About this Event
Course Overview
Introduction to Coffee is a beginner-friendly course designed to build a clear foundation in specialty coffee. Through a combination of theory, tasting, and hands-on activities, participants will explore coffee from seed to cup and understand the key factors that influence what we taste in the final beverage.
No previous coffee experience is required.
Course Outline
1. What Is Coffee?
- Introduction to the coffee plant and coffee cherry
- Arabica, Robusta and other coffee species
- What does “specialty coffee” mean?
- Understanding the coffee supply chain: producer → roaster → café → consumer
2. Coffee Origins
- Where coffee is grown
- The Coffee Belt
- Major coffee-producing countries
- How origin, altitude, variety and terroir influence flavour
3. Coffee Processing
- Washed process
- Natural process
- Honey process
- Introduction to modern/experimental processing
- How processing changes the flavour of coffee
4. From Green Coffee to Roasting
- What is green coffee?
- Introduction to coffee roasting
- Light, medium and dark roast
- How roasting affects acidity, sweetness, bitterness, aroma and body
5. Understanding Coffee Flavour
- Taste vs. aroma
- Acidity, sweetness, bitterness and body
- Introduction to the Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel
- How professionals describe coffee
- Guided tasting of different coffees
6. Introduction to Coffee Brewing
- The fundamentals of extraction
- Coffee-to-water ratio
- Grind size, water temperature and brewing time
- Introduction to common brewing methods
- Why the same coffee can taste different depending on how it is brewed
7. Practical Coffee Tasting
Participants will taste coffees side-by-side and practice identifying differences in:
- Origin
- Processing
- Roast profile
- Aroma
- Acidity
- Sweetness
- Body
- Aftertaste
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, participants should be able to explain the basic journey of coffee from farm to cup, recognize the major factors affecting coffee flavour, understand common processing and brewing terminology, and approach tasting coffee in a more structured way.
Level: Beginner
Tutor: Day Ng
Location: COFFEENØW, Markham
Recommended duration: 6 hours
Format: Theory + guided tasting + hands-on activities
Prerequisite: None
Fee: CAD $650 (email us and pay via e-transfer enjoy a 10% off)
Event venue & nearby stays
185 Riviera Dr unit 12, 185 Riviera Drive, Markham, Canada
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