Workshop Package - 4 Sessions

Session 1

This hands-on workshop dives into the essential building blocks of sensory experience in coffee: basic tastes, aroma, and mouthfeel. Perfect for baristas, brewers, and anyone eager to unlock the mechanics of flavor, this session will give you the tools to assess—and talk about—coffee more clearly and confidently.

What You’ll Learn:
● The role of taste, aroma, and texture in shaping coffee flavor
● How physiology and sensory perception affect the way we experience coffee
● Practical skills for identifying and isolating key flavor components
● How to evaluate coffee using a structured sensory approach

What You’ll Do
● Dive into short theory sessions exploring how the senses detect coffee flavor
● Participate in tasting activities focused on the five basic tastes, common aroma compounds, and texture/mouthfeel
● Learn how to describe what you’re experiencing with confidence and clarity
● Apply your new skills by tasting a curated selection of coffees, using a guided sensory analysis framework

Whether you’re just starting your sensory journey or looking to sharpen your skills, this workshop will deepen your understanding of how coffee flavor is built—one delicious layer at a time.

Session 2 and 3

Coffee assessment is evolving—and this two-night workshop will bring you up to speed with the Specialty Coffee Association’s new Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) system.

Through guided tasting activities and group discussions, you’ll explore both the descriptive and affective forms used in the CVA to evaluate a coffee’s flavor, texture, acidity, and aftertaste—while also learning how to assess its perceived quality based on context, purpose, and preference.

Whether you’re in quality control, behind the bar, or preparing for competition, this workshop offers a modern, structured way to discover and express value in every cup.

What You’ll Learn:
● The foundations and goals of the Coffee Value Assessment (CVA)
● How to use both descriptive and affective evaluation forms
● How to assess coffee based on purpose, context, and consumer expectations
● How to calibrate your sensory skills using a shared language and scoring approach

What You’ll Do:
● Engage in tasting activities focused on sensory description and evaluation
● Practice using the CVA’s structured forms to analyze and score coffees
● Build your sensory confidence through group calibration and guided feedback
● Reflect on how quality is experience —and communicated—in real-world settings

This is the essential next step in becoming a more thoughtful, consistent, and confident coffee evaluator.

Session 4

In Sense the Rainbow, we’ll explore how different tastes, textures, and aromas show up in coffee by starting with something a little unexpected: tasting a curated lineup of references across the color spectrum. You’ll sharpen your ability to categorize and recall flavors for use in coffee tasting.

We’ll end the workshop with the “Pot of Gold”—a guided tasting of carefully selected coffees where you’ll apply everything you’ve learned to describe and analyze each cup with clarity and confidence.

What You’ll Learn:
● How other senses can be used in categorizing flavor
● How to use real food references to build your sensory memory
● Practical strategies to develop your palate over time
● How to better describe a coffee flavor profile

What You’ll Do:
● Taste a variety of foods across the color spectrum, each chosen to highlight specific sensory qualities
● Learn and utilize a system for flavor cataloging and recall.
● Finish with a coffee flight tasting - your chance to apply your new sensory skills to real-world brews

This session is fun, engaging, and designed to leave you with practical tools for tasting and talking about coffee more clearly—whether you’re on the bar or just love geeking out over your morning cup.