From beginner to barista – a complete coffee guide

Part 1

Assignment:

Make a great tasting espresso with the use of a semi-automatic espresso machine, ensuring you taste your coffee whilst dialling in the grinder. Share your experience and results, including what (if anything) went wrong and how you corrected it. Feel free to share which machine and grinder set-up you have so you can compare notes with fellow classmates.

I have included for you a PowerPoint presentation to download to refer to at your own leisure.

The goals for this class are:

1. Deepen your understanding of Arabica vs Robusta coffee

2. Assist you in making an educated choice for your coffee beans e.g. if you know you prefer a sweet chocolatey coffee, you know to choose a well-balanced Brazil for example

3. Gain knowledge and improve on existing skills for dialling in your coffee grinder thus improving the taste and visual aspect of your espresso

4. Understanding what can go wrong and why, so you have the ability to correct it.

Deliverable:

• Upload your projects to show everyone in the group. Before and after photos would be an excellent way of doing this

• Any notes you may have taken will be useful too including your choice of coffee and its taste.

Part 2

Mission:

Carry out a cupping with at least 2 different coffees, using the technique indicated in this class. Note the differences between the coffees tasted using the score sheet (even if its done by hand), to enable yourself to note the flavours detected, the visual aspect of the coffees, the notes (or lack of) and the roast profile (e.g. light)

Share your experience and your results with a photo of the cupping session and cupping score sheet.

Attached you will find the full presentation so you don’t need to take notes.

The objectives of this class are:

1. Deepen your understanding of coffee and roast profiles

2. To assist you in making an enlightened choice when choosing your beans e.g. if you know you prefer chocolatey or well balanced coffee, you know you should look at a coffee from Brazil

3. Have you detected any particular flavour notes in the coffees tasted e.g. fruity, citrus fruit, honey?

Deliverable:

• Upload your projects to show everyone in the class. A photo taken during cupping is an excellent way to do this.

• Upload your cupping score sheet once filled out, to share with the group.

Part 3

Assignment:

Previous experience making good espresso is essential to follow this class.

Make an espresso/milk-based beverage with the use of a semi-automatic espresso machine, showing understand of how to make good microfoam in your drink. Share your experience and results, including what (if anything) went wrong and how you corrected it. Feel free to share which machine and grinder set-up you have so you can compare notes with fellow classmates.

Which of the 3 classic drinks did you make and which milk steaming technique did you use e.g. a cappuccino using the standard recipe of microfoam 0.5-1cm thick.

The goals for this class are:

1. Deepen your understanding of what milk options are available on the current market

2. Knowing how to steam milk for a cappuccino or a flat white

3. Understanding how to use a steam wand correctly to create the needed microfoam

4. Understanding that its easier to practice in a larger jug e.g. 500ml as it gives you more time to work the milk

Deliverable:

I would love to see how your progress on making microfoam

• Upload your projects to show everyone in the group. Before and after photos would be an excellent way of doing this

• Any notes you may have taken will be useful too including your choice of milk and why.

I have attached a list of useful items readily available on Amazon and in particular, Motta milk jugs the same as I use in this class.

Have fun making lots of not-milk and please remember this is not a latté art class but a pre cursor to it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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