Ben Bicknell

🌍☕ WORLD-CLASS JUDGING PANEL ANNOUNCED ☕🌍 PCA_AU Cup Tasters Championship is bringing together an elite panel of internationally recognised coffee professionals — making this one of the most professional and high-level sensory competitions in Australia. 🇦🇺🔥 Meet the judges behind the cupping table: 🏆 @benbicknell • Certified CQI/SCA Q Arabica Instructor • World Certified Judge (WCE) • Co-founder of Openflor Coffee • Owner of The Sensory Agenda • Co-host of It’s Just Coffee Podcast 🏆 @harryhs.go • 2015 Australia Victoria Cup Tasters Champion • 2015 Australia National Cup Tasters Champion • 2016 Australia National Cup Tasters Champion • 2022 Australia Brewers Cup Champion • 2022 World Brewers Cup – 8th Place • Multi-year Australia Brewers Cup Finalist • CQI Q Grader 🏆 @nancy_mimosa • Head of PCA (Professional Coffee Athletics) Overseas Division • Co-Founder & Director of LuXicon Coffee Lab • Founder & Director of Mimosa Coffee • PCA Brewer’s Cup Authorised Judge Certifier / Head Judge • CQI Q Grader • SCA Authorised Trainer (AST) • Top 30 Green Coffee Competition Judge in Taiwan (2019) These aren’t just judges — they are industry leaders, sensory experts, champions, educators, and internationally respected coffee professionals dedicated to pushing competition standards to the next level. ⚡ Precision. Speed. Sensory skill. This is where Australia’s top coffee tasters step onto the stage and compete under true world-class judging standards. Are you ready to trust your palate? 👀☕🔥 @pca_int @amyzhang.xiaoxiao @chan.jodie @thealternativedairyco @coffeetoolsdist @xbloom_au @v5coffee @cocinarecoffee @barsetto_coffee @muvna_coffee_official @wpm.welhome @ambroker_official @kinnsdairy @themaillardproject @yummycateringmel @mimosencoffee @luxiconcoffee @pizzafarro @cosy.camp #pcaaustralia #cuptaster #coffeecompetition #melbournecoffee #sensoryskills

Emily is known for her content ... but this is WHY she makes it. Working in hospitality can be emotionally demanding, and creating videos has become a way for her to process what happens on the clock, reset mentally, and open more meaningful conversations about cafe life. Dialling in from Canada, we’re joined by seasoned barista first, social media personality second, Emily Makes Coffee. With 40,000 followers, millions of views, and refreshingly honest takes on life behind the bar, Emily has become an important voice in the coffee conversation. From burnout to opportunity, we chat about what the job really demands today in 2026 - and what needs to change for coffee careers to become truly sustainable, both in and out of the café. Her full episode is now live !!! Link in our bio.

“It’s a crime to add milk to high end coffee.” 🤪 … or is it?! We’ve been told for years that the most interesting coffees should only be drunk black. But what if some of the most experimental, fruit-forward coffees actually shine with milk? Maybe the question isn’t should we add milk? It’s whether we’ve explored how good it can actually be. Juan Campos, from Lohas, explains how advanced fermentation and new varietals are opening an entirely new lane for coffee. If you care about where flavour is going, our episode straight from those setting this exciting world. Full conversation live now everywhere you get your pod. Full Video on our YouTube! @lohasbeans @lohascafe_

Instant coffee is the best Espresso Replacement! 👀 Hugh Kelly (3x Australian Barista Champion x Ona) thinks its early days for specialty instant coffee — and needs a second look this instant. Flat whites at home, no machine needed, enough faff. Let's make coffee easy again! Full episode and convo streaming everywhere !!! @hugh_t_kelly @onacoffee

NEW EPISODE: Learn how to become a coffee entrepreneur from the absolute best! @lailaghambari is a US Barista Champion, owner of @guildercoffee , and runs her own coffee consulting business. She joins us to discuss the myriad of ways in which someone can step into coffee business ownership… there’s more options than just opening a cafe! Episode available on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. Link in bioooo 🔗 #itsjustcoffee #coffeepodcast #guildercoffee #businessowner #ceo #coffeecompany #advice

📣 I’m hiring! 2026 is full of excellent projects for my two businesses, The Sensory Agenda and Openflor Coffee. 

