Advertise on podcast: Drank it! Specialty Coffee Podcast

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Visit https://lotuscoffeeproducts.com to buy your own minerals and make your coffee taste better Check out the Drank it! Instagram for more content like this at drankitpodcast As always check out https://melodrip.co to support Ray by purchasing MD products! 0:00 Intro!0:50 Ray and Zack introduce Nick7:22 How Nick got into coffee and partnered with Lance7:53 Getting it off our chest: Ray's case for RO water10:51 Can you dial in great coffee at 5 ppm?11:18 Nick's hot take13:15 Green quality vs. roast quality14:56 Porlex grinders and hammer brewing17:33 Lotus vs. Apex: why concentrates precipitate21:23 The bicarbonate chemistry, explained25:24 Post-brew mineralizing and why water feels intimidating28:45 Popular water recipes: Light & Bright, Rao/Perger33:55 Does Nick change his water for every coffee?36:18 Coarse grind trends and the wood chip brew38:55 Dialing in funky, light, and dark coffees with minerals44:22 Water myths: what advice do you disagree with?47:01 How Lotus ended up with four ingredients50:27 Silica: "it tastes like sand"52:00 Science vs. art in brewing55:51 Are minerals predictable?1:02:25 Espresso and alkalinity1:03:35 Do minerals affect extraction? The Hendon paper debate1:06:21 The "heavier water drains faster" myth1:09:37 What's the lowest ppm change you can taste?1:12:17 Why small amounts of minerals matter (thresholds)1:17:11 Which acids does alkalinity turn off first?1:19:01 Third Wave Water and the citrate flavor1:24:31 SCA standards and ideal total ppm1:27:30 Does a roaster's water explain whack coffees?1:32:49 Where to ask questions and how to learn minerals by tasting1:34:00 Why buy Lotus instead of mixing your own?1:38:22 Rapid fire: "Spit It Out" Follow Drank it! @drankitpodcast, Follow Zack @roastfulcoffee www.roastful.com Follow Ray @melodripco www.melodrip.co

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Ray and Zack sit down with brewers cup judge and educator Masha Zanozina as they discuss the current state of coffee education. In this episode you'll hear them discuss: -Why it is a good idea to hire new baristas -The lack of coffee education today and how that can change -Coffee competitions and its potential change of trajectory and more! Follow Drank it! @drankitpodcast, Follow Zack @roastfulcoffee www.roastful.com Follow Ray @melodripco www.melodrip.co

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In this episode, coffee producers and Pepe and Jose Jijon dive into the uncomfortable truths behind modern experimental coffee processing. From heavily manipulated fermentations to the economic pressures pushing producers toward riskier methods, Pepe and Jose share their perspective on how innovation, sustainability, and market demand often collide. Follow Pepe Jijon: @fincasoledadintag Follow Jose Jijon: @coffee_with_jose , @fincas_del_putushio Follow Zack @roastfulcoffee www.roastful.com Follow Ray @melodripco www.melodrip.co Follow Drank it! @drankitpodcast, Follow Zack @roastfulcoffee www.roastful.com Follow Ray @melodripco www.melodrip.co

Follow Zack @roastfulcoffee www.roastful.com   Follow Ray @melodripco www.melodrip.co   SEY Coffee: www.seycoffee.com Hyunah Coffee Club: www.hyunah.coffee Follow Drank it! @drankitpodcast, Follow Zack @roastfulcoffee www.roastful.com Follow Ray @melodripco www.melodrip.co

A wide-ranging, candid conversation with 2026 U.S. Brewers Cup champion, Esther Kim from Kumquat, covering everything from frustrating café experiences to the cutting edge of coffee brewing. The discussion dives deep into how water chemistry, grind size, and pour structure shape extraction—plus a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to win at the highest level. Along the way: industry hot takes, gear debates, and a few unforgettable customer stories. Follow Drank it! @drankitpodcast, Follow Zack @roastfulcoffee www.roastful.com Follow Ray @melodripco www.melodrip.co

Zack Stamey and Ray Murakawa sit down with Jiyoon of Bean & Bean Coffee to talk about taking over a multi-location family café business, modernizing it for today’s specialty scene, and launching Picolot as a “rapid release” canvas for tiny, ultra-interesting lots. Along the way they unpack Bean & Bean’s sloth rebrand (and its farm-ecosystem meaning), how Jiyoon thinks about pricing + margins for luxury coffees, what it’s like balancing multiple customer “coffee languages”, and why she’s leaning hard into education + standards—from community cuppings to a barista evaluation program. They also get into the evolved Q / CVA, origin travel with her mom (mother–daughter Q-grader duo), and the realities of roasting very light coffees on a Stronghold S7X. The rapid-fire closes with strong takes: Seoul as a top coffee city and doing a legit pour-over routine on an airplane. Follow Drank it! @drankitpodcast, Follow Zack @roastfulcoffee www.roastful.com Follow Ray @melodripco www.melodrip.co

In this episode, we sit down with Harry (aka Kimoi Coffee Harry) of Moonwake Coffee to dive deep into modern specialty coffee—from hyper-dialed pour-over brewing and grinder burr theory to green buying, roast development, and water chemistry. Harry shares his journey from passionate home enthusiast to shaping Moonwake’s brewing program and green sourcing, including how ultra-high-end gear ended up at a farmers market. The conversation explores what “ultralight” coffee really means today, why water might matter more than your grinder, and how community and calibration drive better coffee more than chasing the next piece of gear. Links mentionedMoonwake Coffee RoastersOshi for April Follow Drank it! @drankitpodcast, Follow Zack @roastfulcoffee www.roastful.com Follow Ray @melodripco www.melodrip.co