Podcast · Arts & Books

Making Coffee with Lucia Solis

A behind the scenes look at what goes into making one of the world's favorite beverages. Lucia is a former winemaker turned coffee processing specialist. She consults with coffee growers and producers all over the world giving her a unique perspective into the what it takes to get a coffee from a se

New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 57 min
Latest: 12 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026 · 57 minNew

The Coffee Producer Toolkit #6: Quality Control

Support the show on Patreon to help us keep making new episodes. In this sixth episode, we give you a practical manual to judge your own coffee quality, so you can negotiate with buyers on a level playing field. We start with the simplest step of all: drinking your own coffee. We cover how to brew and taste it, how to build a catalogue of its flavours, and why tasting your neighbours' coffees in a monthly tasting club gives you negotiating power. Then we look at sample roasting, and why a pro...

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S1 · E5 · 28 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 10 min
The Coffee Producer Toolkit #5: Price
Support the show on Patreon to help us keep making new episodes. In this fifth episode, we give you a practical guide to pricing your coffee to ensure your farm is economically sustainable in the long term. We start by showing you how the “C” price is actually set, and why it is not what your coffee is worth. Next, we show you how to calculate your cost of production and the common challenges producers will face doing this for the first time. We then look at how high above your cost of pr...
S1 · E4 · 14 Sep 2026 · 59 min
The Coffee Producer Toolkit #4: Marketing & Sales
Support the show on Patreon In this fourth episode, we give you a practical guide to finding buyers and selling your coffee into the specialty market. And we finish with the sales conversation itself: the questions to ask in your first five minutes with a buyer, and how to handle the rejection that's coming, because it is coming. The Coffee Producer Toolkit is the podcast that helps you run a more profitable coffee farm. Hosted by coffee journalist James Harper (Filter Stories podcast) and f...
S1 · E3 · 24 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 8 min
The Coffee Producer Toolkit #3: Fermentation
Support the show on Patreon In this third episode, we give you a practical manual to take control of your fermentations and improve your farm's profitability. We start with the basics — what is actually happening inside your tank, where the microbes come from, and why your coffee is going to ferment whether you want it to or not. Then we go through five ways commercial microbes can make you money: consistency batch to batch, long fermentations you can run safely, lifting the scor...
S1 · E2 · 10 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 6 min
The Coffee Producer Toolkit #2: Processing
In this second episode, we show you how to stop losing coffee to a badly calibrated pulper, why chasing 100% ripe cherries is actually costing you money, the $480 fix that lets a small farm sort cherries perfectly well, how to keep your coffee under 40°C during drying without spending a fortune, why a mechanical dryer isn't the villain everyone says it is, the cheap instruments that will deliver consistent quality across harvests, and ways to treat your wastewater. The Coffee Producer T...
S1 · E1 · 27 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 7 min
The Coffee Producer Toolkit #1: Farming
The Coffee Producer Toolkit is the podcast that can help you run a more profitable coffee farm. Hosted by coffee journalist James Harper (Filter Stories podcast) and fermentation specialist Lucia Solis (Making Coffee with Lucia Solis podcast), it's built for farmers who want to run their farm like the business it is. Over two years we interviewed 50+ producers and experts across 20 countries. Each episode takes one part of the business — agronomy, processing, fermentation, storage, qual...
S7 · E81 · 16 Jul 2026 · 46 min
#81: Nobody Wants to Pick Coffee
Check out our YouTube videos AI writing shape Support the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal Sign up for the newsletter to hear about the next episode, FTC dates, and coffee releases. Support the show
S7 · E80 · 30 Jun 2026 · 36 min
#80: How Microbiology Can Explain Beginner's Luck
Buy Roasted Coffee Here. Check out our YouTube videos #63: Terroir for Busy People Dirty Jobs Hawaiian Coffee Clip Support the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal Sign up for the newsletter to hear about the next episode, FTC dates, and coffee releases. Support the show
S7 · E79 · 6 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 40 min
#79: Farm First: Lalo Perez on Long-Term Coffee Health
Lalo's substack page Ikaria Coffee (Lalo's farm + roasted coffee) Biofilia (agronomic consultancy) Support the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal Sign up for the newsletter to hear about the next episode, FTC dates, and coffee releases. Support the show
S7 · E78 · 18 Mar 2026 · 45 min
#78: What Is Specialty Coffee? And Who Gets To Define It?
If you would like to watch our YouTube video on "What is specialty coffee" You can watch that here. If you are a roaster and are interested in participating in the Fermentation Project with James Hoffmann, click here -> For Roasters: Buy Fermentation Kit Listers Movie (bird watching) it's beautiful, I highly recommend this. Email info.luxiacoffee@gmail if you would like to discuss Pluribus or Listers Movie in our Discord server. Support the show on Patreon to join our live Disco...
S6 · E77 · 24 Dec 2025 · 31 min
