Sharing the Flavor

Sharing the Flavor

A Podcast about creating Flavor. We explore flavor and show you the technique and history to go with the recipe. Show notes and links to recipes and technique videos can be found here: https://sharingtheflavor.com

  1. Coffee Sustainability with Brandon Bir

    12/02/2025

    Coffee Sustainability with Brandon Bir

    This is part 2 of a discussion with Brandon Bir, who is the director of sustainability at Crimson Cup coffee in Columbus Ohio. In this episode we focus on sustainability in coffee production. We talk a lot about sustainable farming of coffee cherry and get into many topics like certifications and the complications associated with those efforts as well as the challenges with traceability. We also discuss the affects to the farming community when sustainability is not a priority. We also tell the story of how Crimson Cup worked with a group of farmers in Uganda to provide them the ability to roast coffee for the first time and make a difference in the process. Brandon grew up in rural Indiana and has a passion for farming and sustainability. He brings that passion to the work he does at Crimson Cup. After studying the culinary arts Brandon became a barrista and then a coffee roaster and educator. Brandon works to develop a network of farmers and producers for Crimson Cup that promotes high quality coffee and fair trade. Brandon is also an active collaborater with researchers at the Ohio State University. MenuBrandon's Recipe for coffee 2 glass servers, 26 grams of medium ground coffee, a kettle of 200 degrees fahrenheit water, a Hario v60 with a white/bleached paper filter, a spoon or stir stick, a gram scale. Dump your ground coffee into one of the glass servers. Place on the scale and tare. Add 400 grams of hot water (start a timer). At 1:45, stir 10 times to make sure the extraction is even. At 2:15, dump the solution through the filter/V60 over your second glass server. Allow the liquid to drip through and serve immediately. ResourcesTo learn more about how Crimson Cup approaches sustainability and to learn more about The Chain Collaborative check out these resources. Crimson Cup Helps Coffee Farmers in Uganada Crimson Cup - Why Coffee Lovers Care About Sustainable Sourcing The Chain Collaborative To learn more about sustainability initiatives and help support specialty coffee shops check out these links below. Specialty Coffee Association - The Coffee Price Crisis TEDx Talks - Brewing a solution to climate change How Sustainable Coffee Farms Could Save This African Forest How to find sustainable specialty coffee shops and roasters

    55 min
  2. Coffee Engineering with Brandon Bir of Crimson Cup

    11/17/2025

    Coffee Engineering with Brandon Bir of Crimson Cup

    Coffee Engineering with Brandon Bir of Crimson CupWe love coffee here at Sharing the Flavor and this show features an interview with Brandon Bir, who is the director of sustainability at Crimson Cup coffee in Columbus Ohio. We talk about the engineering of coffee starting with the farm and progressing all the way to the served cup to the consumer. Brandon is an active collaborater with researchers at the Ohio State University. Brandon grew up on rural Indiana and has a passion for farming and sustainability and brings that passion to the work he does at Crimson Cup. After studying the culinary arts Brandon became a barista and then a coffee roaster and educator. He works to develop a network of farmers and producers for Crimson that promotes high quality coffee and fair trade. We discuss the engineering process starting with the farm and agronomy, through the fermentation process, roasting, and the brewing. Engineering and science is involved with all aspects of coffee and knowing it can help impart rich flavors in the served cup of coffee. MenuBrandon's Recipe for coffee 2 glass servers, 26 grams of medium ground coffee, a kettle of 200 degrees fahrenheit water, a Hario v60 with a white/bleached paper filter, a spoon or stir stick, a gram scale. Dump your ground coffee into one of the glass servers. Place on the scale and tare. Add 400 grams of hot water (start a timer). At 1:45, stir 10 times to make sure the extraction is even. At 2:15, dump the solution through the filter/V60 over your second glass server. Allow the liquid to drip through and serve immediately. ResourcesThe Design of Coffee: An Engineering Approach Crimson Cup Lab Crimson Cup Youtube Specialty Coffee Association James Hoffmann Christopher Feran

