Liquidline Coffee Masterclass

As part of our commitment to investing in our staff and developing our passion for coffee, this week we ran a Coffee Masterclass for our Client Management, Customer Service, Business Development and Marketing teams.

The Liquidline team are a passionate bunch and we never miss an opportunity to get together and learn more about our favourite hot beverage. This week, our Client Management, Customer Service, Business Development and Marketing teams attended our in-house ‘Coffee Masterclass’ at our London showroom. The course was taught by our very own SCAE certified Jason Gibbs.

To begin the teams were taught about coffee farming, learning about different Arabica and Robusta varieties and the different processing methods. The teams had the opportunity to see washed and unwashed beans up close and watched videos showing different picking methods. The teams were taught about the key differences between Arabica and Robusta varieties, where they grow and how this affects their availability and price.

Liquidline’s Café Bonte coffee range features a variety of ethical certifications and the team were given the opportunity to explore the differences between the certifications. We firmly believe that coffee tastes better when you can feel good about what you’re drinking and it is important to be able to share this knowledge with customers too.

Our Café Bonte range consists of 9 different beans, each with a different flavour profile, different Arabica Robusta content and each carefully selected according to its characteristics. The team were fascinated to discover that not all coffees are ideally suited for all drinks and that the best coffee for each customer will depend on their taste preferences, how they serve their coffee and in which size of cup. They left the day with a better understanding of how the range fits together and which questions they could ask a customer to expertly recommend the best coffee for them.

Next, the teams were taught about the five components of the perfect espresso; dose, grind, time, temperature and storage. Our Customer Service team had the opportunity to refresh their knowledge around coffee storage and enhance their ability to diagnose taste problems when they are reported. They now know to ask about when the coffee was opened, where and how it’s being stored, how coarse the grind is and what dose the customer is using.

During the last part of the masterclass, the team had the opportunity to develop their practical skills, with Jason delivering full barista training. The teams got up close and personal with one of our traditional espresso machines, learning about dosing, grinding, tamping and steaming milk. They then had the opportunity to practice their latte art skills. We’re going to keep working on them for the time being!

Keep visiting the news section of our site for details of our upcoming customer training facility.