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No matcha. No hot chocolate. No signature drinks. So what happens when a World Barista Champion opens a space entirely dedicated to coffee?
Anthony Douglas is back, and he’s opening a coffee bar with a very clear rule: coffee comes first.
The 2022 World Barista Champion’s new Melbourne space, Homebody Union, takes its cues from wine bars. Think 40 seats, a long menu of coffees, and no matcha, hot chocolate or signature drinks.
We get into the espresso techniques behind the concept, how to make specialty coffee feel welcoming, and why Anthony has put buying a house on hold to make it happen.
A world title might get people through the door, but can it take the nerves out of opening your first place? Plus, we test his hospitality skills with an order for two strawberry matchas.
If you're new here (welcome), our show dives into some of the best coffee conversations on the internet, but we will always remind ourselves at the end of the day - It's Just Coffee!
Anthony Douglas: https://www.instagram.com/anthony_jdouglas/ Homebody Union: https://www.instagram.com/homebodyunion/ Shop Homebody Union: https://homebodyunion.com/
CHAPTERS
00:00 What Happens When a World Champion Opens a Coffee Bar? 02:53 Why Anthony Isn’t Calling It a Café 07:54 Choosing a Coffee Bar Over Buying a House 09:07 Home Baristas Are Raising the Bar 10:30 Rethinking Nine-Bar Espresso 12:22 Why Build a Coffee Bar Around Decent Machines? 15:04 Trying Modern Espresso at Home 17:23 Is Competition Keeping Up With Coffee? 19:20 APAX LAB 20:22 Finding the Right Roast, Ratio and Temperature 23:55 What China Gets Right About Signature Drinks 26:25 The Money, Risk and Fear of Opening 34:10 Making Specialty Coffee Less Intimidating 38:53 Unlearning Competition Habits 40:13 Training Baristas Beyond the Numbers 44:05 Telling Coffee Stories Customers Care About 48:13 Putting Anthony’s Hospitality to the Test 51:28 Do Flavour Notes Really Matter? 55:18 Breaking the Usual Café Routine 57:21 Anthony’s Advice for Opening Your Own Place 58:47 Hot Take: Is There Such a Thing as Bad Coffee? 1:02:01 Ben’s Positivity Corner: Shout-Out to Sue 1:02:58 Where to Find Anthony and Homebody Union
Want more coffee content? IT’S JUST COFFEE: Find everything here
Want to get in touch? Hit us up at hello@itsjustcoffeepod.com with your questions, hot takes or guest suggestions.
Proudly sponsored by:
APAX LAB: apaxlab.com
Thanks for listening!
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