I’m looking for the right person (or two people) to join me in helping bring them to life. Two contract roles are available (potential to combine) with the hope that we can grow them into full-time positions. 1. Marketing Coordinator: Looking to tackle creative new challenges and deepen your skills? In this role you would look after all things marketing and comms; social media management, email design and publication, light content creation, copywriting and more. 2. Project Administrator/Assistant: I’m chronically curious, which means I support a diverse range of coffee industry projects. This entry-level role helps bring order to the excitement and makes sure all of the wheels keep turning. Administration-focused, you’ll be ranging across the two businesses’ projects, assisting tasks such as documentation, data management, stakeholder communications, light project management and event assistance. Variety will be your spice of life. Both roles are casual/contract to start (approx. 8hrs/week for Marketing, ~10hrs/week for Project Admin), with genuine room to grow as the businesses expand. Melbourne-based is ideal although not essential, coffee industry familiarity is a bonus, but curiosity, initiative and strong communication matter more. If this sounds like you, I’d love to hear from you!

📩 Send me a short intro, tell me which role (or both) you’re interested in + resume at [email protected] *Applications close Mon 9th March.

SYDNEY IS BETTER THAN MELBOURNE. Sydney featured 4 times. Melbourne featured twice. Two Sydney cafés in the Top 10. Is this a shift in the Australian coffee? Or just one list stirring the pot? We unpack the rankings, the omissions, and whether Melbourne ever really bounced back post-COVID. Which city wins? Full Coffee Break streaming now everywhere. Link in bio. #itsjustcoffeepodcast #coffeeculture #sydneycoffee #melbournecoffee #australiancoffee #coffeebreak

It's Thursday, you know what that means... New COFFEE BREAK episode out now! We'll be touching on our craziest moments from World of Coffee Dubai, and unpacking the 'top 100 coffee shop' list that is currently taking over the internet (or at least our corner of the internet- duh). Shoutout to the TOP 10 Cafes: 10. @tanat.coffee 9. @tropicaliacoffee 8. @story.of.ono 7. @gotacoffeevienna 6. @apartmentcoffee 5. @tobysestatecoffee 4. @onlycoffeeproject 3. @alquimiacoffee 2. @timwendelboe 1. @onyxcoffeelab Stream our latest episode wherever you get your podcasts. Link in bioooo 🤙 #itsjustcoffeepodcast #top100coffeeshops #worldofcoffeedubai #coffee #podcast #coffeebreak

psst....NEW EPISODE OUT NOW! Ryan Godinho is an Australian entrepreneur behind Dubai’s Stomping Grounds café and Specialty Batch Coffee roastery. We spoke to him about the early days of specialty coffee in Dubai (a throwback to the 2010s), his Melbourne-inspired, hospitality-led approach to Stomping Grounds, and the role of AI in the future of coffee. Huge thanks to Ryan for joining the show! - and to @worldofcoffeedubai Go check it out on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts! Link in biooo 🔗

Babe wake up, 'It's Just Coffee' released a new episode! 📣 Today we welcome Mariam Erin: a multiple time National Coffee Champion, World Championship competitor, and creator of the game-changing Binocular Dripper. The design began as a bit of a work-around for her Brewers Cup routine, but has since become a force in the specialty world, expanding the possibilities for brewers everywhere. Make sure to check out our episode on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. Link in bioooo 🔗 Thanks to: @worldofcoffeedubai @mariam.erin @brewing_gadgets

NEW EPISODE ALERT 📣 Pierre de Chanterac has been competing on the world coffee stage since 2019... According to him it's not all sunshine and rainbows! We sat down with Pierre to discuss the competition world, the power of Ibrik coffee, and his journey to winning the 2023 Cezve/Ibrik Championship. Find 'Why the World’s Oldest Coffee Method Still Matters' on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. Link in bioooo 🔗 Thanks to @worldofcoffeedubai @pierredechanterac

NEW EPISODE for your lovely ears! 👂 For the past 18 years, Kim Thompson and Matt Toogood have been running Raw Coffee in Dubai… So how do they do it?? What’s it like setting up a business in a different country? How does one stay relevant after almost 2 decades?? They answered all, and provided practical tips for listeners who are business owners themselves, or just generally curious about the journey of the renowned @rawcoffeecompany . Listen to 'How To Keep Your Business Relevant After 18 Years' on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. Link in bioooo 🔗 Thanks to @worldofcoffeedubai @rawkimt @rawmatt