Cano Cardenas

Words by Nick Shields

I’ve known Cano Cardenas for the better part of a decade, and for as long as I’ve known him he’s been full of passion: a passion for life, music, skateboarding, coffee, and now podcasting. Cano, much like most skaters, doesn’t just dip his toes in the water; he dives head first into whatever has peaked his interest. He immerses himself in it and learns everything he possibly can about it on his own. When I heard that Cano had started a podcast, Caffeine & Green, I knew right away that I had to check it out, knowing that he would put his all into it and, paired with his gift of gab, would pull off a great show. I was not disappointed. Cano’s eccentric, hip-hop influenced demeanor shines bright throughout his show. Whether the guest is a longtime homie or a professional in any field, Cano can hold his own in the conversation and remain himself.

A few years ago Cano broke the L5 vertebrae in his back, stripping him of the ability to skate at his full potential. Taking away his identity as a skater, Cano struggled to adjust. But during that time he found another love in coffee. A lifelong connection with his favorite caffeinated beverage, lead him to pursue a career as a coffee roaster. Cano started on the register at a coffee shop, not even allowed to touch the espresso machine, washing dishes and taking orders. He learned as much as he could and over the course of a few years worked his way up to being the head roaster at 7 Seas Roasting Company in South Park, San Diego. 

One day while working with his buddy Shea Cooper, Cano was listening to podcasts and presented the prospect of doing his very own show. His idea was that he knew enough people he could talk to and interview to recurrently host a captivating program. Without knowing anything about audio engineering, he set out to learn a much as he possibly could about running a podcast. Cano set up his own self driven course in Podcasting 101, watched all the videos, read all the articles he could find on the subject and invested his own time and money into the proper equipment.

Cano relates his dedication and drive to his roots in skateboarding. He stands by the idea that if you can jump down a big gap for hours on end, physically punishing your body, persevering until you finally roll away, then you can do anything. Learning how to roast coffee or run a podcast is nothing after you’ve spent a lifetime putting your body through the ringer learning and filming skateboard tricks. Lucky for us, Cano is back on his board just having fun, still doing back heels and rock kickflips and over 60 episodes deep into Caffeine & Green. Keep an eye to the streets and an ear to the ground because Mr. Cardenas is just getting started.

Keep up with Cano Cardenas and Caffeine & Green on Instagram: @issa_gucci_thang & @caffeine_and_green. Find Cano’s coffee from 7 Seas Roasting Company: @7seasroasting or at sevenseasroasting.com. Listen to Caffeine & Green on your favorite podcast platforms: Apple, iHeart, ListenNotes, & Twitch. Hear about Shieldless Magazine on our episode of Caffeine & Green HERE. See and hear more from Seancy at: @5eancy on Instagram. Also on Bandcamp and Soundcloud.