Another successful Home Barista Workshop took place at QCS this past weekend as our Certified Coffee Expert, Reza Mehrad, led a 5+ hour session with avid home baristas!
During the Home Barista Workshop, the participants learn about the origins of coffee, including different locations, processing types, and tastes. Of course, questions are always welcome at these events, and Reza uses his expert knowledge to give participants the answers they need!
After learning about the coffee in a sit-down session, it's time to put the lesson to use in a practical fashion: a sensory experience. The first part of this experience was about exploring different smells using a sensory kit, where participants had the chance to interact with several different ingredients and identify their scents.
In the second half of the sensory experience, participants are encouraged to activate all parts of their palate, identifying different parts of the coffee's taste. Is it bitter? Sweet? What's the body like? Which notes does it carry: chocolatey or fruity? This portion puts into practical perspective what the participants have just learned, and they can now put this into use during their future barista sessions at home. A part of this sensory tasting experience is learning the difference in flavour, acidity, aroma, and body, so that each term is used correctly and can be used to identify different coffees from one another.
The most engaging part of these Home Barista Workshops is the hands-on learning, where students take to our machines and run through the process of everything they would typically do at home: dialing in a grind, pulling shots, steaming milk, and even doing art with the milk. It was a treat to watch the skills of the home baristas flourish!
As always, these Home Barista Workshops are not only fun and interactive, they're also fulfilling, for both us and the students. We can't wait to host more!
To check out which events we have going on in the future, our Events page will be updated accordingly.
