Training (8)

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For coffee lovers, there is no worse feeling than starting your day with a poorly made cup of coffee. A good cup of coffee can make all the difference in how you feel for the majority of the morning. But making a perfect cup of coffee is not as easy as it sounds. The taste, temperature, and quality of a cup all depend on the freshness of the beans, the grind size, and the brewing methods used. Fortunately, coffee training classes are a great way to learn and acquire these skills from expert coffee professionals. In this blog post, we will look at some of the best coffee training classes that can help you to make the perfect cup of coffee every time.

Barista Training Courses

Barista training courses are the most common type of coffee training classes in the industry. These courses are intended to train baristas and coffee enthusiasts on the fundamental skills required to create delicious coffee drinks. These courses usually cover topics like espresso preparation, milk steaming, latte art, and coffee brewing basics. Some of the best barista training courses available include those offered by Counter Culture Coffee, La Marzocco Home, Coffee Business and Barista Hustle.

Coffee Roasting Classes

Another aspect of coffee making that is often overlooked is coffee roasting. Roasting coffee beans is a critical process that determines the flavor, aroma, and strength of the coffee. Coffee roasting classes teach you everything you need to know about coffee roasting – from selecting the right beans to roasting them to perfection. Some of the best coffee roasting classes available include those offered by Boot Coffee Campus, Mill City Roasters, and Coffee Crafters.

Coffee Cupping Classes

Coffee cupping classes are perfect for those who want to learn about the flavor profiles of different types of coffee beans. These classes teach you how to taste and evaluate different coffee flavors, acidity levels, and the overall quality of the beans. Besides, coffee cupping classes teach you how to identify different flavors in coffee, such as fruit, nut, and chocolate notes. Some of the best coffee cupping classes available include those offered by Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Atlas Coffee, and Blue Bottle Coffee.

Coffee Education Programs

If you are looking for a more comprehensive coffee education, coffee education programs are your best option. These programs combine both theoretical and practical components of coffee making, taking you through every aspect of coffee production – from seed to cup. These programs are perfect for coffee enthusiasts, aspiring baristas, coffee roasters, and even business owners. Some of the best coffee education programs include those offered by The Specialty Coffee Association, Coffee Quality Institute, New Jersey Coffee School, Coffee Business and The Coffee Academy.

Online Coffee Training Classes

For those who do not have access to in-person training classes, online coffee training classes are a great way to learn coffee-making skills. These courses offer an excellent opportunity to learn at your own time and pace. Most online courses cover topics such as coffee brewing, latte art, espresso preparation, and coffee roasting, among others. Some of the best online coffee training classes are offered by Coffee Skills Program, barista hustle, OnlineBaristaTraining.com and Blue Bottle Coffee.

In conclusion, coffee training classes are an excellent way to elevate your coffee-making skills, regardless of your level of expertise. Whether you want to start your coffee business or enjoy a great coffee every morning, these classes provide you with the knowledge and skills you need. From barista training courses and coffee roasting classes to online coffee training classes, there are plenty of options available for any coffee lover. So why not take one of these courses and discover how to make the perfect cup of coffee every time?

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4 Tips for Top Customer Service in Your Cafe

People love going out to cafes to share a cup of coffee or a sandwich with friends and family. For many consumers, dining out is their entertainment for the week. As such, it’s important that cafe owners and staff make guests feel welcome. Here are four tips that will help them do that.

Acknowledge Them When They Come In

No one likes to go into a restaurant to eat and feel like they are invisible to the staff. Hosts, waitstaff and other front-of-the-house workers should acknowledge new guests when they come in. If the server who will wait on them can’t get to them right away, he or she should at least say hello. Even taking a drink order can go a long way toward making guests feel like they’re not being ignored.

Get the Whole Staff Involved

In recent years, team service has become more popular. Team service is where everyone in the restaurant takes care of guests. This might mean a server may run another server’s food out to a table or a bartender may deliver a drink to guests in the dining room. A manager or a busser may box up food for a table. This ensures prompt service and makes guests feel at home.

Train Your Staff Well

When you don’t properly train your staff, you’re asking them to give poor customer service. What may be obvious to you is not obvious to them. For example, you know it’s best to pick up dirty dishes as you walk by a table. An untrained person may not know this. Don’t expect them to. If you can train in-house, do so. If not, there are plenty of online restaurant training resources that will help you get your staff up to speed on topics, like upselling, listening and dining room awareness.

Avoid Overbooking

It’s also very important to avoid overbooking. Few things will irritate customers more than having to wait 30 or 40 minutes past their reservation time. However, as a small café that may or may not even take reservations, this means that it’s hard to anticipate when the influx of customers will come. However, whenever you know that you’re reserving lots of space for a party, call in the cavalry of your staff to make sure that you don’t become understaffed for the rest of the café that’s open.

No restaurant guest wants to feel ignored and unwelcome. However, this can happen if a cafe’s staff isn’t well-trained or if the restaurant gets overbooked. Good service requires dedication and teamwork. If you follow the tips listed in this post, you’ll go a long way towards ensuring that your guests feel taken care of.