    44 min
  3. Embracing The Art of Pasta with Sarah Ubertaccio

    11/03/2025

    Embracing The Art of Pasta with Sarah Ubertaccio

    Embracing The Art of Pasta with Sarah UbertaccioThis episode features a discussion with Sarah Ubertaccio, the founder of QB Cucina. QB Cucina provides a complete set of resources to help cooks embrace the art of making pasta at home. They provide courses, tools, ingredients, and a complement of free online tips and interviews. QB Cucina also has a book club for cooks to learn and share recipes with others. Get started today making pasta with a course, ingredients or tools. Shop qbcucina.com and use promo code: sharingtheflavor Sarah found her love for pasta while studying and teaching in Bologna, Italy, the capital of fresh egg pasta. While teaching students english she began her learning journey into pasta. After coming back to the US she wanted to share her passion and techniques for making pasta with others and founded QB Cucina. In the episode we discuss how Sarah teaches students a progression of pasta technique and some important considerations for being successful making pasta. We also discuss the key ingredients of flour, water and then the additional complication of eggs. Learning pasta is a very visual process and we discuss the importance of one to one interaction that Sarah provides and some tips for beginners to start their learning process and practice. Sarah has a thriving book club that features guest authors and cooking collaboration. We discuss the joy of learning and sharing recipes in a club and the value students get from the group and the course. Pasta is a lifelong art and craft and we discuss how to setup students for their journey and keep the passion going. MenuTortellini with Parmesan Zabaglione Resources/Links:Semolina, Semola & Rimacinata – what’s it about? https://www.bakerybits.co.uk/bakers-blog/semolina-semola-rimacinata-what-s-it-about Evan Funke : https://www.evanfunke.com/ Mentioned in this episode: Save on your next purchase at QB Curina with the discount code of sharingtheflavor Hi this is Andy. In this episode we are interviewing Sarah Ubertaccio of QB Cucina. QB Cucina offers a variety of tools, dishes, books, ingredients and courses to help you make pasta at home. So if you are looking for something for you or someone you know who loves pasta, got check them out today at qbcucina.com (I have the link in the show notes) and use the discount code sharingtheflavor to save on your purchase.

    1 hr
  4. Sensory Science with Dr. Chris Simons

    10/11/2024

    Sensory Science with Dr. Chris Simons

    This episode features a discussion of sensory science and how environment matters to how we perceive food and flavor. We are joined by Dr. Chris Simons of The Ohio State University's Department of Food Science and Technology. Chris’ research interests uses a multidisciplinary approach to understand the perception of foods and how they are processed to influence reward and behavior. Chris has a B.S. degree in Biology from the University of Oregon, an M.S. degree in Physiology from Portland State University, and a Ph.D. in Sensory Science from the University of California, Davis. Subsequently, Chris completed post-doctoral fellowships at the EPHE in Massy, France and the Dental School at the Universite Paris 6. From 2004 through 2012 Chris led the Sensory Research function at Givaudan Flavors Corp. and joined the faculty in the Department of Food Science and Technology at the Ohio State University in 2013. While completing his post-doctoral fellowship in France Chris had an epiphany about how environment can have an influence on how we perceive food and this has guided his research at OSU. We discuss traditional techniques to testing flavor and contrast that with new more immersive techniques promoted by Chris in the sensory lab and the affect it has on these tests. Environment does have an influence on our perception and we discuss that and more in this episode. MenuChris grew up in Oregon and is a fan of the Native American technique of cooking Salmon on planks over open fire. Check out the recipe for Cedar Plank Salmon and video of Celilo Falls.

    57 min
  5. Parma and Emilia-Romagna Cuisine with Stefania Bertaccini

    06/09/2024

    Parma and Emilia-Romagna Cuisine with Stefania Bertaccini

    Parma and Emilia-Romagna Cuisine with Stefania BertacciniThis episode features the cuisine of Parma, Italy which is in the culinary rich region of Emilia-Romagna. We interview Stefania Bertaccini who is a cook, teacher, food guide and has a passion for nature. She operates Stefania's Cooking Classes and Tours in Parma, and also provide cooking classes online. This region of Emilia-Romagna is an extremely important contributor to Italian cuisine. It is the "Food Valley" of Italy and features some of the best cuisine of Italy. Parma is a huge part of that. Parma is home to Parmigianno-Reggiano cheese, Prosciutto di Parma ham and Balsamic Vinegar to name a few of the most famous. Parma is also home to some other great cured meats like Culatello and Culatta, porcini mushrooms, truffles and many fundamental recipes for pasta, such as Anolini as well as the fried dough torta fritta. This is just the highlights of a list that is vast.  Stefania guides us through the process of producing Parmigianno-Reggiano cheese and the history of the cheese. She also educates us on the aging of Parmigianno-Reggiano and the affects on taste and digestion. She then takes us on a tour of the production of Prosciutto di Parma and the artistic and meticulous process of aging the ham and the extremely unique process in Parma and the processing plants by the River Enza We next talk about the art of making Traditional balsamic vinegar DOP/PDO. Stefania's family produces traditional Balsamic vinegar in their farmhouse. Lastly we discuss the wonderful wine of Parma, Lambrusco Parma is a city of Gastronomy and has several food museums as well. Contacting StefaniaTripadvisorInstagram MenuParmigiano Reggiano CheeseProsciuttoBalsamic VinegarLambrusco

    1h 7m

Ratings & Reviews

About

A Podcast about creating Flavor. We explore flavor and show you the technique and history to go with the recipe. Show notes and links to recipes and technique videos can be found here: https://sharingtheflavor.com