James Harper has a gift in telling stories especially about coffee His honest efforts in researching each podcast in great detail is truly inspiring to be both relaxing and stimulating educational has brought my troubled mind a great deal of peace

Really enjoy listening to this podcast as a coffee lover myself. The podcasts are really informative and well narrated. Really thankful for this. Highly recommend it.

All of James coffee podcast series are absoulely fantastic! Highly engaging, very well done, completely professional while retaining an openness and inviting air and the music (that James plays himself' piano) is all just great. Any coffee lover will learn something from his work. Thanks James!

A must listen for coffee drinkers

Loved all the information provided through world class storytelling. Would recommend this to anyone looking to get a better understanding of the coffee industry.

Definitely pushed me to investigate which roasters in my area are paying a real price for coffee that will pay growers a living wage.

Extremely informative and a very mellow listen. Worth WAY more than $0.28/lb!!

Such a valuable resource.

Thankful that I found this podcast this morning. I appreciate the work you put in on these episode. You do an incredible job! Keep creating, James!

Very good stories about the coffee industry, delicately told with a human touch, but without sugar-coating the tougher side of the business.

I deeply enjoy listening to these stories.

This is a very very in-depth coffee industry podcast James goes in very deeply to all of the stories behind roasting producing and drinking coffee. It is really really worth listening to. I am a coffee roaster for the unseen Bean coffee Company.

...and notes of brilliance

James is akin to the S Town guy in the way he makes the stories intriguing like a page turner story. I love hearing about all the stories connected to my coffee and also you can taste the coffee through the website and man i never knew about all the different type of coffee that are so good haha. My favorite episode is Tito.

James has created something very special in Filter Stories. The level of care, attention to detail, and depth given to each story immediately draws the listener in and makes you feel like you are there with James. Through this show we get to discover the hidden complexities of the coffee industry that one rarely gets to see. If you love coffee, people, adventure, and great story telling then this is the perfect show for you!

Whether you like coffee or not is irrelevant, but it's the common thread weaving these stories, as all the episodes are directly or tangentially related to coffee- growing, harvesting, brewing, serving, drinking... BUT every story is about so much more than the coffee. This show is absolutely one of the most researched and well-edited in the genre and James goes to great lengths to weave a compelling and unique story. I am still talking about that first episode about the female baristas at the Asheville coffee shop - it was soooo good and deals with sexual harassment, social media, and the power of organizing. These are personal stories always with a larger social issue and conflict or theme. Powerful and important stories we all need to hear!

As a non-specialty-coffee guy, I listened to my first episode of Filter Stories because of my son, who is. His set-up was strong, “...I really like it” and “We hosted him in Nicaragua when he was searching for stories”. Add to this that my son is the one who introduced me to the mind-opening world of podcasts a few years ago. So now, several years into my journey of story-artists compelling me to connect with their subjects, I experienced Filter Stories. The 2018 mini-season has me hooked. In his work, James Harper stretches his connection to coffee as much as “Reply All” stretches their connection to the internet. Like most people these days, I struggle to discern how to filter my content...the inputs from the world around me. I long to get twofers. Those opportunities to get two things at once. Like with Filter Stories: I get great, binge-worthy entertainment; and I get drawn into people’s stories such that my mind will never, thankfully, return to its original size. Thank you James.

All I can say is more please!! Coffee is a social beverage and I'm so glad Filter Stories is getting to the people and stories behind every cup. Share with your friends so we can get more episodes!

HONY (Humans of New York) / NPR like interviews revolving around the world of the gourmet coffee growing business. You will be pleasantly surprised at what goes around in these circles! Deep. Funny. Touching. Uplifting, and sometimes even sad... I was pleasantly surprised at the struggles of the people involved. Hope to listen to more of these soon James!

I love it! I’m a coffee professional and I’ve been saying for years that there should be a TV show about us, this is just as good! Well done. I don’t know about podcast production but it sounds like a lot of hard work went into these. My one suggestion is that certain episodes veered a little further away from coffee then I would have preferred. My favorite episode is Firefly.

This podcast is an incredible find. I can’t wait to tell everyone I know about it. I basically, binge-listened to it and can’t wait to hear more episodes in 2019 when they come back!

Best coffee podcast of 2018, hands down! I’ve been listening to podcasts for a half-dozen years, and a member of the coffee industry for over a dozen years. The depth of community, the focus on empowerment of the underprivileged and minorities of our industry, the voice it gives to the beautiful plants that grow for our casual (and not-so-casual) consumption: is the best I’ve encountered. It warmed my heart more then a perfectly brewed cuppa kaffe.

Very interesting and well-made look behind the scenes of the coffee industry. Perfect for anyone who wants to know a little more about the coffees they drink every day, and the people behind those coffees!

I'm impressed how James Harper uses his voice and his music to convey emotions. These are touching stories illustrated with a variety of audio recordings and clearly explained facts from the coffee world. Several traditional coffee podcast hosts have been wanting to do something like this and here comes James and just does it in an extremely professional way from the start.

This podcast really exceeded my expectations, I thought I was going to get some douche bag with a mustache and hipster clothes pretentiously telling his story through coffee. But I digress. James is passionate which is evident from the well put together episodes he produces. The stories are intriguing, the topics he covers interesting and his accident is straight delightful. Would recommend even if you’re like me and don’t know a lot about specialty coffee.

The Filter Stories are the ones you didn't know you needed to hear. Very well produced, excellent flow and plots and twists along the way. Excellent time spent!

This is the podcast that I was looking for years ago when I first got into specialty coffee. If you’ve searched for related material you’ve probably had the experience of wading through a relatively small, but ever-growing contingent of podcasts that on first glance seem compelling but end up being disappointing for various reasons. That’s not to say that there are no roses to be found in the thicket of thorns. I would argue that Filter stories is one the most well-produced, compelling podcasts out there; and that’s not only considering specialty coffee-related podcasts. James is an exceptional storyteller who invests a huge amount of time, money, and passion in the process of bringing these stories to light in a captivating way. Do yourself a favor, pour yourself a cup of filter coffee, and prepare to be enthralled. I’m confident that you’ll be glad you did, even if you’ve never listened to a podcast about coffee in your life.

This podcast provides the opportunity to truly understand an industry that most of us unconsciously partake in, often on a daily basis through the simple act of buying a cup of coffee, by narrating inspiring and well researched stories that allows us to truly connect to the magic of humanity. Filter stories powerfully envokes gratitude for the journey of those who bring us this beverage, making even our basic cup of coffee all the more soulful.

Filter stories is a binge-worthy podcast, offering a deep and thoughtful dive into the complicated world of coffee. There’s more in your cup than you think!

For those of us who claim to truly enjoy coffee, and care about the people responsible for getting it into our mugs, I think this podcast is important. It offers a helpful look behind the curtain because it investigates actual people with real stories - some of which are inspiring, and others that haven’t ended in a way that we would like.

Finally, NPR-level content for the specialty coffee world. James actually does his homework, fieldwork, and production work to bring the most compelling stories to my ears. These stories matter, and he truly cares about his human subjects. Not just another coffee person trying to boost their profile, this podcast deserves all the shares, reviews, and support we can muster! Great work, James. Keep it up!

A new podcast explores the people places and things behind my daily brew. Heart-warming, fascinating, informative.