Barista Coffee Training Courses
As a specialty roaster, our world revolves around quality. Throughout the supply chain we are constantly trying to improve the coffee we supply; from selecting the right origin partners to profiling the coffee on our roaster to rigorous quality control checks for every batch of coffee we roast. Ultimately however, the success of the brew is dependent on the skill of the barista. All the hard work at origin and in the roastery can be ruined in a matter of seconds if it is brewed incorrectly through your machine.
We are committed to our wholesale partnerships and aim to create long term relationships with our customers. We cannot stress the value of investing in your staff enough as, along with your choice of equipment, this will ultimately ensure the success of your coffee offering.
This was our main motivation for setting up our Coffee Academy. Providing the educational courses necessary to ensure our customers understand how to work with coffee. There really is more to it than you might think!
We offer a variety of courses in Barista Skills, Brewing, Sensory Skills and Green Coffee through either the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) or our own North Star Coffee programme. We can also put together bespoke training specifically for your requirements if needed.
We offer coffee and barista training for individuals as well as large teams. From beginner training to advanced barista courses, our training is designed to help anyone wanting to learn and develop their coffee skills.
Training FAQ
What can I expect from barista training?
We are able to offer bespoke training as well as the SCA curriculum in Barista, Brewing and Sensory Skills. For information on these courses, please drop us an email to hello@northstarroast.com. Since the pandemic we have not had a regular timetable for these options but we are able to schedule them again when needed.
Listed below is a brief intro to some of our most popular courses and training:
Barista Skills – We deliver the full Barista Skills curriculum on behalf of the SCA from Foundation up to Professional level. This training is essential to anyone working in the industry as a Barista, teaching the most up to date standards and theory as developed by a panel of industry experts.
Sensory Skills – We are one of a handful of venues in the UK qualified to run the SCA Sensory Skills course up until the Professional level. Our fully equipped Academy and certified trainer Hols will lead you through the aspects of sensory analysis in coffee, helping you to hone your palate and vocabulary. Perfect for any coffee professional or enthusiast to help identify and grade specialty coffee.
Green Coffee – Our Introduction to Coffee course provides a great overview of the coffee supply chain from seed to cup covering origin / processing / history of coffee / brewing basics / roasting basics. This is the perfect course for beginners or those wanting to establish standard terminology and theory within their role in coffee.
North Star Coffee Programme – Our North Star Coffee Courses have been created specifically by us to offer training and education in some of the most common problem areas, namely Barista and Brewing skills. Our home courses are aimed at those wanting to make the most of their coffee kit from home, detailing the brewing process and the factors needed to be taken into account when tackling new coffees. We also offer advanced and bespoke training for wholesale accounts.
Where are the Barista Training Courses Held?
We have developed a training space to provide the perfect environment to facilitate learning. Our lab has been designed to SCAA standards and is a sensory neutral space allowing students to focus completely on the course and exams. The North Star Coffee Academy is based from the heart of the roastery in our converted shipping containers providing you with a perfect view into roastery life.
We are also able to conduct training virtually or at your own site if you want to work specifically with your own equipment and in your own setup. We specialise in improving workflow and efficiency to help make your coffee service as smooth as possible to enable you help sell more coffee that is consistently of a high standard.
Why train with North Star?
We strive to ensure our customers are confident in their coffee service and able to deliver a stand out cup every time. Our mission has always been to improve the standard of coffee across the board and we feel the courses we offer are structured in the perfect way to help you understand the theory behind your espresso service along with how to minimise waste and maximise profits and efficiency. We have a purpose built space to ensure any training delivered is of the greatest benefit and we have certified trainers who are experts within their own field:
Ollie Sears – an approved AST (Authorised SCA Trainer) and experienced Barista who has been working in the coffee industry since 2013 in a variety of roles from Head Barista in a specialty coffee shop to cupping lab manager for Falcon Specialty Green Coffee Importers to Roaster and Wholesale manager for North Star Coffee Roasters. He conducts all of our Barista and Brewing courses drawing on his knowledge of the latest technology and best practices to deliver courses packed with content giving a well rounded view of the industry in a super friendly and inclusive manner.
Holly Kragiopoulos – Hols is an approved AST (Authorised SCA Trainer) and Licensed Q Grader and sensory specialist with a background in sourcing and expertise on tasting and grading coffee. She has worked in coffee since 2011 having spent 3 years working as a green buyer for Falcon Coffees before becoming a Director for North Star. She leads the Sensory Skills modules from Foundation to Professional level drawing on her varied experience to deliver courses bursting with content and expertise to help you become more confident in your tasting ability.
Equipment and Coffee Consultancy
We use a variety of commercial espresso machines and manual filter brewers to conduct our training. We have a La Marzocco Linea Classic to teach the theory of espresso extraction alongside a La Marzocco Linea Mini for the Home Barista Courses. All of the equipment we use has been chosen for its suitability to train on and demonstrate practical theory. We regularly update our lab equipment to reflect the latest innovations in brewing technology and our equipment is calibrated at all times.
Our team has a wide range of expertise and is able to offer a host of services to help you continue to develop and improve your customer experience. We have consulted for a range of coffee businesses to date from roasters to cafes – if you are interested in talking more to us about how we might be able to help then please don’t hesitate to get in touch here and we can grab a brew!
Learn more about our coffee partnerships.
We work with a number of impact driven companies who support us in building an offering designed to not only offer an amazing cup of coffee but one that contributes solutions to some of the major issues facing our industry.