and adventure interests; each of the eight hour-long episodes will follow him to a different unconventional coffee source country in search of beans. "It's rough and ready," says Carmichael, "just me and my camera guy … acting on hunches to find the highest- grown berry/bean." The first episode sees Carmichael venturing to Haiti, a nation still recovering from a 2010 earthquake but with natural climes that have it positioned to grow top-quality coffee. In the episode, Carmichael takes treacherous roads far into the mountains, avoids armed middlemen and eventually discovers coffee. "The degree of adventure in anything is a product of how much you are willing to challenge yourself, where you are willing to go, how far you are willing to push into new areas and regions," Carmichael says.
MOUNTAIN MAN: In "Dangerous Grounds," Todd Carmichael goes to great lengths looking for coffee, including zip lining through Bolivia.
Other countries he'll be exploring in "Dangerous Grounds"
include Bolivia, Madagascar and Borneo. "My focus is new territo- ries, new regions, new challenges, getting to the root of a curios- ity," he says. "I'm looking for a bean that impresses me that hasn't yet found its way to a cupping table, and as always, one I can offer opportunity and influence." While Travel Channel may be hoping "Dangerous Grounds" will
show coffee drinkers some of the more extreme stories behind their morning cups, Carmichael sees the show as a way of show- ing viewers that "voyage is not dead, adventure is not dead, that a truly exciting experience can be found by stepping outside orga- nized travel, and by default, organized coffee sourcing." "Dangerous Grounds" premieres Monday, Nov. 5, at 10 p.m.
on Travel Channel before moving to its regular Tuesday 10 p.m. timeslot on Nov. 13.
—Chris Ryan continued on page 24 freshcup.com September 2012 23
COURTESY OF TRAVEL CHANNEL