Master's Degree in Gourmet Coffee

If you've been reading this blog for a while then you have been learning about coffee characteristics, regions and the best brewing techniques. I haven't given any pop quizzes (yet!), but it's safe to say you're gaining enough knowledge that I can grant you an honorary diploma in Gourmet Coffee. Of course, if you want a more formal degree, it turns out that you can indeed take classes in Coffee 101.


Here's an article that caught my eye primarily because it is about a coffee class that takes place at Johnson County Community College in Kansas City, and we have Johnson State College just 20 minutes away for Brown and Jenkins right here in Vermont. The teaching method at this college involved a traditional coffee cupping experience of single origin coffees. Students were given the opportunity to sample coffees from Columbia, Panama, Mexico and the Sumatra region of Ethiopia.


Of course, as I've mentioned before, you can easily hold your own coffee cupping at home or at a local coffee shop with friends. It's a fun way to get to know your favorite coffees and try new ones. If you are looking for a few single origin coffees to use at a cupping I recommend that you try the Columbian Supremo, Costa Rican, Guatemalan Antigua and Sumatra Mandheling for an interesting assortment of diverse characteristics.


Hmm…maybe a little pop quiz is in order. Send me the answer to this question, which is answered in a past blog, and you can consider yourself to hold an honorary Associate Degree from Brown and Jenkins University of Coffee Afficianados! To obtain your Master's Degree in Gourmet Coffee, just keep reading each week.


Coffee Pop Quiz


List the 5 best tips for making gourmet coffee at home.



Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen