The Coffee Drinker's Guide
Are you confused by coffee jargon? Frustrated that your coffee at home doesn’t taste quite as good as at your favourite cafe? If you want to learn more about coffee, join coffee expert Angela Holder as she shares her knowledge and passion for great coffee to help you get better coffee for a happier life. Ironically a bad cup of coffee was the catalyst for Angela's personal coffee journey. It led her into a career in the coffee industry where she discovered what truly makes a coffee taste good. Angela’s mission is to share this information with you so that you have the knowledge you need make better coffee at home and to find the cafes that serve great coffee when you’re not. In short coffee break sized episodes, Angela reveals need-to-know coffee information and coffee industry insights through the lens of a different theme each week. Join Angela on her quest to guide you towards better coffee so that you too can can brew great coffee at home. The best way to tackle life is one coffee at a time. Here’s to better coffee!
Episodes
44 episodes
Peaberry Curious? Let’s Spill The Beans
In this episode we are on a side quest to explore an intriguing little round coffee bean known as a peaberry or caracol. What is behind this coffee's name, is it in fact a ‘novelty coffee’ and is it worth the higher price it often commands? The...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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9:10
Brew Like A Pro: Why Filter Coffee Wins For Me Every Time
In a fact-packed episode we take a deep dive into the filter brewing method. Discover the herstory of filter brewing, why it’s the best way to taste the best quality coffee and practical tips to improve your filter brewing technique. <...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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10:24
The Episode For The Caffeine Curious
Just about everyone knows coffee contains caffeine but how much do you know about the actual caffeine level of your daily brew? Listen to find out how brewing methods, coffee bean type and roast level all impact the caffeine content in your cup...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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9:43
Why Is Espresso Foamy? And Help Me Win Influencer Of The Year 2025!
Welcome back to Season Four! Today we launch straight in with a deep dive into the crema on your espresso. Listen for the skinny on the ‘Stir it in or skim it off’ debate and how the crema’s appearance can tell you loads about your coffee befor...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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9:48
I Made A Puzzle Book!
In this very special bonus episode I am celebrating the launch of my new puzzle book “Wordsearch For The Coffee Curious’. Listen to find out about the puzzles I included in the book and why each puzzle comes with its own fascinating coffee fact...
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9:12
Celebrating The People Who Bring Your Brew To You
The coffee in your cup takes quite the journey to get from growing on a bush in the subtropics to being served in your local cafe. In the final episode of Season Three we are celebrating the network of people who form the links in the coffee su...
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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10:32
The Coffee Machines You (Probably) Don’t Know About
By now, most people probably appreciate that to get coffee from the bush where it’s grown to your coffee mug involves a lot of manual work by many different people across the globe. But you may not be so aware of the various machines that are a...
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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9:26
Start This Habit For Better Tasting Coffee
Following on from last week’s episode about coffee habits, this week’s episode hones in on an important habit that we should all cultivate. This week’s FACQ tackles the knotty question of how often we should be doing it.
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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9:56
New Year, New Coffee?
Happy New Year! New Year's resolutions are not for everyone and coffee habits are hard to break. But if you are feeling in a bit of a coffee rut this episode has some actionable tips to help nudge you out of it. This week’s FACQ highlights some...
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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8:35
Fun Coffee Stuff At Twixtmas
If you find yourself twiddling your thumbs this Twixtmas this bonus episode is packed with suggestions for fun things to do with coffee. Put the Quality Street tin down and hone your brewing skills, sharpen your palate or host a tasting party i...
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Season 3
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8:41
‘Interesting’ Moments From My Coffee Life
It may appear to be a glamorous job but in reality the life of a professional coffee roaster is very routine and repetitive. That is not to say that it doesn’t have its moments. In this special episode for Christmas Day I’m sharing some stories...
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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10:32
Is Bigger Really Better?
If you have never given any thought to it at all, you may be surprised to learn that coffee beans come in different sizes. And if so, you may perhaps be even more surprised to hear that bean size can affect the flavour of your coffee. In this e...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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8:54
Taking The Stress Out Of Gifting Coffee
Buying a great coffee as a gift for a coffee loving friend or relative will score you brownie points and gold stars, but can be a stressful process if you are not into coffee yourself. In Part 2 of my festive gift guide, this week I give you ke...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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9:21
Coffee Gifts Worth Spending Money On
With the festive season upon us, the pressure to buy ‘the perfect gift’ can be immense and as the clock ticks down may lead to the desperate purchase of items which are at best vaguely related to the recipient's interests. In this episode I tak...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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9:37
How To Get Excellence In A Cup
How do you know if the coffee you are drinking is certifiably of the best quality? One way is to buy a coffee that has been judged to be a winner in a Cup of Excellence coffee competition. In this episode we look into what the OG of coffee tast...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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9:45
Have You Ever Heard Of The Quaker Bean?
In this episode we take a look at the oddly named quaker bean. Find out just what a quaker bean is, how it affects your coffee’s flavour (hint: not in a good way) and why one may possibly be lurking in the coffee you’re drinking today. Along wi...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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8:36
There’s More Than One Type Of Coffee?
There is more to coffee than just its roast level and in this episode we are taking a look at the many different types of coffee that are out there and why it's useful to know your type. This week’s FACQ lifts the lid on ‘Heirloom’ coffees....
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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9:03
Levelling Up Your Coffee On A Budget
Welcome to the first episode of Season 3! In Seasons 1 and 2 we explored some key influences on the taste of your coffee for better - and worse! Now its time to use that knowledge to help you up your coffee game without breaking the bank. Yes, ...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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8:46
The Future Of Coffee
In the last episode of Season 2 we are taking a moment to muse on the future of coffee. What will be the next revolution in brewing, will it taste like coffee as we know it today and will our coffee of the future even be made from coffee beans?...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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9:34
Top Tips For The Home Espresso Machine Novice
For someone who loves their daily espresso, flat white or latte from a cafe on the way to work the idea of buying a home espresso machine is very tempting. But there are some things to think about before splashing your hard earned cash on such ...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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10:35
Why Coffee Is Blooming Lovely
In this episode we explore the phenomenon of the coffee bloom. It might sound floral but in fact it has nothing to do with flowers. The bloom is actually something that happens during the brewing process. As it tells you a lot about the freshne...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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9:02
You Say French Press, I Say Cafetière
Join me as we plunge into the popular cafetière coffee brewer. We take a look at its history, its pros and cons as a coffee brewer and learn some key tips for getting the best brew with it. This week’s FACQ is about a very common problem that j...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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9:24
The Daily Grind(er)
In this episode we explore the part the often overlooked coffee grinder plays in brewing great coffee. I make the case for getting a grinder for the home and explain why, if you can afford it, it really should be a burr grinder. In this week’s ...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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11:27
Washed Coffee: Nothing To Do With Soap!
If you’ve ever pondered the significance of the word ‘washed’ in a coffee’s description, you are not alone. In this episode we lift the lid on some ‘good to know’ coffee jargon that can have a profound effect on the flavour in your cup. This we...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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8:53
What's The Deal With Black Coffee?
For most of our coffee drinking history we have habitually put additives - notably sugar, spices, milk and syrups - in our coffee to make it palatable to drink. But in the last 20 years or so this practice has become frowned upon by some people...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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9:07