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Portland, OR (February 9, 2009) – Two new half-day latte art and sensory skills training workshops will be held concurrent with this year’s United States Barista Championship in Portland at the American Barista & Coffee School on March 5th.

The Latte Art Workshop led by American Barista & Coffee School Director of Training Matt Milletto and Lead Instructor Jared Mockli, will teach students fundamental principles and advanced techniques necessary to pour consistently great latte art. This 3-hour intensive program will cover a wide range of pour types from the basic rosetta design to multi-art pours.

The Sensory Skills Workshop led by Andrew Hetzel, licensed Q-Grader and Director of Hawaii-based consultancy, Cafemakers, is a 3-hour course open to food and beverage professionals of all skill levels wishing to participate in exercises that improve taste and aroma identification proficiency. Workshop attendees will practice the SCAA sensory skills exam with guidance and training, as well as perform olfactory and coffee cupping triangulation exercises comparable to those required for Q-Grader licensing or barista competition judging certification. The fee to attend each class is $150 or $250 for both workshops. SCAA Barista Guild members in good standing receive an additional 10% discount. Advance registration is required and can be made online at coffeeschool.org or by calling (800) 655-3955. Class size is limited to the first 15 registered attendees for each session. March 5th, 2009 Latte Art Workshop 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon, again 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Sensory Skills Workshop 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon, again 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Location: American Barista & Coffee School 1028 S.E. Water St., Ste. 275 Portland, OR 97214 About the American Barista & Coffee School The American Barista & Coffee School (ABC) is the premier professional school in America devoted to specialty coffee business education and hands-on barista training. ABC Training Director Matt Milletto is a member of the SCAA Training Committee, featured coffee expert in numerous publications and frequent speaker at coffee industry conferences. In 2006, Mr. Milletto’s latte art techniques were featured in Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup’s award-winning Extreme Pours training video. More information is available at www.coffeeschool.org. About Andrew Hetzel Andrew Hetzel is the founder of Cafemakers, a coffee industry business consultancy based on the Big Island of Hawaii that provides management, brand and process consulting services for coffee retailers, roasters and producers worldwide. In 2007, Mr. Hetzel was named one of the top young business leaders in Hawaii by Pacific Business News and in 2008, became the state’s first licensed Q-grader for the Coffee Quality Institute. More information is available at www.cafemakers.com.
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By Kyle FreundThis past weekend (Nov. 21-23), I traveled down to Oaxaca, Mexico, to attend the 20th Anniversary celebration of Coffee Kids’ partner, CAMPO. They also dedicated their new training center, which they built with support from Coffee Kids.photo of CAMPO Training CenterThe new training center teaches by example. It was built using an environmentally-friendly compacted earth technique. Similar to adobe, it involves building molds and compacting dirt to form a solid wall. A water catchment system below the building collects rainfall in two large cisterns. The thick walls keep the building cool in the summer and warm when the temperature drops. CAMPO also has a number of demonstration projects to teach visitors from throughout the state of Oaxaca about organic gardening, permaculture, composting, fish farming, grey water treatment and bee keeping.Over 800 people attended the celebration. Before dinner was served, I gave a few words about the importance of CAMPO’s work and presented them with a certificate from Coffee Kids on behalf of all of our supporters to honor their work improving the quality of life in the entire region.photo of Coffee Kids presenting diplomaAfter dinner I ran into Pedro Osorio. We’d met a year earlier when Coffee Kids staff visited the community of Santa Cruz Tepetotutla, a far-flung community clinging to a mountainside in the Sierra Mixteca. He told me about their efforts to develop a new cooperative for coffee farmers in the area and a number of their efforts to diversify local income. When we last visited the community, they were working on a small eco-hotel for tourists. Santa Cruz is in the middle of a globally-important nature preserve and many in the community have learned the importance of conserving their natural resources and how it can be marketed to attract tourists. Hope I can get back there for a visit some day.After dinner, Jose Carlos Leon Vargas and Jose Luis Zarate from our Oaxaca office and I interviewed Eduardo Torres Navarrete, one of the founders of CAMPO. We had a great conversation and it’s easy to understand why CAMPO has been so effective over the past 20 years thanks to his leadership. I’ll be posting excerpts from our interview with him soon.Thanks to all of our supporters who have make the projects we support possible. These efforts are making a great difference. If you'd like to see more pictures from the event, please visit our Flickr page. If you'd like to support Coffee Kids efforts, Coffee Kids donate page and make your contribution today.
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Training

So, it begins. I am officially training to ride a bicycle across the country. Is there anyone with any experience in this with a word of advice on how to best go about it?I'm thinking about long rides. 20 miles per day one week. 25 the next. 30 the next. etc. until I reach about 60. I think if I can work up to 60 miles per day and maintain that pace until August I'll be sufficiently prepared to devote entire days to riding.Moreover, I'm going to work with the good people at Ben's Bikes in Athens to build a sweet touring ride.So, that's all I've got. Ideas welcome.
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