History Flakes - The Berlin History Podcast
Explore the history of one of the world’s most captivating cities with "History Flakes - The Berlin History Podcast." Your hosts, seasoned tour guides Pip Roper and Jonny Whitlam, take you through the highs and low-lows of Berlin's past, exploring events, lives and stories from Berlin's past.
From the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall to the artistic renaissance of the Weimar Republic and the dark days of the Nazi dictatorship, each episode is a blend of history, stories from the tour guide streets, and a dash of humour. Whether you’re a history buff, a lover of Berlin, or simply curious about the forces that shaped modern Europe, join Pip and Jonny as they peel back the layers of Berlin's history. Discover the heroes, villains, revolutions, and evolutions that have defined this iconic city.
Welcome to History Flakes!
History Flakes - The Berlin History Podcast
S2 E2: The East German Coffee Crisis
Wanna have a coffee? Well, I hope you're not an East German in the '70s & '80s, 'cos it's gonna be tough (and taste like wood).
On this episode of History Flakes Pip & Jonny dive deep into the lukewarm cup of coffee that is East Germany's struggle to procure the brown stuff for its people. To do that we've enlisted the help of TikTok's own Call Me Steve. If you follow Jonny on various socials you may have bumped into Steve's excellent, deep, engaging, and humorous East German/Cold War content. He takes us on a ride through East Germany's economic woes as we sit and sip our own coffee (Jonny had tea...) in East Berlin's Café Sibylle.
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Jonny's idea (sorry) to record this in a café was perhaps a little ambitious. Bear with us through some robotoic AI-sounding audio.
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Want more Steve? You got it:
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LIVE LIVE LIVE!!!! Come see us LIVE on the 29th March 2025 at the Comedy Cafe Berlin at 8pm, tickets available here: https://www.comedycafeberlin.com/event/history-flakes-live-2/
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Tours
Want to book Pip & Jonny for tours you can get in touch via the Whitlam's Berlin Tours website.
You can follow Jonny online on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and more!
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Donations keep us running. If you like the show and want to support it, you can use the following links:
Donate €50 •• Donate €20 •• Donate €10 •• Donate €5
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Sources
Books
Brewing Socialism: Coffee, East Germans, and Twentieth-Century Globalization by Andrew Kloiber
Communism Unwrapped: Consumption in Cold War Eastern Europe edited by Paulina Bren and Mary Neuburger
Illustrierte Konsumgeschichte der DDR by Annette Kaminsky
The Plans That Failed: An Economic History of the GDR by André Steiner
Stasi Files
https://www.ddr-im-blick.de/jahrgaenge/jahrgang-1977/report/reaktionen-auf-die-versorgungsprobleme-mit-kaffee-1/
https://www.ddr-im-blick.de/jahrgaenge/jahrgang-1977/report/tendenzen-der-unzufriedenheit-in-der-bevoelkerung-1/
https://www.ddr-im-blick.de/jahrgaenge/jahrgang-1977/report/tendenzen-der-unzufriedenheit-in-der-bevoelkerung-2/
https://www.ddr-im-blick.de/jahrgaenge/jahrgang-1977/report/reaktionen-auf-die-versorgungsprobleme-mit-kaffee-2/
