Fans of Café Kubal can soon learn how to brew their own coffee just like the coffee shop’s baristas.

Café Kubal will be opening a coffee training lab mid-November, which will offer a range of classes from the basics of coffee brewing to more advanced topics including espresso extraction and how to taste coffee like a pro.

The classes will take place at the café’s Eastwood neighborhood roasting facility, said Matt Godard, owner of Café Kubal. The facility includes several coffee brewing machines, and will be used for public classes and barista training.

The lab will offer three 90-minute classes to the public, each costing $50, or the option of taking all three classes for $120. The Coffee Brewing Basics class will feature lessons on coffee history, culture and brewing, along with teaching students how to brew the perfect cup of coffee. Another class, called “Coffee Cupping,” allows participants to learn how coffee farming, processing and preparation all affect the taste of the final product.

The “Espresso & Milk” class teaches students the craft of espresso coffee and how to create latte art using foaming milk.

He said the classes include one-on-one attention from teachers, free coffee tastings and an emphasis on hands-on learning.

Godard said he had seen a large demand for the coffee shop’s brew with customers.  After several customers asked about its brewing methods, he decided to create the lab.

“A lot of what the classes teach stems from the way we brew our coffee in our stores,” he said. “So people who take the class can expect to learn how to bring our signature taste into their own homes.”

Once Godard decided to launch the Café Kubal Coffee Training Lab, he said he immediately began working on building a space for the classes.

“We have over 30 baristas now spread across our four locations,” Godard said. “We don’t have crazy machines in our cafés to standardize the brewing process. All of the work is done by our people, not our machines. I’ve realized that the coffee training lab doubles as a great spot to train all of our baristas individually.”

The training lab will officially open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Godard said, but interested applicants can apply online and also find more information on the website.

Published on October 15, 2013 at 2:04 am

Contact Tom: tsharkey@syr.edu