To expand and elaborate on the materials we teach in our core classes, we are excited to offer our Palate Development Series; an umbrella category for a variety of 1-hour courses to delve into the nuances of coffee and continue to develop our perception of taste. Each class will consist of in-depth tastings and instructor demonstrations (when applicable). Every session will feature different coffees to encourage the exploration of new tastes and offer new perspectives within the same class structures. We invite you to slurp with us and continue your coffee journey through these tasting sessions!
Espresso Calibration: The Search for Specs
In this class we will use a 2lb bag of one of our Single Origin offerings to dial in on espresso. We will start with the classic recipe of 18 in – 36 out – 30 seconds, then adjust each element as a group decision and taste each espresso along the way. Ideally by the end of class we have found unique specs for a balanced taste. The goal is for folks to understand how changing dose and yield will affect the taste of espresso, and how we can use those concepts to our advantage to nail a perfect shot. This class will also highlight that each coffee is unique, and ideally needs its own parameters to shine.
Triangulation
In this class, we will review what a triangulation cupping is and how it can help develop our palate as coffee consumers. Triangulations usually consist of groups of 3 cups, where one cup is different than the other two. The goal is to be able to distinguish which cup is different by taste alone. We will start with a silent triangulation to ensure nobody’s opinion impacts others, then go over answers once everyone has solidified their thoughts. After the answers are revealed, we will do another couple passes to solidify how the differences translate to our palates in each set of coffees.
