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PODCAST

La Taza Habla

La Taza Habla (The Cup Talks) takes you on a 20-year java journey through specialty coffee’s rich tapestry, brought to you by ”Bald Guy Brew Coffee Roasting Co.”, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Each episode unveils the untold stories behind your daily brew—from origin to roast to ritual. Join founder and chief brain-hydrant Don Cox, a.k.a. ”Bald Guy,” as he transforms complex coffee concepts into engaging narratives that deepen your connection to what’s in your mug, the hands

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All Episodes

9:43

The Sound of Flavor

La Taza Habla ·

2026/02/27

In this episode of La Taza Habla, I explore why the secret to identifying your coffee’s flavor profile might not be in your taste buds, but in your ears. Drawing on 20 years of roasting coffee, I break down a revolutionary sensory framework called the "Listener’s Guide to Flavor". This approach moves beyond technical coffee roasting metrics like brew ratios and temperatures to help you find the emotional "imprint" of a cup.I'll take you on a journey through the six distinct stages of a sensory

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9:30

Tasting in Color

La Taza Habla ·

2026/02/20

Stop settling for a morning cup that tastes like a "sun-bleached grey" wasteland. In this episode of La Taza Habla, we draw on 20 years of specialty coffee expertise to transform your daily ritual from a caffeine hit into a "moment of beauty". Just as Ansel Adams uses colored filters to find definition in a landscape, you can use coffee tasting and color as a tool to separate complex sensory signals.We explore the concept of "associative synthesis"—how your brain uses a sensory library to organize

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5:30

Coffeehouse Crossroads - 20 Years of Bean to Cup Equity

La Taza Habla ·

2026/02/14

In the final installment of our coffeehouse trilogy, host Don Cox of Bald Guy Brew takes us behind the scenes of specialty coffee and the accidental birth of a community staple. What started as a simple passion for coffee roasting—the straightforward act of "making green beans brown"—evolved into a profound lesson in community-led design. Following a devastating fire, the roastery was rebuilt not through a grand corporate vision, but through repurposed materials and the kindness of neighbors who

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6:37

Part 2 - Boston: The Patriotic Origins of Specialty...

La Taza Habla ·

2026/02/06

In this episode of La Taza Habla, we dive into the origin of America’s caffeine obsession, tracing it back to the cold waters of Boston Harbor. While many know the Boston Tea Party as a political protest, few realize it was the moment specialty coffee began its journey toward becoming the patriotic drink of a new nation. We explore the "paradox" of the tea boycott: how Parliament actually lowered tea prices, yet the Sons of Liberty rejected it because a cheap cup became too expensive to drink

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11:03

Part 1 - Coffee Houses: The Drink of Defiance

La Taza Habla ·

2026/01/31

In this episode of La Taza Habla, we draw on 20 years of specialty coffee expertise to explore the dangerous and defiant history of your morning brew. We journey back to 15th-century Mecca and 17th-century Istanbul, where coffee roasting and consumption were once capital offenses. Discover why rulers like Sultan Murad IV personally hunted coffee drinkers in the streets and why King Charles II of England tried—and failed—to shut down the "Penny Universities" of London.This isn't just a history

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7:30

Part 4 - Life of a Javapreneur: Leaving a Legacy of Good

La Taza Habla ·

2026/01/23

Legacy, Community, and the Java-preneur LifeIn this concluding episode of our four-part series with Explore Boone, Don reflects on his personal legacy, moving from a past of "rage and dysfunction" to finding a "wired different" life through faith and community service. We dive into his vision for the High Country, lamenting the loss of the unified "Old Boone" spirit while celebrating the "Mountain Strong" resilience that emerges in times of crisis. As a veteran Java-preneur, Don shares the mission

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9:53

Part 3 - From a Fire In Boone to Lessons of Trust in...

La Taza Habla ·

2026/01/16

In this powerful third installment of our series on La Taza Habla, we go behind the scenes of coffee roasting to explore the "faithful finish". This episode dives deep into the raw reality of starting over after a devastating fire destroyed a local Boone, NC roastery. We discuss the 20-year "long obedience" required to grow as a business person and the resilience needed when you lose everything.Whether you are a fan of specialty coffee or someone navigating a difficult life pivot, this episode

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10:51

Part 2 - Faith, Fire, and the Art of Roasting

La Taza Habla ·

2026/01/09

In this episode of La Taza Habla, we explore the 20-year journey of specialty coffee roasting in Boone, NC . Our guest on Explore Boone, the founder of Bald Guy Brew Coffee Roasting Co., shares the raw reality of entrepreneurship—from the early days of the "Bald Guy Buggy" mobile espresso van to surviving the devastating 2016 arson in Valley Crucis and the recent impact of Hurricane Helene.We dive deep into how a bean to cup business is more than just a transaction; it is a reflection of

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15:39

Part 1 - The Journey Begins: Built for the Climb

La Taza Habla ·

2026/01/02

In this episode Don Cox—better known as Bald Guy—takes us behind the scenes as a recent guest on the Explore Boone Podcast where he shares how he went from the pulpit to the roastery. Discover how a history student at App State transformed into an artisanal coffee roaster after a life-altering Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) shifted his path from a PhD to the pursuit of the perfect cup.Don shares his deep-rooted connection to the coffee lands of Mexico and Rwanda, explaining the philosophy of La Taza

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9:13

Remembering Bill Kennedy - Mentor, Teacher, Friend,...

