Chasing Flavor is a film about Maxwell and Lesley Colonna-Dashwood's journey through the world of coffee. Maxwell and Lesley's shop in Bath is a destination for coffee pilgrims from around the world. I can bear witness -- the coffee at Colonna & Smalls is unfailingly amazing.

I first followed them on their quest to win the World Barista Championship, which ultimately took me to Vienna, London, Birmingham, Rimini (Italy), Glasgow, and Seattle. Maxwell reached the finals o the World Barista Championship three times.

Maxwell became friends with Christopher Hendon, who was getting his PhD in computational chemistry at the University of Bath. Together, they began researching how water chemistry effects coffee's flavor. The culmination of this research was "Water for Coffee," the definitive book on the subject, which has sold out its first edition (25,000 copies).

Filming over a period of six years, I have had the pleasure and privilege of watching Maxwell and Lesley's lives evolved, intertwined with the evolution of specialty coffee.

Maxwell and Lesley started Colonna Coffee. Maxwell was the first to roast and make specialty coffee capsules. He is currently preparing for the November 2018 launch of the Peak Water jug, which for the first time will offer coffee lovers cafe level water filtering technology in their homes.

Below are some short pieces I posted very early on in the filmmaking:

It was my good luck that Tim Wendelboe was in Oslo the day that Harry and I were passing through. Tim is one of those people you feel good just talking to. He is that rare person – a relaxed, non-dogmatic purist. No pastry for sale at his shop – like Tim, the shop is all about coffee. I'm behind the camera, but the extraordinary Ethiopian espresso I had in his shop still brings a smile.

I filmed this at Simon's cafe in Cambridge, England.

Simon Fraser's Hot Numbers is my local hang for coffee in Cambridge (UK). (Steve Smith roasts the coffee in an idyllic shed just off Grantchester Meadows.) Simon stayed late one Saturday afternoon to taste coffee with my son, Harry.

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​​Simon Fraser's Hot Numbers is my local hang for coffee in Cambridge (UK). (Steve Smith roasts the coffee in an idyllic shed just off Grantchester Meadows.) Simon stayed late one Saturday afternoon to taste coffee with my son, Harry.

Simon Fraser's Hot Numbers is my local hang for coffee in Cambridge (UK). (Steve Smith roasts the coffee in an idyllic shed just off Grantchester Meadows.) Simon stayed late one Saturday afternoon to taste coffee with my son, Harry.