Taste Coffee Like a Pro

I'm your instructor for this course, and I'm happy to be with you on your coffee journey.

I'm the founder of the Latin American Coffee Academy. I was also a professor of coffee (yes, that's a thing!!) at the prestigious La Sabana University in Bogota, where I live.

I am the author of Permission to Slurp, a guide to tasting Colombian specialty coffee. The book has been widely accepted by experts in the coffee industry as well as coffee lovers who are just beginning their journey into specialty coffee. In fact, the book was nominated for the category of Best Coffee Books by the Gourmand Awards in 2018.

My boutique coffee education experiences, the Flavors of Bogota Specialty Coffee Workshops, teach foreigners and locals in Colombia about specialty coffee and what it can mean to Colombian coffee growers and others involved in the coffee industry. Between my in-person and online courses, I have taught thousands of people to understand coffee basics in a fun and engaging way.

I'm also a food journalist and I've written for CNN, Eater, Sprudge, Esquire and many more books, newspapers, and magazines.

I speak at international coffee events and fairs. I have judged international coffee competitions and have appeared on TV and been interviewed on the radio numerous times.

That’s probably why people call me The Coffee Lady.

Get ready to do coffee tastings!

Starting with Section 3 we will begin cupping coffee.

If you’re asking yourself “What in the world is cupping???”, don’t worry. We’ll teach you all about it in Section 3. (But briefly, I will tell you now that cupping coffee means tasting coffee).

Since you need to practice your cupping (or tasting) skills to get them razor-sharp, we’ll be cupping often throughout this workshop.

Of course, to cup coffee you have to have coffee and brewing methods. So you might want to start preparing now - this video will help you see what you need and where to get it.

We also included the list in a downloadable document in case you'd prefer to print it out or have it on a mobile device.

So check your list and see what you need to be prepared. In the next lecture we're going to discuss how to brew coffee the way the professionals do, in case you'd rather do that than use brewing methods. In the last lecture, we'll discuss how you can use the Coffee Tasting Tools we've provided.

(Think of it like your coffee toolbox! Just hit the Complete and Continue button to discover what is in that caffeinated toolbox).

I have to confess something. I slurp soup.

Not a good thing, huh??

But...with coffee, we need to slurp.

What's the purpose behind slurping your coffee? This video explains it all.

In this lecture you'll find the Coffee Tasting Sheets and Flavor Wheel that you'll be using throughout the course. Feel free to download them, and view them on your favorite device or print them out. I'll explain exactly how to use them during the course.

Let's hone those coffee tasting skills you've been working on!

In the next video you'll join me for a coffee tasting to discuss what characteristics you find in your coffee. I'll be cupping a coffee from the Cundinamarca region of Colombia.

Watch the video as I walk you through the coffee tasting and concentrate on your Flavor Wheel, the Tasting Sheets, and most of all, the flavors and characteristics in your cup.

Practice tasting coffee as often as you can. As you practice, it will get easier to find those characteristics in the cup.

How can you improve your coffee tasting memory?

You can improve your ability to taste coffee by doing what is called palate development.

Encourage your brain to understand – and articulate – the connection between the flavors in the description and the flavors in the cup.

For instance, it’s common for Ethiopian coffees to be described as fruity, with an inclination towards blueberries. Or, let’s take coffee where I live – Colombia. Coffees here are often described as having notes of panela, chocolate, honey and cream.

How can you develop our ability to understand how we find each of those tastes in the cup?

We taste – before we brew the coffee – an item and we concentrate on it. What does it really taste like? What flavors is it similar to? How does it feel on your tongue and palate? What makes it different from other foods that may be similar?

For instance, why is honey different than sugar or brown sugar, if they’re all sweet?

When we taste each item separately and concentrate on what they do to our tongue and palate, we’ll understand those flavors better when we have a cup of coffee. Or really, anything else that involves taste – a tea, cocktail, or a sauce on our favorite meal.

You’ll be able to detect those flavors and pick them out even when a bunch of other are also flavors present.

In general, you want to develop your ability to taste all kinds of foods. What steps should you take to develop that ability?

1. Taste foods!

2. Concentrate deeply on what you are tasting.

3. Then remember what you tasted and draw on that memory the next time you taste coffee.

In the attached PDF I've listed the basic characteristics we'll be going over - the same ones that are on your Tasting Sheet and the Cupping form I provided in lectures 6 and 7.

Happy slurping!

Let's practice those coffee tasting skills in a complete tasting experience.

Now you know all the element of a coffee tasting, and you want to share your knowledge with your friends. That’s a fantastic way to explore new coffees and also develop your abilities to discover the characteristics in coffee.

After you invite a few friends to your next coffee event, what should you do?

In this video we'll go over how to prepare for the tasting, what to keep in mind during a tasting, and even what foods - if any - you can serve.

Here we give you all the secrets to brewing amazing coffee at home.

We start with the grind and finish with the different brewing methods you can use.

Since we'll be doing coffee tastings throughout the workshop, it's important to brew the best coffee you can! This guide gives you all you need to brew coffee that impresses yourself, your family and your friends, and yes, your barista.

This is a 3 step process, and we're going to walk you through it in Lecture 5, 6 and 7. Each lecture has its own video as well as a PDF that's downloadable.

There's a lot to process in each part, so take your time and then continue with the next video.

And now for one of the most hands-on sections of this course - coffee brewing!

This is the end...and the beginning.

The end of this online workshop. And the beginning of your personal coffee journey.

A comment that we hear a lot at the Latin American Coffee Academy is: "You changed my life." Regarding coffee, that is.

Because what we teach in this course isn't just a fun way to spend a few hours, or a different way to learn about coffee. It will, hopefully, touch your life in a deeper way.

Why?

Because you have learned to understand coffee quality on a whole new level. And perhaps you'll even be motivated to work int he world of coffee.

Please let us know how you feel that this course has changed you. And please visit us over at LatinAmericanCoffeeAcademy.org to continue learning about coffee in general as well as coffee in Latin America.

Thanks for joining us on our coffee journey. Happy slurping!

There are many ways to continue your coffee education. The internet is filled with videos, guides, and articles about coffee from around the world.

If you'd like to continue learning about coffee in Latin America, I invite you to visit our site, LatinAmericanCoffeeAcademy.org. There you'll find free resources like articles and guides about coffee.

We also have courses that can help you get deeper into the world of coffee.

From Coffee Plant to Your Coffee Cup - teaches you about the roots of coffee (literally!). This course is available on Udemy.

Slurp Fast! Coffee Course - helps people entering the coffee industry understand coffee fast

The Good, the Bad and the Stinky - a (somewhat quirky) guide to understanding coffee quality

Learn to Slurp in Spanish - will teach you all the coffee vocabulary you need when discussing coffee in Spanish.

Check out our courses and see which one would help you go further in your coffee goals. If you have questions, get in touch with me at courses@LatinAmericanCoffeeAcademy.org.

Thanks for learning about coffee with me! I hope you enjoyed the journey with the Latin American Coffee Academy...and I look forward to seeing you in another coffee course soon.