Coffee Roasting and Barista Training Bundle (5days) - Flexible Scheduling

Prerequisite: No prior experience required.
Class times: 10:30 am to 5 pm

This 5-day bundle combines our Coffee Roasting Level 1 and Barista Levels 1-2-3-4 at a special bundle + save rate, allowing you to take the classes consecutively or spread them out—no time limit required!

Barista classes are available at any of our labs (Montreal, Toronto, Calgary or Vancouver), while the Coffee Roasting course is offered in Vancouver, BC only at this time.

Once you complete your purchase of this bundle, please send us an email to let us know which class dates best suit your schedule or we can help you choose from our online calendar here.

Prefer fixed dates in Vancouver?
If you’d rather take all five days together as a scheduled Vancouver-based course, you can view our Vancouver 5-Day Bundle with published dates →

Coffee Roasting Level 1 Curriculum:

Learning to roast coffee successfully requires mentorship over a period of time, varying from a few months to a few years with lots of trials and errors. In spite of that fact, we can teach you the fundamentals of coffee roasting, safety procedures, simple maintenance and basics about coffee in a weekend. Anything beyond that is not realistic in a weekend course. This course is a hands-on experience of coffee cupping, tasting, roasting and barista fundamentals to ensure your roasting business success.

Some of the topics covered during Day 1:

• Canadian Market Share
• Differences between Artisan and Commodity coffee
• Principles of Roasting
• Biology of tasting and the coffee tasting wheel
• Cupping, Tasting Espresso, Calibration and Discussion
• What is the #1 seller of coffee shops?
• What are the roasting differences for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Wave
• Myths and stereotype roasting for espresso, batch brew drip coffee, pour-over filter coffee and all the rest
• Thermocycling

Roasting is about developing flavors, not colors. If you cannot taste your mistakes you will never make the appropriate corrections to your roast. Tasting is fundamental to all culinary arts, and roasting is a culinary art.

Some of the topics covered during Day 2:

• Espresso variations
• How to track a roast
• Philosophies of roasting
• How to choose a roaster
• Main machine types of roasting
• Different ways to develop a roast
• Freshness standards

Some topics covered during Day 3:

• Profile roasting
• Decaf
• Terroir & processing
• Green coffee defects

Throughout the three days, the roasting instructor will provide you with an overview of operating a coffee roaster, temperature-time profiles, roast breakdowns, and how to adjust for different outcomes. Each student will be guided through multiple roasts individually and in groups, with time for questions and discussion throughout.

Some handouts and resources included with your registration:

• Daily cleaning and maintenance
• Weekly cleaning and maintenance
• Monthly cleaning and maintenance
• Fire and safety plan templates for both Canada and USA jurisdictions
• Roaster fire protocol – discovery
• Pollution control information

You will be given samples of your roasted coffee to take home with you.

Barista Level 1 Curriculum:

This class creates consistency through step-by-step instructions that are presented both in writing and hands-on. Even if you have barista experience, we recommend taking this class to correct any flaws in your coffee-making technique, which can and will affect consistency.

Some of the topics covered:

• Essentials of espresso, tools and equipment
• Equipment knowledge
• Grinder differences, efficiencies and burr sets
• What is espresso: history, theory and preparation
• Defining drip, pour-over, press pot, French press, moka pot and stovetop espresso
• Espresso fundamentals
• International definition of espresso
• How to pull a consistent, technically correct espresso shot
• Preparing drinks to standards
• What espresso is and is not
• How to grind, dose and tamp
• Learning to troubleshoot coffee
• Foundational barista knowledge
• Milk texturing and microfoaming principles

Barista Level 2 Curriculum:

Practice, practice and more practice. This class expands on the technical fundamentals learned in Barista Level 1 and prepares students for the challenges presented in Barista Level 3.

Some of the topics covered:

• Espresso machine and grinder technical standards and requirements
• Pulling a consistent shot: grind adjustment and tamping
• Espresso drink names, sizes and recipes
• How espresso should taste
• Roaster influence on taste
• Dose and grinder impact on flavour
• Machine engineering and taste
• Barista impact on taste
• Milk-based drink preparation and recipes
• Preparing drinks to standards
• Milk texturing and microfoaming principles
• Latte art instruction and practice
• Essential barista knowledge

Barista Level 3 Curriculum:

This class expands the fundamentals learned and practiced in Barista Levels 1 and 2, focusing on perfecting the one-person bar for efficient, high-quality café operations.

Students also explore how people taste coffee, uncover common myths, and develop a deeper understanding of flavour perception.

Some of the topics covered:

• Specialty and commodity coffee
• Tasting exercises
• Palate development
• Exposing coffee myths
• Understanding the coffee flavour wheel
• Tongue map and taste perception
• Blind cupping
• Comparative cupping
• Cupping for quality
• Choosing a roaster
• Dialing in coffee by taste
• Preparing drinks to standards
• Milk texturing and microfoaming
• Understanding peak coffee freshness
• Changing the coffee marketing narrative
• Grinder adjustments for taste

Barista Level 4 Curriculum:

This practical class covers latte art from foundational pours to more advanced designs, reinforcing control, consistency and presentation.

Some of the topics covered:

• The true value of the barista
• Adjusting for retention, dosing, tamping and flow
• Espresso preparation as a foundation for latte art
• Latte art: heart, detailed heart, rosetta and tulip
• Refining pouring techniques
• Advanced barista techniques
• Equipment and espresso fundamentals
• Preparing all drinks to standards
• Milk texturing principles
• Dialing in coffee by taste
• One-person and two-person bar practice
• Equipment cleanliness and maintenance

Registration: Pre-registration required; no drop-ins.

Class sizes: Small, hands-on classes with most of the time spent practicing.

Private groups: Weekday and weekend private training is available upon request.

Included with your class:

• Printed student manual, study guide and certificate of completion
• Free membership to the Wholesale Student Buying Club ($799 value)
• Lifetime Alumni membership and benefits