Remember the Starbucks Coffee Break session?  It happened yesterday!

We were first treated to some cakes and pastries upon arrival.  There were traditional carrot cake, a vegetable quiche, black pepper chicken pastry and a choco cake.  The chicken puff was GOOD!  The pastry was surprisingly light and fluffy, lovely.

We did not have coffee served immediately.  Remember, it was a coffee appreciation/tasting session.  It was really Coffee 101.

1. Learning the tasting terms – Acidity, Body, Flavour and Aroma
   1.  
      • OJ – Identify the acidity
      • Milk – Whole Milk vs Non Fat Milk – Identify body
      • Soda – Identify flavour
      • Coffee – Finally, aroma
2. Steps to taste coffee – Smell, Slurp, Experience and Describe
3. Fundamentals of coffee-making
   • Proportion – 10grams ground coffee for every 180ml water
   • Grind – Affects the extraction of flavour.  Coarse grind for french press, fine grind for cone-shaped filters.
   • Water – Boiling water is NOT good, preferably between 90 to 96 deg C
   • Freshness – Preferably grind beans only before use.  If not possible, freeze ground coffee in small serving size packs in opaque airtight containers.  As oxygen, heat, light and moisture can affect the coffee flavour.
4. Making the perfect coffee at home 
   • Putting what we have learnt together, the CMs show us how to make our own coffee using French Press.
5. Beverage identification – How to mark cups for each order
   • Drink – Americano, Cappuccino, Latte, Mocha or Caramel Macchiato
   • Size – Short, Tall, Grande or Venti
   • Shots – 1, 2, 3 or 4 (Americano – 1 shot up per size, other drinks – 1 shot for S & T, 2 shots for G & V)
   • Milk – Whole Milk (default), Low Fat, Non Fat, Soy or Breve
   • Syrup – Caramel, Irish Cream, Hazelnut, Vanilla, Raspberry, Simple Syrup or Sugar Free Vanilla
   • Custom – No Foam, Extra Hot, Dry Cappuccino, Wet Cappuccino, Bone Dry Cappuccino, No Whipped Cream
6. The Espresso
   • Espresso is the soul of ALL coffee drinks
   • Espresso has 3 parts – Crema (Top), Body (Middle) & Heart (Bottom)
   • Espresso should be brewed within 18 secs (from grinding to dripping)
   • Espresso has to be served/used within 10 secs after it’s brewed
   • Sheer lots of wastage behind the bar
7. Trying our hands at being baristas
   • Cutie Pie got to make the Cappuccino while I did the Caramel Macchiato

I actually find the beverage identification session really fun!  Something we can adapt later on… Oh, I found this on Starbucks.com.sg, a little pop-up teaching you drinks customisation.  Have fun!

Can’t wait till we get our own coffee maker now cuz I’m sure no one would want to jeopardize their coffees… Hahahah… 

If you’re interested in such sessions you can ask your favourite Starbucks Barista or call up  the outlet to enquire.