Coffee 101: Home Roasting + Brewing

By popular demand, we have expanded our home roasting coffee curriculum to a new 3-hour course! We've combined all the popular subjects of our signature Home Coffee Roasting class and Coffee Brew Lab, which adds grinding and brewing the perfect cup of coffee. 

Learn to roast, brew and taste coffee using simple inexpensive equipment. Perfect for any home enthusiast who wants to up their ‘coffee game’ without leaving their kitchen. Discover coffee’s flavor attributes, origins and most importantly – how to roast, grind and brew consistently good cups of coffee.

HOME ROASTING COFFEE
Purchasing commercially roasted coffee beans is so five-minutes ago. Take matters into your own hands and become a home coffee roaster with your own batch of beans and an up-purposed Whirly-pop stovetop popcorn popper. This unique DIY coffee lovers class includes: 

• Purchasing fresh 'green' beans at a fraction of the cost of roasted
• Roasting small batches of beans in less than 15 minutes
• Identifying the two important 'crack' stages in bean roasting
• ½ pound of green beans to roast in class
• ½ pound of green beans to take home
• Class handout with full instructions to replicate your roast at home
• Resource list for purchasing fresh green beans and supplies

COFFEE TASTING & CUPPING
The class will include a beginners intro to coffee ‘Cupping’ (the caffeinated version of wine tasting) followed by a discussion of beans and their ‘terroir’. 

GRINDING
The most important step in showcasing the flavor of roasted coffee beans is to properly grind them. Rather than the brewing, it is the grind that will determine how well flavor is extracted. Grinding coffee just prior to brewing is one of the keys to great flavor. Grinding the beans uniformly also ensures the flavors will extract evenly determining the ultimate strength of the brew. Spoiler: This is not possible with a blade/spice grinder. Find out why!  

FRENCH PRESS BREWING
The French Press is a classic favorite among coffee drinkers, probably because it’s so easy to use and produces such consistent results. Finesse the French Press brewing method with tips and techniques from the Institute's laboratory-tested methods. 

CHEMEX POUR-OVER BASICS
Paging Doctor Schlumbohm: In 1941 Dr. Peter Schlumbohm invented the Chemex Brewer which is still widely-used for the pour-over method. Its beauty and simplicity is unmatched and it produces an excellent cup of coffee. Contrary to popular belief, a handlebar mustache and tattoos are not required to operate the Chemex, and we'll prove it by making you an expert in no time flat!

COLD BREWING & TAKE HOME KIT
Hot coffee poured over stale freezer ice is gross, plus it ends up with a watered down version of itself. Learn how to cold-brew by extracting flavor with good, cold water. Assemble a reusable cold-brew coffee kit to take home and enjoy the sweet benefits of cold-water coffee brewing.

Class finishes with what we all came here for – drinking coffee accompanied by some surprising coffee-pairings. You’ll also leave with your freshly roasted beans and a stash of green ones to practice at home.

Price includes ingredients, supplies and tastings.