If you are interested in taking affordable one-day workshops Westboro Brainery offers a variety of outstanding classes including beer appreciation, homemade gnocchi, small-batch pickles and even modern coffee and cafe culture. Each quarter Westboro Brainery offers different unique classes, so make sure to check their website this November for the courses that will be offered from November to March as classes sell out quickly.
As someone who loves a good cup of coffee, the modern coffee and cafe culture class sounded perfect for me. The class was taught by Chris Petrie, the director of retail and training at Westboro’s Equator coffee. Without question, Chris was an outstanding teacher, and his knowledge of training baristas and coffee brewing was impressive.
The coffee class took place at Equator Coffee from 7-9 pm after the coffee shop had closed to the public. Over the course of the 2-hour class, Chris demonstrated and let us try brewing coffee using the pour-over method (with the Hario V60 and Kalita Wave), doing an immersion brew (with the AeroPress), and making espresso using Equator Coffee’s own espresso makers.
The class size was limited to 12 people, allowing us to break into pairs and try first hand-brewing coffee instead of just watching a demonstration. So by the end of class, we were all able to drink several cups as we compared the taste between the brewing methods.
I left the coffee class with lots of useful knowledge from the proper ratio of water to coffee for the various brewing methods, the shelf life of dark and light roast coffee, and useful tips on how to properly store coffee if I can’t grind it fresh daily. I also felt I could easily now brew a good cup of coffee using the methods practiced in the class – so overall I felt it was a huge success.
I know I’m eager to try another food or cooking class with Westboro Brainery, and I highly recommend that you keep a lookout for further classes taught by Chris Petrie (and visit him at the Westboro Equator Coffee) as he such a charismatic and knowledgeable teacher anyone who enjoys drinking coffee would benefit from his workshop.