La Taza Habla ·

2025/12/12

In this heartfelt tribute episode of La Taza Habla, host Don Cox honors the life and legacy of Bill Kennedy, CEO and founder of San Franciscan Roaster Company, who unexpectedly passed away in December 2024. Over two decades of friendship, Bill transformed specialty coffee through American-made coffee roasting equipment, education programs, and unwavering mentorship.This deeply personal episode recounts their first conversation in the early 2000s when Bill refurbished Don's 25-pound roaster—his very

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10:43

Ep 2: Mexico's Map of Flavor

La Taza Habla ·

2025/12/05

Discover the intricate flavor map of Mexican Specialty Coffee, a world leader in high-quality, organic coffee. In this episode, your 20-year veteran host of La Taza Habla takes you on an origin journey through Mexico’s "Big Three" growing regions: Chiapas, Veracruz, and Oaxaca. Learn why Chiapas is the "heavyweight champion," producing 40% of the country’s coffee with a chocolate-rich flavor profile and intense citrus acidity, thanks to its high-altitude volcanic soil. We explore Veracruz, the "wise

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10:59

Mexican Coffee - Why Organic Was an Accident

La Taza Habla ·

2025/11/21

How is it that the number one producer of organic coffee in the world has hungry coffee farmers? In this episode of La Taza Habla, we unpack the Paradox of Fragility that defines Mexican Coffee. Unlike other origins, Mexico’s coffee culture was built from the bottom up by smallholder farmers and indigenous communities—an "accident of history" caused by the Spanish obsession with gold over agriculture .We begin with the sensory ritual of Café de Olla—brewed in clay pots with piloncillo (raw cane

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10:35

Lumber Grades and Great Coffee: How a 2x4 Explains...

La Taza Habla ·

2025/11/14

Join Don Cox as he revisits the question: "What is quality in coffee?" by introducing the Lumber Analogy. We break down why the score system—even for high-value Specialty Coffee—is, at its core, a Structural Inspection. We explore Commodity Coffee (70-79 points) as "Grade 3 lumber" riddled with Defects. The 88 Poins of a Kenyan AA I am considering for the holidays guarantee a flawless structure, but Subjective Pleasure dictates the final decision. Discover why your palate matters more than the

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10:33

Ep 2: Colombia's Mountain Map of Flavor

La Taza Habla ·

2025/11/07

Why does one bag of Colombian Coffee taste like sweet chocolate and another like lime? In this episode of La Taza Habla, we unlock the secret to Coffee Flavor by revealing Colombia’s "mountain map". Moving beyond the economics of Part 1 (The Paradox of Plenty ), we dive into Coffee Terroir and how the three Cordillera mountain ranges create hundreds of distinct microclimates.Host Don Cox takes you on a tour of five key Coffee Origin regions —from the juicy citrus of Huila (home to the Cadefihuila

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10:09

Ep 1: Colombia - The Paradox of Plenty

La Taza Habla ·

2025/10/31

Welcome to La Taza Habla, where 20 years of specialty coffee stories reveal the hidden truths in your cup. In this deep-dive, we explore the precarious state of Colombian Coffee—a global icon that’s now teetering on the brink of crisis. We trace its fascinating origin story, from 18th-century "penance planting" by Jesuit priests that spurred expansion across regions like Santander, to the current model dominated by small holder farms.You’ll discover the "Paradox of Plenty," a term that explains why

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9:23

EP 2: Liquid Geography: Costa Rica’s Coffee in the...

La Taza Habla ·

2025/10/24

Discover the liquid geography of your morning cup! In this intimate episode of La Taza Habla, your host takes you on a sensory four-sip journey through a rare Costa Rica coffee from the high-altitude Chirripó origin. We explore why this region produces beans unlike any other, beginning with the geographical shock that the coffee was grown at an elevation equivalent to thirteen Empire State Buildings stacked. Learn how microclimates and the strictly hard bean (SHB) classification create a flavor

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7:19

Episode 1: Costa Rica - The Country That Banned Bad...

La Taza Habla ·

2025/10/17

Ever grabbed a bag of Costa Rican coffee at the store and assumed you knew what you were getting? In Part 1 of this two-part journey, we shatter that myth. We explore the incredible coffee history of Costa Rica, a nation that literally bet its future on a single plant and used coffee to build its entire infrastructure. Discover the story behind the radical 1989 Robusta ban—a national commitment to coffee quality that made mediocrity illegal—and what that bold move has in common with the American

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8:32

From Soil to Soul - The Cup Talks

La Taza Habla ·

2025/10/10

Welcome to this episode of La Taza Habla. Before your next sip, join us on a journey into the Global Coffee System, an oscillating and complex machine that connects 125 million people across over 50 countries. This isn't just caffeine; it's economy, survival, and a reflection of humanity's struggles. We peel back the morning aroma to reveal the harsh realities of the Coffee Belt, the slender band between the tropics where your coffee is grown. This episode is a call to be amazed by the bean to cup

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13:23

An Amish Cart, a Hurricane, and a Roaster’s Faith

La Taza Habla ·

2025/10/03

Welcome back to La Taza Habla, the podcast celebrating 20 years of specialty coffee stories! In this powerful episode, we sit down with Don Cox, a man whose coffee roasting journey is a testament to extraordinary small business resilience and unwavering faith. Don recounts a staggering series of setbacks, from an economic collapse in '08 and losing his entire operation to an arsonist in 2016, to the ultimate test: a catastrophic hurricane/flood that left his business decimated, with mud 10 feet

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4:15

Western NC - Thorns & Gratitude: How Disaster Forged...

La Taza Habla ·

2025/09/26

In this special episode of La Taza Habla, we deviate from our usual format to reflect on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene's devastating impact on Western North Carolina's high country. Our host, Don Cox (aka Bald Guy), speaks from the international headquarters in Boone, NC, to share his personal experience and gratitude for the community's response. He reflects on the flooding and landslides that ravaged the area, noting that his generation has never witnessed such an event. The episode

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