The Coffee Think Tank Podcast
The Coffee Think Tank Podcast
Podcast Description
A show about emerging trends, ideas, and innovations in the coffee industry. Created by Fresh Cup Magazine (freshcup.com), a coffee publisher.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers emerging trends, innovative ideas, and pressing issues in the coffee sector, with episodes like Surviving Coffee Price Chaos which addresses the challenges faced by coffee CEOs and Designing Profitable Coffee Shop Subscriptions that explores membership programs for coffee shops. It also examines market dynamics, consumer behavior, and operational adaptations within the coffee community.
A show about emerging trends, ideas, and innovations in the coffee industry. Created by Fresh Cup Magazine (freshcup.com), a coffee publisher.
In this episode of Coffee Think Tank, Bailey Manson, Director of Innovation at Intelligentsia Coffee, shares the story of the Illumination Bar in Pasadena—a bold experiment that replaced traditional espresso machines with freeze‑dried instant coffee for all espresso‑based drinks.
Launched during the pandemic in 2020, this radical service model lasted until January 2025 before evolving again.
We discuss how Bailey and his team convinced themselves to pursue such a crazy idea, the tools and workflow required to serve coffee this way, how baristas and customers reacted, and why the bar just replaced the freeze‑dried setup with an innovative—but more classic—espresso workflow.
What You’ll Learn
- How COVID‑19 and a lease renewal created the perfect opportunity for Intelligentsia to test a radical new service model
- The detailed workflow for making espresso drinks with freeze‑dried instant coffee (and the specialized equipment needed)
- Why customers often couldn’t tell the difference between freeze‑dried and traditional espresso in milk‑based drinks
- How Intelligentsia made instant coffee work as a viable alternative to espresso for years
- The economic and operational challenges of maintaining an instant‑based program
- Why customer reviews eventually pushed a return to traditional espresso equipment
- How the Illumination Bar still serves as a testing ground for innovative service models
Chapters
- 00:00 Introduction to the Illumination Bar
- 02:59 Bailey’s Coffee Journey and Role at Intelligentsia
- 05:48 The Concept Behind the Illumination Bar
- 09:01 Challenges and Innovations in Coffee Preparation
- 11:54 The Unique Workflow and Equipment Used
- 14:54 Customer Reactions and Market Acceptance
- 18:03 The Science of Freeze‑Dried Coffee
- 21:06 Final Thoughts on Innovation in Coffee
- 29:02 Innovations in Coffee Equipment
- 31:46 The Unique Experience of the Illumination Bar
- 34:51 Adapting to Customer Feedback
- 38:01 The Challenges of Freeze‑Dried Coffee
- 50:55 The Evolution of Service Models
- 54:13 Future Trends in Specialty Coffee
Where to Find Bailey Manson
- Follow Intelligentsia Coffee on Instagram: @intelligentsiacoffee
Mentioned in the Episode
- Swift Coffee (freeze‑dried coffee producer)
- Curtis Corinth (water dispenser for instant espresso)
- La Marzocco KB90 (espresso machine)
- Wally (automated milk steamer)
- Flare 58x (manual espresso maker)
- X‑Bloom (brewing equipment)
![The Rise and Fall of Intelligentsia’s Instant Espresso Bar w/ Bailey Manson [Intelligentsia]](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode/43048532/43048532-1747067848411-3effef2060449.jpg)
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