What Is Happening At The Coffee Workshop? Our New Training And Education Center

Many of us think of coffee as a method of waking up and a morning ritual. Both of these are true, but coffee is so much more than simply a boost in the morning. Coffee is the second most consumed beverage on the planet, just behind tea. What’s exciting to me is the incredible wealth of coffee insider knowledge that can enhance your enjoyment of a daily cup. Did you know that coffee beans are actually the seeds of cherries from coffee trees? Or that all Arabica coffee contains the same amount of caffeine (1.23 – 1.25%)? Or that it takes around 10 minutes to roast a batch of coffee? Our farm to table mentality informs how we eat and I believe it’s equally as important to understand the seed to cup process of consumable coffee.

So why is education important? First, it’s really nice to wake up and brew a pot of coffee that tastes delicious. Second, specialty coffee isn’t cheap – so the more one can understand about brewing, the better and more efficiently the coffee can be brewed. Lastly, understanding more about coffee can instill a sense of respect for the role we play in the chain. A final brewed cup of coffee represents the work of hundreds of individuals and I personally feel the need to honor their hard work with thoughtful brewing and consumption.

The Coffee Workshop at Huckleberry Roasters is a place for you to learn everything you ever wanted to know about coffee and more! We offer five core classes – seed to cup, brew methods and extraction basics, espresso basics, milk steaming and drink building, and sensory evaluation. Along with these classes, we will be offering monthly, free public tastings as well as other special events. General format for the classes consists of a lecture, hands-on experiences, and a question and answer session. Class participants will leave with a cheat sheet dedicated to the most important aspects of the class material and 10% off a bag of coffee.

If you are interested in getting on the coffee education train, it’s definitely worth checking out our classes. Click here to see what’s going on.

Coffee education comes down to honoring the rest of the links of the coffee chain. From the nursery where plants are started, to the farmer who grows the trees, the pickers he or she hires, the processors, the exporters, the importers, the shipping companies, and the roasters. A single lot of coffee has touched no less than 100 hands on its journey from seed to cup and each person contributes to the quality of the coffee. As a barista, I get to be the last point of representation for that coffee and that's an honor and a privilege.