A Very Deep Dive on Coffee
GEAR:30
BLISTER
4.9 • 844 Ratings
🗓️ 13 August 2021
⏱️ 75 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
You had to know we’d do this, right? We’re doing a deep dive on coffee with Sam Higby of First Ascent. We discuss the difference between good and bad instant coffee; light roasts vs. dark roasts (and what some dark roasts have in common with hot sauce or double IPAs); the brewing process & brewing at altitude; how to make great coffee on a budget; and more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Sam’s background (5:44)
- First Ascent Coffee (10:09)
- History of instant coffee & what makes it good or bad (11:33)
- Light Roasts vs Dark Roasts (23:44)
- The roasting process (32:19)
- Q Graders vs Sommeliers (35:49)
- Hot sauce, hops, & dark roasts (38:42)
- Brewing at altitude (43:39)
- Grinding & Grinders (47:29)
- Extraction / grind size (52:43)
- Different brewing methods (52:43)
- How to: good coffee on a budget (1:03:33)
- What We’re Celebrating (1:11:16)
RELATED LINKS:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hey everybody, welcome back to Gear 30 on the Blister Podcast Network. |
| 0:09.3 | I'm Jonathan Ellsworth, and you can check out everything we're doing and reviewing over |
| 0:14.4 | at blisterreview.com. |
| 0:18.0 | Now, if you are a regular listener of Gear 30, you might have wondered if, or when, we would devote an entire episode of Gear 30 to what might be the best drink in the world. |
| 0:32.4 | Well, the answer is yes, and today is that day. |
| 0:36.9 | I recently sat down in Blister HQ.Q with the person I have talked with |
| 0:41.3 | the most about coffee this past year, Sam Higby of First Ascent Coffee. Now, not only have I talked |
| 0:48.7 | about coffee the most with Sam, Sam has also taught me the most this past year about coffee, so I really wanted to get my |
| 0:56.8 | fellow coffee-loving gear dorks, that's you, in on one of our conversations. |
| 1:04.1 | And even if you aren't a full-fledged card-carrying member of the cult of coffee, Well, I think the science and the art of coffee |
| 1:13.3 | making is inherently fascinating. So I think any self-respecting, curious person will enjoy |
| 1:20.7 | learning more about first Sam's own personal history in the outdoor industry and in the coffee |
| 1:26.7 | business. The difference between industry and in the coffee business, the difference between |
| 1:29.1 | good and bad instant coffee and actually some of the advantages that instant coffee has over |
| 1:36.6 | the coffee we brew just before we drink it. That might be news to some of you. We also talk about |
| 1:43.9 | light roasts versus dark roasts |
| 1:46.4 | and why I think some dark roasts have quite a bit in common with hot sauce and double |
| 1:53.2 | IPAs. You'll hear my argument about that in this episode. Sam and I also talk about the coffee |
| 1:59.0 | roasting process, the brewing process, how one accounts for brewing at altitude, |
| 2:06.8 | importantly, how to make great coffee on a budget, and more. |
| 2:12.8 | Now, this episode of Gear 30 is brought to you by our Blister recommended shop, Escape Route. |
| 2:18.5 | Escape Route has three locations in British Columbia, two in Whistler and one in Squamish, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BLISTER, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BLISTER and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.