Mushroom coffee didn’t come out of nowhere—it has roots in scarcity-era “coffee substitutes,” and it exploded today because wellness marketing found a perfect vehicle: your daily cup. We trace where it came from, why people swear by it, what’s actually being sold (coffee + extracts), and why the hype hits so hard right now. Then we get honest: if you try it and think it tastes terrible, you’re not broken—you just like coffee. Listen to this, then queue up our “Specialty Grade” episode to learn what real coffee quality looks like when it isn’t trying to be a supplement.

EPISODE: The Coffee That Doesn’t Taste Like Coffee (Why Mushroom Coffee Is Everywhere)

Episode page (canonical): https://bilgebrew.com/podcast/mushroom-coffee

Subscribe/Listen: Apple: [ADD] | Spotify: [ADD] | YouTube: [ADD] | RSS: [YOUR-RSS-URL]

Main CTA: Coffee you can depend on → https://bilgebrew.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=mushroom-coffee

What you’ll learn:

- Why “coffee alternatives” keep trending

- What people are really buying (taste, caffeine, identity, marketing)

- How to pick coffee that’s smooth without gimmicks

Resources mentioned:

- The Truth About Flavored Coffee (and why most tastes fake) → https://bilgebrew.com/blogs/from-the-bilge-blog/the-truth-about-flavored-coffee-and-why-most-of-it-tastes-fake

- Why Cheap Coffee Needs Sugar → https://bilgebrew.com/blogs/from-the-bilge-blog/why-cheap-coffee-needs-sugar-and-good-coffee-doesnt

Who “started” breakfast—and why does coffee feel inseparable from it? In this Bilge Brew Show episode, Nate and a caffeinated co-pilot trace breakfast from ancient morning meals to medieval meal schedules, the rise of modern work routines, and how marketing helped define “breakfast foods.” Along the way: tea’s early debut in England, coffeehouse culture, the infamous 1674 anti-coffee pamphlet, and why coffee became the modern morning ritual that stuck.

Show Notes (sources + deep dives):

1. Breakfast etymology + mid-1400s usage: Etymonline and Dictionary.com
   

2. Shifting meal patterns + breakfast often “absent” in sources; coffee/tea/chocolate as social drinks: Early modern European cuisine overview
   

3. Coffee/tea/chocolate introduced in 1600s England: Folger Shakespeare Library blog
   

4. Coffee replacing beer soup (Pendergrast quote) + coffee’s broader impact: History.com
   

5. Samuel Pepys tries tea in 1660 (primary diary entry): PepysDiary
   

6. “Women’s Petition Against Coffee” pamphlet (1674): Archive.org record + library commentary
   

7. Rise of cereal + reshaping American breakfast: History.com and Henry Ford Museum
   

8. “Breakfast is the most important meal” as culture/marketing trend: The Guardian and Priceonomics
   

9. Three-meals-a-day becoming standard with industrial-era routines: HistoryFacts

EPISODE: Why Coffee Belongs at Breakfast (The Real History of Morning Coffee)

Episode page (canonical): https://bilgebrew.com/podcast/coffee-at-breakfast

Subscribe/Listen: Apple: [ADD] | Spotify: [ADD] | YouTube: [ADD] | RSS: [YOUR-RSS-URL]

Main CTA: Liberty (everyday brew) → https://bilgebrew.com/products/liberty-medium-roast-house-blend?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=coffee-at-breakfast

What you’ll learn:

- How coffee became “breakfast default”

- The cultural shift that made morning coffee a ritual

- Simple breakfast pairings that don’t ruin your cup

Resources mentioned:

- Why Coffee Belongs at Breakfast (history + culture) → [ADD IF YOU HAVE A BLOG URL FOR THIS TOPIC]

- Best Coffee for Long Shifts / Early Mornings → https://bilgebrew.com/blogs/from-the-bilge-blog/best-coffee-for-long-shifts-early-mornings-and-night-work

“Specialty” gets thrown around like it’s a vibe. But in coffee, it’s supposed to mean something measurable—cleaner green coffee, fewer defects, real evaluation standards, and a cup that earns its reputation. In this episode, we break down where the famous 80-point line came from, who’s actually scoring coffee, what those scores do (and don’t) tell you, and how to spot real quality without becoming a coffee snob. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re paying for substance or a label, this one will sharpen your eye—and your palate.

EPISODE: The 80-Point Myth (What “Specialty Grade Coffee” Really Means)

Episode page (canonical): https://bilgebrew.com/podcast/80-point-myth

Subscribe/Listen: Apple: [ADD] | Spotify: [ADD] | YouTube: [ADD] | RSS: [YOUR-RSS-URL]

Main CTA: Crew Sampler (single origins + blends) → https://bilgebrew.com/products/bilge-brew-crew-sampler?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=80-point-myth

What you’ll learn:

- What “80 points” means (and why it’s not the whole story)

- How cupping scores are used (and abused) in marketing

- How to shop smart without chasing numbers

Resources mentioned:

- What “Specialty Grade Coffee” Actually Means → https://bilgebrew.com/blogs/from-the-bilge-blog/what-specialty-grade-coffee-actually-means

- What Is Coffee Cupping? → https://bilgebrew.com/blogs/from-the-bilge-blog/what-is-coffee-cupping-how-pros-evaluate-quality