#77: The Most Challenging Harvest We've Had
Roasterkat IG Reel about rain. YouTube version of the Q&A portion James Hoffmann Healthy Coffee Video The 2025/2026 Harvest has not gone according to plan. Nick and I have found ourselves with some down time and therefore have put together this casual, end of year update on how the season is going so far. Spoiler alert: not well. I've combined a harvest update with listener questions about fermentation. Questions featured in this episode are: Are all coffees that are not anaerobic, ...
S6 · E76 · 16 Nov 2025 · 1 hr 16 min
#76: How Commercial Microbes Threaten The Coffee Industry
Sprudge Best Of Panama Article Remanence and survival of commercial yeast in different ecological niches of the vineyard Responses, Inquiries, & questions about coffee sales or future Fermentation Training Camps: [email protected] Support the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal Sign up for the newsletter ...
S6 · E75 · 14 Aug 2025 · 1 hr 14 min
#75: Getting Great Water for Coffee
Water massively impacts your coffee's flavours. But most of us struggle to fix our water because water science is confusing... Join me and James as we go step-by-step through: Why these concepts matter for coffee flavour and equipmentHow to test your water at homeHow to fix it, depending on what you're working withCheck James' website for all of the visuals mentioned in the episode. Resources: #44: Are Wine Making Techniques the Future of Coffee? Responses, Inquiries, & questions ...
S6 · E74 · 14 Jul 2025 · 1 hr 11 min
#74: Supply Chain Reflections: Consulting Insights from Farm to Roaster w/ Luke Waite
Resources: Responses, Inquiries, & questions about coffee sales or future Fermentation Training Camps: [email protected] Get a ticket to FTC-10 December 2025 Luke's Website: Pomelo Coffee Consulting Luke's Book: Pre-Order Pomelo book Support the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos. Office Hours with Luke: 9am (GMT-6) Friday July 18th 2025 Sign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures. &...
S6 · E73 · 18 Jun 2025 · 1 hr 5 min
#73: Cultivating Identity: A Life Forged by Migration and Fermentation
This episode developed thanks to Nick, who thought it would be a good time to revisit a bit of my history in coffee to reconnect with long-time listeners, and to share a bit more about myself with new listeners. We started this podcast about 6 years ago, and if you've been through all 72 episodes, you probably have a good idea about my coffee philosophies. But I also know that not everyone enjoys, or maybe even has the time to go back and start at the very beginning of a podcast. So we ...
S6 · E72 · 26 May 2025 · 43 min
#72: Planning Your First Coffee Fermentation Trials? Start Here.
Today's episode offers a behind the scenes view of how I approach a coffee producer's first time using yeast for their coffee fermentations. We run through all of the potential variables to pay attention to when designing your first trials with commercial microbes. From cost of production to work-flow and data collection. This conversation was recorded during a recent Office Hours session through our private Discord community. If you would like to be a part of this community, join Patreon a...
S6 · E71 · 1 May 2025 · 1 hr
#71: How to De-Funkify Your Naturals and Get Them to Dry Faster.
#54: Visiting Producers, Advanced Tourism & The Coffee Hunter with Tom of Sweet Maria’s #57: Will Frith Solves Terroir & Other Lessons From Vietnam Resources: Inquiries about coffee sales or future Fermentation Training Camps: [email protected] Support the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal Sign up...
S6 · E70 · 15 Apr 2025 · 44 min
#70: What do coffee cascara and rose wine have in common? Roasted coffee labels, batching your cherries over multiple days
Some of the questions in this episode: What typically happens to the water, along with cascara and whatever else is part of a fermentation, after the fermentation has been completed?Cascara is sometimes processed into a secondary product, cascara tea. Are there other secondary products that are made?As a roaster, what should we put on our bags to better point towards the farm?What's the consensus on adding flavor descriptors to bags? Do or don't?How can I store coffee cherry for 2–3 days with...
S5 · E69 · 30 Mar 2025 · 48 min
#69: Whole Coffee Cherry Fermentations—The Multiple Paradoxes of Naturals
This episode is a final harvest update and the behind the scenes of performing whole cherry fermentation with various microbes in an attempt to create a Dry Process/Natural coffee that I want to drink. Resources: Inquiries about coffee sales or future Fermentation Training Camps: [email protected] Support the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here w...
S5 · E68 · 3 Dec 2024 · 37 min
#68: Fermentation vs. Germination: A Look at The Seed From The Inside, Out
I have wanted to make this episode for a long time, but I wasn't sure how to make it work. Finally some research for Dr. Flavio Borem helped crack the topic for me and the result is today's new episode. Things we discuss on this episode: Washed processed that tastes like a naturalProcess-forward coffees, funky coffeeNeutral processing The need for speed, & gentle dryingDrying is not just removing waterBiggest producer mistakes, not upgrading the dryingFallacy of terroir Su...
S5 · E67 · 4 Sep 2024 · 1 hr
#67: Addressing Climate Collapse & Coffee Labor in Brazil with Ana Luiza of Fazenda Mió
In this episode we talk about: How Ana decided to join the family business after pursuing a career in art.The advantages and drawback of growing coffee in a "Full Sun" system.The future of coffee picking and the role of Mechanical Harvesters.Brazil's 6 different biomes.How technology helped Brazil jump from 6 coffee bags/hectare in 1960 to 29 bags/hectare in 2023How climate change has affected the cropHow Precision Agriculture is helping the farm use resources efficientlyTattoos!Resour...
