How do cafés stay relevant in 2025?

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…

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 innovati…

CAFEC USA: cafes_usa Ashley: awcafec Drank it!: drankitpodcast Melodrip: melodripco Roastful: roastfulcoffee 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 b…