The Sprudge Report - Shoes, Cinema, and Science
The Sprudge Report - Shoes, Cinema, and Science
Are these the worst coffee shoes ever?
Nominate your coffee heroes for the 2023 Sprudge Twenty
The Sprudge Twenty is back for 2023 and we are searching for mentors and leaders, strivers and game-changers, baristas and farmers, traders and teachers, entrepreneurs and original voices in the field of coffee. Nominations are open through February 28th at 11:59 PM.
Industry insider
There’s a lot of movement right now to make specialty coffee a better, more equitable industry to devote one’s career. And two of the bigger players in that push, Go Fund Bean and Glitter Cat, both made waves this week. Go Fund Bean released the results of their 2022 wage survey for US coffee workers, and their findings shed a harsh light on pay disparities for some doing the same job. Meanwhile, Glitter Cat is has created a new program, Glitter Cat HR, to help those in the coffee industry get their aPHR certification and create a more equitable version of human resources in coffee.
Coffee shoes for jumping the shark?
We love a good coffee shoe here at Sprudge. Taking materials often headed for the landfill and upcycling them into something new and useful is always a good thing. What XpreSole has been doing for years, with much applause from us. But their latest offering, well it might be a step too far. Or maybe they’re great? It all depends on how you feel about wearing Legos I guess.
New gear alert
Fellow is back with another grinder, the Opus. Releasing next week, the latest offering ditches the filter coffee-only idea and goes for all-round performance at a very introductory price point. Ahead of the launch, we got to take it for the test drive. Check out our review to see if it may be your next coffee purchase.
This week in coffee science
Another week, another new study (or two!) on coffee’s effect on the body. First up the bad news: coffee may or may not harm your kidneys, but it all depends on your genes. A new study finds that those with a particular variant of the CYP1A2 gene may dictate if coffee is harmful to your body’s filtration organ. But in better news, at least for those looking to kick the caffeine habit, a separate paper found that decaf coffee can actually help with caffeine withdrawal symptoms, thanks to something called the “open-label placebo effect.”
A one-way ticket for the one-way valve
Out of all the many reimaginings of the humble coffee bag, there was one thing we never thought we’d see go: the one-way valve. The little circle that lets air escape but not get back in and keeps the bag from puffing up like a bag of popcorn. But in our latest design feature, Demitasse Coffee is challenging the one-way valve status quo and asking, “do we really need another piece of plastic in our coffee bags?”
Coffee and cinema
When you think of coffee in film, the first movie that comes to mind is Coffee & Cigarettes, Jim Jarmusch’s 2003 vignette-based film revolving around its namesake vices. But it’s by no means the first or greatest film, coffee or otherwise. That honor, according to the British Film Institutes Site and Sound Poll goes to Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du commerce 1080 Bruxelles. Contributor Jackson O’Brien goes deep on the greatest film in history and how coffee plays a pivotal role.
Sprudge Podcast Network
The Coffee Sprudgecast is back with another episode! This week, hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen are talking the Sprudge Twenty and Special Projects while sipping on the first release coffee from Finca El Suelo, the Colombian farm co-founded by Tim Wendelboe.
New job listings from Sprudge Jobs
Olympia Coffee - Administrative Operator - Olympia, WA
Utopian Coffee - Sourcing & Roasting Manager - Fort Wayne, IN
Baratza - Support Specialist - Bellevue, WA
George Howell Coffee - Senior Production Manager - Acton, MA
Java Kai Kauai - Roaster’s Assistant - Kapa’a, HI
Slayer Espresso Machines - Customer Logistics Specialist - Renton, WA
Stumptown Coffee Roasters - Senior Cafe Lead - New York, NY
Stumptown Coffee Roasters - Cafe Manager - Portland, OR
Westrock Coffee - Commodities Lab Associate - Concord, NC
Rancilio Group North America - Service Coordinator - Woodridge, IL
Fairwave Coffee Collective - General Manager - Kansas City, MO
New cafes on Sprudge Maps
Here are new cafes discoverable on our global cafe portal Sprudge Maps. Register your cafe for free—thanks to the support of La Marzocco and Pacific Barista Series.
Pine State Coffee - Raleigh, NC
Sam’s Place Coffee - Winnipeg, Manitoba
Fiddlehead Coffee Co - Bloomington, MN
Do you have a news tip? Feedback? A funny joke? Send us an e-mail, use the contact form on Sprudge, leave a message at 1-888-55-SPRUDGE, or send us a letter at P.O. Box 3943 Portland, OR 97218.