Attention all coffee-loving meeting-planners – the Southern Hemisphere’s largest annual coffee festival, The Rocks Aroma Festival, is around the corner and in the lead up to the event on Sunday 27 July, there’s a host of activities and workshops available throughout July:
COFFEE APPRECIATION COURSE
Do you love coffee and thirst for more? Or do you wonder what so many people rave about? Understand the magic as you travel through the exotic world of coffee and learn the art of coffee tasting. For more information visit www.forsythcoffee.com.au/coffeeappreciation.html.
$20 per person, maximum 20 people, 1 hour
12.30pm, Monday 14 July
12.30pm, Monday 21 July
BARISTA 101 – ACCREDITATION
Take your skills to the next level with an Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) barista accreditation with Keith Pettigrew. This hands-on session is an assessment of barista skills for a level 1 accreditation. Participants must bring confirmation of 120 hours’ work as a barista, satisfy the background knowledge written test, and prepare a mixed coffee order that parallels WCE standards. For more information visit http://www.aasca.com/basic_accred. Keith Pettigrew is an experienced barista trainer and judge. He established the framework for ASCA’s barista accreditation and is the author of the Coffee Judge iPhone app, adding reality to coffee blogging.
$100 per person, maximum 2 people, 1.5 hours
6pm, Monday 14 July
6pm, Monday 21 July
BREW CAMP – MANUAL COFFEE BREW METHODS FOR THE HOME
An introduction to the ‘pour over coffee’ brewing method with specialty coffee roasters Delano. Brew your own filter roasted single origin and take away information to perfect the method at home. Brew equipment packs will also be available for purchase at the end of the class.
$20 per person, maximum 20 people, 1 hour
12.30pm, Tuesday 15 July
12.30pm, Tuesday 22 July
CUPPING 101
Cupping is the structured professional process of tasting coffees to reveal key flavours and faults. Learn about the key flavour issues and techniques that reveal why your favourite coffee tastes the way it does with an Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) introductory course with Keith Pettigrew. Keith Pettigrew is an experienced barista trainer and judge. He established the framework for ASCA’s barista accreditation and is the author of the Coffee Judge iPhone app, adding reality to coffee blogging.
$40 per person, maximum 20 people, 1.5 hours
6pm, Tuesday 15 July
6pm, Tuesday 22 July
CHOCOLATE – BEAN TO BAR
Go on a journey from cacao bean to exquisite chocolate bar with expert local chocolatiers Chocolarts, Cicada Chocolate and Captain Chocolate. Taste samples and purchase handcrafted chocolate products to take home.
$15 per person, maximum 20 people, 1 hour
12.30pm, Wednesday 16 July
12.30pm, Wednesday 23 July
LATTE ART WITH ASCA
Learn how to turn your daily brew into a miniature work of art with the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA). $20 per person, maximum 15 people, 1 hour
6pm, Wednesday 16 July
6pm, Wednesday 23 July
CUPPING BY ROASTERS GUILD
An introduction to cupping and the great flavours of coffee by the Roasters Guild, the official trade guild of the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA). This is an opportunity for coffee lovers to discover the art of ‘slow coffee’. The Roasters Guild is dedicated to the craft of roasting quality coffee and promotes quality as the principle standard for success.
$20 per person, maximum 20 people, 1 hour
12.30pm, Thursday 17 July
12.30pm, Thursday 24 July
SCIENCE OF FLAVOUR
Learn the science of flavour and the critical evaluation of coffee with Coffee Kaizen founder and Mecca Espresso partner, Sam Sgambellone. Gain a better understanding of how you perceive tastes, aromas and flavour through a series of tests and demonstrations. If you work with coffee, or just love it, this workshop will develop your sensory skills and ability to assess coffee accurately and confidently. Sam Sgambellone is a supporter of the NSW Barista Guild, winner of the 2011 and 2012 NSW Cup Tasting Championship and an ASCA accredited judge.
$165 per person, maximum 12 people (minimum 4 people), 2 hours
6pm, Thursday 17 July
COFFEE ROASTING DEMYSTIFIED
Coffee Kaizen founder and Mecca Espresso partner Sam Sgambellone will take baristas and coffee enthusiasts on a journey of discovery through the world of coffee roasting. Learn how to get a feel for the potential of a given roast, determine if a taint is coming from the roast or brew and choose a roaster that suits your needs. The course will reveal the theory of roasting process to lift the lid on ‘roaster speak’ and its practical implications, and look at cuppings to reinforce the theory. Sam Sgambellone is a supporter of the NSW Barista Guild, winner of the 2011 and 2012 NSW Cup Tasting Championship and an ASCA accredited judge.
$165 per person, maximum 12 people (minimum 4 people), 2 hours
6pm, Thursday 24 July
For more information and to book an event, visit – www.therocks.com/whats-on/aroma-festival.aspx