Show Notes
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 [email protected] with your questions, hot takes or guest suggestions.
Proudly sponsored by:
APAX LAB: apaxlab.com
Thanks for listening!
#AnthonyDouglas #SpecialtyCoffee #ItsJustCoffee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from IT’S JUST COFFEE!
Does a second café really double your money? And what about the seventeenth? Following his Main episode, Dave Makin of Axil Coffee Roasters sits back down with Rohan and Ben for a Coffee Break on what it actually takes to run a multi-venue café group in 2026, and on building a brand-new venue in the middle of it all.
Get excited, the World Barista Championship is almost upon us! And joining us to discuss the upcoming event is Founder and Managing Director of Axil Coffee Roasters, Dave Makin.
Can a faster coffee machine make your café feel more human? Following their deep dive into matcha, Rohan and Jai Lott sit back down for a Coffee Break on where cafés are heading. They get into automation, pre-batched espresso and why getting your head up from behind the machine might be the best thing you can do for your customers.
Jai Lott was the man behind iconic US coffee brands Bluestone Lane and Blank Street. Now he’s changed course, moving back home to Australia to start a matcha business! Join us as we discuss his incredible career, why he decided to make the switch, and what we should expect from his latest venture, Kissako Matcha.
What actually helps you become a better coffee roaster? We asked experienced people across the coffee world for the one skill, tool or habit that made the biggest difference.