CoffeeHave you ever wondered why your home-brewed specialty coffee doesn't taste like the cafe's? The answer might be in your tap. In this episode of La Taza Habla, we dive deep into the crucial, but often overlooked, role of water in your daily brew. Discover why 85% of Americans have hard water and how it affects the flavor and extraction of your favorite beans. We explore three main solutions for every budget, from simple activated charcoal pitchers that remove bad tastes to under-the-sink reverse osmosis (RO) systems that create a perfect "blank canvas" for brewing. Learn about the ideal parts...
2025-08-1510 minLa Taza HablaIs your water secretly ruining your coffee?Are you truly satisfied with your morning coffee? ☕ In this foundational episode of our three-part series on water, we dive deep into how a hidden factor—your home's water hardness—could be secretly ruining your coffee. We explore the difference between hard water and soft water and how the minerals dissolved in your tap water impact everything from soap lathering to the scale buildup in your expensive coffee machine. Learn a simple, no-cost DIY water test you can do in 30 seconds with basic liquid dish soap to diagnose your home water. We also share advanced methods for getting a precise...
2025-08-0810 minLa Taza HablaHow Science Saved Decaf: Coffee Chemistry 101 with Dr. YoblinskiWhat really happens when coffee goes decaf? Discover the truth of the often-misunderstood world of decaffeination as we peel back the layers to reveal the surprising history and cutting-edge science that creates your favorite caffeine-free brew. Discover how decaf coffee went from using dangerous chemicals like benzene to today's revolutionary supercritical CO2 process. Our expert guest, Dr. BJ Yoblinski, an inorganic chemist, demystifies complex concepts, explaining what a supercritical fluid is and how it precisely extracts caffeine from green coffee beans. From early accidental discoveries to modern bean to cup innovation, this episode offers a fascinating look at the c...
2025-08-0108 minLa Taza HablaBeyond the Buzzwords: What's in your Cup Matters!Join us on La Taza Habla as we pull back the curtain on the coffee industry's environmental and social claims, revealing the uncomfortable realities often hidden behind marketing buzzwords. With over two decades in specialty coffee, your host exposes the brutal truth: coffee is a tree-cutting, diesel-burning, ozone-busting industry with a massive environmental footprint. This episode dives deep into greenwashing, where environmental claims lack substance, and farmwashing, using farmer photos and origin stories without meaningful relationships. Learn how to discern genuine sustainability from mere hype and what questions to ask your coffee roaster to uncover their true impact. We'll...
2025-07-2507 minLa Taza HablaThe Coffee Mycotoxin MythLa Taza Habla: The Coffee Mycotoxin Myth
In this eye-opening episode of La Taza Habla, we dive deep into the pervasive myths surrounding mycotoxins in specialty coffee. Join your host as he unpacks the real science behind ochratoxin A (OTA) and other naturally occurring byproducts from certain molds, addressing the alarming claims that your morning brew is making you "toxic and sick". We'll explore why these scare tactics, often spread online, are largely unfounded, especially when it comes to coffee roasting and rigorous industry quality controls. Discover how the intense heat of coffee roasting effectively destroys a...
2025-07-1806 minLa Taza HablaThe Cup Don’t Lie: Old-School Roasting, No Screens—Just SensesStep inside the roastery with Don Cox, "The Bald Guy," on this experimental episode of La Taza Habla, as he takes you on a sensory and scientific journey through the coffee roasting process. Discover the magical transformation of green coffee beans into the rich, aromatic brew you love. Don demystifies the complex interplay of conduction and convection heat transfer, tracing the historical evolution of roasting from open fires to modern drum roasters. Learn how the vital Maillard reaction creates depth of flavor and listen for the exhilarating sound of first crack, a pivotal moment in specialty coffee development. With 20...
2025-07-1110 minLa Taza HablaPart 3: Processing & Flavor: From Fruit to CupWelcome back to La Taza Habla, the podcast where we bring you 20 years of specialty coffee stories! In this insightful episode, we crack open the fascinating world of coffee processing and uncover how it transforms a humble fruit into the incredible coffee flavor you love in your cup. Ever wondered about the journey from farm to flavor? We go back to the origins, long before espresso and baristas, to understand the critical steps that give your coffee beans their distinct character. We'll explore the major coffee processing methods – Natural, Washed, and Honey – breaking down the "how" and "why" behind each...
2025-07-0410 minLa Taza HablaPart 2: The Coffee Plant: Nature's Blueprint for FlavorIn this captivating episode of La Taza Habla, Don "Bald Guy" Cox delves into the surprising parallels between the humble apple and the intricate coffee plant, revealing how nature's blueprint dictates the extraordinary flavor journey from farm to cup. Unpacking the core elements of the flavor equation—terroir, plant, processing, and roasting—listeners will gain a profound appreciation for the specialty coffee in their mug. Discover fascinating facts about the sheer diversity of Arabica coffee varieties, especially from Ethiopia, and learn how each coffee plant yields just a small amount of roasted coffee bean annually. The episode also provides an i...
2025-06-2710 minLa Taza HablaPart 1: The Flavor of Place: How Soil, Sky, and Slope Shape Your CoffeeEver wondered why one specialty coffee tastes bright and citrusy, while another from the same country is deep and chocolaty? The secret is coffee terroir—the unique "taste of place" that gives every bean its character. In this episode, we unpack the science and story behind coffee flavor, exploring how every cup is a direct reflection of its coffee origin.