S5 · E66 · 23 Aug 2024 · 1 hr 6 min
#66: Winemaker Tools for Coffee Producers: Sugar & Acid Additions, Co-Fermentation w/ Fruit
I was going to create a new episode about Infused vs Inoculated Coffees, but much of what we established back in Episode #39 is still relevant. So I am pulling a Taylor Swift and going to re-release a new version of episode 39, keeping what still works and adding some new perspectives from the last 3 years. In this episode I talk about: The sugar and acid additions that French and California winemakers useHow adding mango to a fermentation tank is completely different from adding passion fr...
S5 · E65 · 24 Jul 2024 · 38 min
#65: To Blend or Not to Blend? Wine Vintages, and Harvest Update.
On today's episode I will be updating you on the coffee we made this harvest season and speaking of the importance of blends. If you’ve listened to even 1 other episode of this podcast, you’ll know that I'm usually trying to discourage the coffee industry from blindly adopting wine culture. Usually I share my thoughts that adopting a wine model benefits consumers more than producers and further accentuates inequality between the coffee buyers and coffee producers. Usually I believe the wine m...
S5 · E64 · 4 Jul 2024 · 35 min
#64: What Kind of Coffee Lover am I? How Much am I Willing to Pay for a Cup of Coffee?
This episode also comes on the heels of our recent trip to London. Our very first stop was the Nagare coffee shop in Shoreditch in North London. Nick and I do what we usually do when we step into a coffee shop and order the pour overs. They had 2 different coffees on the menu for a pour over so we got one of each and sat back at our cute little table in a cozy cafe, and it was only when we looked down at our empty Kinto ceramic cups that we finally realized we had paid 18£ ($23 dollars!...
S5 · E63 · 20 May 2024 · 37 min
#63: Terroir For Busy People
Inquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps: [email protected] Support the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal Sign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures. Cover Art by: Nick Hafner Into song: Elijah Bisbee Support the show
S5 · E62 · 30 Apr 2024 · 1 hr 36 min
#62: The Commercial Yeast vs Wild Microbes Debate w/ Pranoy of Kerehaklu
Today I bring you a third installment with Pranoy from Kerehaklu. In this new episode we talk about: The pros and cons of commercial strains vs wild microbesThe over-complication of fermentationsThe drawback of high altitude farmingThe drawback of honey processAn alternative to adding fruit to your tank Terroir vs Ecological nichePranoy's approach to cultivating his local microbesAnd much more... RESOURCES #56: Finding Work/Life Balance as a Coffee Producer w/ Pranoy Thipaia...
S5 · E61 · 22 Apr 2024 · 52 min
#61: Coffee Fermentation Review with Ashley Rodriguez of Boss Barista
RESOURCES Inquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps: [email protected] Barista Substack Boss Barista Podcast Support the show on Patreon to join our live Discord hangouts, and get access to research papers, transcripts and videos. And if you don't want to commit, show your support here with a one time contribution: PayPal Sign up for the newsletter for behind the scenes pictures. Cover Art by: Nick Hafner Into song: Elijah Bisbee Support the ...
S4 · E60 · 15 Dec 2023 · 49 min
#60: Thermoshock, Where Does Citrus Flavor Come From & How To Find Your Fermentation Soulmate
In this listener Q&A episode we talk about: How to use ThermoshockDoes drying pull sugar out of the seed?What labels are important on a coffee bag?How do I prepare my coffee?How to know if you've hit "The One" on a fermentation trialHow do citrus flavors get into coffee?How did a coffee from Panama fool a listener into thinking it came from Ethiopia? RESOURCES Inquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Training Camps: [email protected] https://www.mdpi.com/2304...
S4 · E59 · 21 Nov 2023 · 41 min
#59: What's Altitude Got To Do With It? Microbes & Meters Above Sea Level
In this new episode I talk about: A review of how dry process and wet process are differenthow microbes get into our fermentationsWhat I look for in a coffee label, 4 key elementshow I’ve changed my mind about descriptive processing labelsstudies showing contradictory results when they look at altitude in different countries. The Altitude of Coffee Cultivation Causes Shifts in the Microbial Community Assembly and Biochemical Compounds in Natural Induced Anaerobic Fermentations RESOURCES Inq...
S4 · E58 · 5 Oct 2023 · 49 min
#58: Direct Trade & Other Misleading Labels w/ Natali from Nachteulen Coffee
In this new episode with Natali we talk about: Growing up in a coffee producing country, but finding coffee later in lifeFalling into the specialty coffee rabbit holeThe challenges of running a small business while keeping full time jobsDirect trade, fair trade and single originHow Natali chooses what information to put on her roasted coffee bagsWhy Decaf is important for night owls & coffee loversEducating new marketsRESOURCES Inquiries about coffee samples or future Fermentation Trainin...

About Making Coffee with Lucia Solis

Making Coffee with Lucia Solis is a English arts & books podcast from Lucia. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Lucia
Language: English
Category: Arts & Books
New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 57 min
Latest episode: 12 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1481293001

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