Get Educated About Your Coffee
I began to learn about coffee at La Prima Espresso. This was several years back, when I was looking at a vacant property near my house and wondering what might go into turning it into a coffee shop. I figured, ask the experts, and went down to the La Prima Roastery to ask some questions. They answered all my questions, plus several that I didn’t even know to ask, and sent me away with some samples so that I could taste the difference between different coffees. Ultimately, the coffee shop thing never happened (anyone want to invest?), but the samples definitely paid for themselves as far as La Prima is concerned, as it’s rare that I visit the strip without buying some of their wonderful, small-batch roasted coffees.
If you would like to learn more about coffees, La Prima has a monthly Saturday morning class at their Smallman Street Roastery where they walk interested folks through the coffee process, from green beans to roasted & ready, to storage, to brewing, and beyond. The cost is $10, but includes biscotti and a half pound of coffee—so the way I see it, you pay for the coffee and the cookies and get the knowledge as an added bonus.
And believe me, the knowledge is worth it. Once you understand the differences between types of coffee, you’ll never look at a brightly-colored, 2-pound plastic tub of mass-market pre-ground again. At least, not without silently wishing it were a better coffee you were being served.
Classes happen the first Saturday of most months, with the next class scheduled for March 6. For more information: http://laprima.com/news.html or 412-565-7070.