Join us for a journey from bean to cup as we introduce the "Four S's" framework: Soil, Sky, Slope, and Story. We travel to a coffee farm in Costa Rica to understand how nutrient-rich volcanic soil and sh...
2025-06-2010 minLa Taza HablaPart 4: The Flavor Jigsaw – Unlocking the Science of Taste (Series Finale)Join us on La Taza Habla as we shatter a long-held myth about taste: the "tongue map" is wrong! In this compelling episode, we conclude our miniseries with "The Flavor Jigsaw: Unlocking the Science of Taste" we dive into how your sense of taste truly works, beyond the sweet-sour-salty zones you were taught. Discover how your 10,000 taste buds regenerate every two weeks, constantly reshaping your perception of specialty coffee and every bite you take. We explore the intricate dance between your olfactory system (smell) providing the "colors" and your tongue delivering the fundamental "shapes" of flavor – the five basic tastes: sw...
2025-06-1311 minLa Taza HablaPart 3: Unlocking the Secrets of Smell: From Matches to Memory to CoffeeIn this intriguing episode of The Nose, we delve into the fascinating world of our olfactory system and its profound impact on our lives. Discover how old-timers used a simple box of matches as a tool to clear the air, and why certain scents can instantly transport you back to childhood memories, like the aroma of freshly baked cookies. Explore the essential role of smell in human survival throughout history, from detecting danger in Neolithic times to enhancing cinematic experiences in the 1950s.
Join us as we unravel the mystery of how your olfactory system begins its...
2025-06-0609 minLa Taza HablaPart 2: What Makes Coffee Good—And How Do They Know?Join La Taza Habla as we embark on a fascinating 20-year journey into the world of specialty coffee, challenging deeply ingrained notions of "quality." This episode unpacks the intriguing paradox between objective quality, like that of a well-made knife, and the often subjective, performative "quality" applied to coffee. We explore how global definitions of excellent coffee are frequently excluded from mainstream narratives, often due to market leverage. Discover how terms like "ethical," "direct trade," and "sustainable" can sometimes mask power imbalances in the bean to cup journey, leading to farmwashing and greenwashing. From coffee origin to coffee roasting, we...
2025-05-3009 minLa Taza HablaPart 1: If Coffee Could Talk, What Would It Say?Have you ever wished you could understand the story behind your daily coffee? In this episode, we journey from a sun-drenched coffee farm in Costa Rica's Valley of the Saints to a bustling Zocalo in Mexico to explore a profound idea: "La Taza Habla" - The Cup Speaks. Host [Don Cox], drawing on 20 years in the specialty coffee industry, shares a transformative moment with a coffee farmer that changed how he tastes coffee forever. This isn't about technical cupping notes; it's about learning how to listen to your coffee.
Discover a simple yet powerful framework to unlock...
2025-05-2311 minLa Taza HablaA Pirate, an Envoy, and a Plant: The Scandalous Secret of The CaribbeanSeason 1 -Episode 4
In this last episode of a three part series on the global cultivation of coffee, we delve into the extraordinary tale of Gabriel De Clou, the French naval officer who risked everything to introduce coffee to the Caribbean. Discover his audacious mission to smuggle a coffee plant across the perilous Atlantic, facing pirates, jealous passengers, and life-threatening conditions.
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2025-05-1713 minLa Taza Habla"Mexico's Coffee Crossroads: Weather, Tariffs & the Future of Your Morning Cup"Season 1 - Episode 3
In this special episode of "La Taza Habla," join Bald Guy and his guest, Jacob Frankel, from San Cristobal Coffee Importers, as they discuss how weather, tariffs, and the current instability in Mexico will not only impact local coffee growers but the coffee industry worldwide. This episode offers insights into the inner workings of coffee production and echoes the sentiment of "doing the most good with the least amount of harm", while safeguarding the quality and traceability of your morning coffee.
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2025-05-0925 minLa Taza Habla"La Taza Habla: My Coffee Journey and How Simple Math Changed Everything"Season 1 - Episode 0
Master the simple coffee technique that redefined mornings for Bald Guy Brew founder Don Cox. Follow his Java Journey from childhood curiosity to coffee roasting mastery."
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Travel the World from Your Kitchen Table: Bald Guy Brew Coffee Roasting Co.
2025-05-0607 minLa Taza Habla"From Sacred Smuggling to India's Coffee Legacy: The Untold Coffee Saga"Season 1 - Episode 2
Journey to 17th century India where a daring Sufi monk's seven smuggled coffee beans changed history. Discover how this sacred theft cultivated a global coffee movement that spread from Indian shores to Indonesian islands.
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Travel the World from Your Kitchen Table: Bald Guy Brew Coffee Roasting Co.
2025-05-0515 minLa Taza Habla"Goats, Rituals, and Legacy: How Ethiopia changed the world!"Join your host, Don Cox (The Bald Guy), on a deep dive into the legendary and spiritual origin of coffee—Ethiopia, the true birthplace of the Coffea Arabica species. This episode moves beyond the daily coffee ritual to explore the foundation of the specialty coffee world. We start in the Kaffa region with the famous Legend of Kaldi, the goat herder whose unusually energetic, dancing goats led him to the stimulating bright red coffee cherries. More than just a charming tale, Ethiopia holds an unmatched genetic pool of wild Arabica coffee varieties, creating flavor profiles you won't find anywhere el...
2025-05-0514 min
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2024-12-2112 min