In this episode, Kenneth and Katie sit down with Michael Matthews of Alinea Coffee Roasters, who also co-owns the highly popular Bearcat restaurants in New Orleans. This is the first of 3 episodes that looks at what home coffee brewers need to know so they can be able to serve the perfect cup of coffee, every time. This episode covers equipment, ingredients, techniques, and tips.
They talk through choosing the right water, sourcing fresh coffee that tastes good to you, storage, grinders, and why it is worth using scales. 
KEY TAKEAWAYS

Using water with the right mineral content has a huge impact on the taste.
Look for coffee that has a 'roasted-on' date instead of a 'best by' date.
Oxygen and light are enemies of coffee - choose your storage container with this in mind.
There is a big difference between blade and burr grinders.

BEST MOMENTS
‘Water is 98% of your cup. ´
‘For peak freshness, I'm looking at anywhere from four days to two weeks off roast.’
‘I have a siphon brewer and I absolutely love it.’
‘A better grinder is going to give you a more equal particle size.’
EPISODE RESOURCES
https://thirdwavewater.com/
https://www.comandantegrinder.com/
 GUEST RESOURCES
https://www.alineacoffees.com/
https://bearcatcafe.com/
Instagram - @alineacoffeeroasters, @michaelmatthewscoffee, @brewlikemike, @bearcatCBD
ABOUT THE GUEST
Michael Matthews used to be a professional drummer. While touring the USA and Europe with Earphunk, Mia Borders, and Hannah Wicklund, he got hooked on coffee. Between load-in and showtime, or on off days, he passed the time looking for the closest coffee shops serving good espresso.
Seeing small coffee shop owners roasting their own beans inspired him to do the same. During his downtime, he used his Arc 800-gram roaster to learn the art and eventually ended up creating his own specialty coffee. A product that he now ships across the world and serves at the two restaurants he runs - Bearcat 845 and Bearcat Cafe in New Orleans, LA.
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/
You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black.
At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee. 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/
Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee
ABOUT THE HOST
As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you.
“Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.”
CONTACT METHOD
Want to reach Kenneth? Have questions, show ideas, or want to just let us know you’re enjoying the show? The best way is to leave us a great review and put your thoughts in the comment section - Kenneth reads all of them! The second-best way is through DM on social media.
Podcast Description
Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you! Season 2 is all about coffee'