Welcome to the next installment of terroir in coffee.
This one little word contains a whole world of history and has an important role in the economic viability of certain agricultural products.
After the last episode I heard from some of you who wished I had talked about soil minerals and plant nutrition from soil. Others also asked about the wine making regions like Bordeaux where Terroir is regulated by french law. I cover both of these concerns in todays episode before we get to discuss what I really wanted the episode to be about: microbes and morality.
There is an unspoken understanding that products that express terroir are more moral than others.
I wanted to give you an episode that focused on microbiology, that talked about the yeast and bacteria that contribute to a "taste of place" but I couldn't do it without including the human perception that products that express terroir, products that are "transparent" are superior.
I think we need to be really careful because science doesn't support this view. Any moral component of terroir is a choice to see it through a religious and political lens.
I want to challenge your views on "transparency" and "intrinsic quality".
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Mentioned on the podcast:
The historical origins are from the book Terroir and Other Myths of Winegrowing by Mark A Matthews.