The Hidden Levers Every Cafe Owner Should Know | COFFEE BREAK!

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1. 

   7 Sep 2026 · 56 min

   The Bartender’s Guide to Better Coffee Drinks | THURMAN WISE!

   Signature coffee drinks are everywhere. But are they actually balanced, or are cafés piling on syrups, foams, layers and garnishes until the coffee disappears? Thurman Wise is a bartender, beverage innovation specialist and Product Director at MEASURED Guide. He’s also gone viral travelling the world in search of its coldest martini. Today, Thurman becomes our spirit guide, in every sense of the word, as he teaches Rohan Cooke and Ben Bicknell what coffee professionals can learn from the cocktail world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2. 

   2 Sep 2026 · 29 min

   Are Cafes Still Our Third Place? | COFFEE BREAK!

   re cafes still the place where community happens, or have laptops, rising costs and grab-and-go culture completely changed the role they play? Rohan Cooke and Ben Bicknell unpack the idea of the “third place”, the space between home and work where people can gather, connect and feel like they belong. From regulars and barista-led connection to run clubs, book clubs, no-laptop venues and day-to-night models, we explore what cafe community looks like in 2026. Why is the traditional third-place model becoming harder to sustain? Can someone working silently on a laptop really be part of a…

3. 

   31 Aug 2026 · 44 min

   Italy Called the Police Over His €2 Espresso | FRANCESCO SANAPO!

   Would you call the police over a €2 espresso? It actually happened to Francesco Sanapo. Francesco is a three-time Italian Barista Champion and the co-founder of Ditta Artigianale, the specialty coffee group challenging tradition from inside one of the most tradition-bound coffee cultures in the world. In this episode, Francesco explains why Italy’s famous €1 espresso is no longer sustainable, what happened when an angry customer called the police over a €2 decaf, and why charging more only works when cafés deliver better coffee, better storytelling and better hospitality. We also trace…

4. 

   26 Aug 2026 · 27 min

   Deep-diving Gen Z Coffee Culture | COFFEE BREAK!

   We discuss if Gen Z is actually ‘too anxious’ for cafés, why matcha and iced signatures are exploding, and how specialty shops can embrace customisation without selling their soul. Plus: book raves, barista phobia memes, and two unapologetic uncs trying (and failing) to speak fluent Gen Z. Also, Condesa Co.Lab joins us with the weekly green coffee market report. 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…

5. 

   24 Aug 2026 · 59 min

   Reimagining the Role of the Barista | ALICIA FENG!

   Today we're joined by the incredible Alicia Feng. She owns Calēre in Fitzroy, co-founded Chiaki in Collingwood, which just won Age Good Food Guide's Cafe of the Year, and now runs Atelier Enso in Carlton, which has been described as a boundary pushing cafe - even Broadsheet posed the question, is Atelier Enso the future of Melbourne coffee shops? Join us as we discuss all the buzz, especially around how Atelier Enso has transformed the role of barista. 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…

6. 

   17 Aug 2026 · 57 min

   Is It Even Specialty Coffee Anymore? | ROHAN COOKE & BEN BICKNELL!

   What actually makes coffee “specialty”? Is it an 80+ cup score? A traceable farm? The flavour, the barista, the ethics, the hospitality, or is it all just vibes? In this episode, Rohan and Ben open one enormous can of worms and ask whether “specialty coffee” still means what we think it means. They trace the term from its original definition through the coffee-price crisis, fair trade, direct trade and the rise of third-wave coffee. Then things get messy. Can Starbucks technically be specialty coffee? Does pre-batched espresso count? If an automated machine makes a more consistent drink, is…

7. 

   12 Aug 2026 · 44 min

   Your Cafe Has More to Sell | COFFEE BREAK!

   How can cafes generate additional revenue beyond selling coffee? We discuss leveraging existing assets like knowledge and physical space to offer products, educational workshops and events. Plus we outline the importance of curating retail that feels authentic and relevant to your business. Expand on what a cafe can be in meaningful and practical ways. Tune in! 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…

8. 

   10 Aug 2026 · 47 min

   Ultrasonic Espresso - A New Way to Brew Coffee | FRANCISCO TRUJILLO!

   Can you make espresso with room-temperature water and sound waves? Dr Francisco Trujillo and his team at UNSW have developed an entirely new brewing process that uses ultrasound to produce espresso-strength coffee in under three minutes, while using around one-quarter of the energy of a traditional espresso machine. In this episode, Francisco takes us inside the science of ultrasonic coffee. We unpack acoustic cavitation, the microscopic bubbles that pit and fracture coffee grounds, why tamping matters far less in this system, and how the team built the technology into something that still…

9. 

   5 Aug 2026 · 33 min

   Flat vs Conical Burrs - Which Grinder Is Right for You? | COFFEE BREAK!

   Your grinder could be making a bigger difference to your coffee than you think. This week we are getting granular. Literally. We’re breaking down coffee grinder burrs, what they actually do and why choosing between flat and conical can completely change what ends up in your cup. Why do conical burrs create more body? Are flat burrs always better for filter coffee? What are fines and boulders? Does a bigger burr automatically mean better coffee? And when is upgrading your grinder actually worth the money? From particle size and burr geometry to heat, retention, seasoning and choosing the…

10. 

    3 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 11 min

    How Onyx Built the #1 Coffee Shop in the World | ANDREA ALLEN!

    Onyx Coffee Lab was just voted the best coffee shop in the world! Not in New York, Copenhagen or Melbourne. In Arkansas. Andrea Allen and her husband Jon opened Onyx in 2012 with a wildly ambitious idea: one day, they would serve the best coffee in the world. At the time, success meant paying the bills, the staff and the rent. Fourteen years later, Onyx sits at number one on the World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops list and has become a James Beard nominee for Outstanding Bar. Andrea joins us to unpack how they built a hometown coffee company into one of specialty coffee’s most influential brands,…