Snake River Roasting Co. held a 2-day seminar on October 19th and 20th. The goal of our Coffee Lab was to share inspiration and information about coffee with our community, customers and local business owners. We kicked off this event with an open house where participants could learn a little more about one another and meet the instructors.  We began by tasting coffees, cold brew, and delicious Cascara tea.

Our first class of the day was espresso equipment maintenance facilitated by Foster Oren Haney, our Director of Equipment Sales and Service. Participants walked through basic troubleshooting methods, preventative maintenance, cleaning techniques and when to identify when service calls are warranted. This hands-on class focused on empowering business owners and baristas to explore their own equipment for optimal brewing.

Snake River Roasting Co. owner Ruth Ann Petroff then guided the group through a seed-to-cup basics class to deepen their understanding of how coffee is grown, processed, transported, roasted, and brewed.

Saturday we dove deep into sensory exploration under the guidance of Kathi Zollman. Kathi has a broad depth of experience in the coffee industry and in coffee education. She began her own roastery and coffee bar in the early 1990’s, has worked for roasting machine manufacturers, has developed accredited coffee curriculum, and is currently the Assistant Director of Green Coffee at Coffee Holding Company. Kathi walked the group through a Le Nez Du Cafe experience! This exercise built confidence within the group as we explored a variety of scents to help memorize the aromas in coffee.

The class then transitioned into the tasting and cupping demonstration. As a group, we examined the aromatics of coffee and learned to properly associate terms like acidity, body, and aftertaste with coffee characteristics. We closed out our 2-day seminar with an advanced cupping class for participants with prior cupping experience.