As you may have noticed, the Australian Barista Academy was recently reborn as the Five Senses Barista Academy, complete with an updated class schedule and a beautiful new website. Knowledge sharing has long been a cornerstone for Five Senses and fully encompassing the Academies represents our ongoing integration of coffee education into everything we do. With that shift, we figured we should take the opportunity to re-examine the entire curriculum and ensure that we’re still the most advanced and effective specialty coffee training out there. After a blitz of fine tuning, we are now very excited to introduce the new content to you!

Our goals for this update were simple enough: offer the most progressive, constructive and efficient specialty coffee training on the market, which meets the needs of coffee lovers at all points of experience and skill. Easy, right? Our training team put their heads down, and together identified three key goals for our new curriculum. First, we wanted to start teaching people great service skills to complement the preparation skills we are already giving them. Second, we wanted to make our training more modular, so students can get exactly what they need from our classes. The third goal was to clean up our course names and structure so it was more obvious which path a student should take.

From broad sweeps to highly specific, this curriculum covers all aspects of the specialty coffee industry; from how the region a coffee is from might affect how it tastes, all the way to how a spoon is placed on the saucer during the service of that coffee.

So what’s new? We’ve divided our classes into three categories, to better meet everyone’s needs, from aspiring barista to industry professional: Fundamentals, Advanced and Professional Development. At each of those stages we’ve updated existing course material, along with adding new classes that build context around the specialty industry and quality service of coffee. More focused and streamlined training provide multiple starting points, and helps tailor the learning experience to the individual student.

Our Fundamental classes are tailored towards folks who are new to coffee, or new to a Five Senses account. They are the building blocks of all our classes, and recommended for anyone who wants to learn the basics of specialty coffee, or polish up existing skills.

From floor staff to lead baristas, the brand new class Introduction to Specialty Service is our recommended first step for anyone involved in serving a quality coffee product. This class puts the emphasis firmly onto hospitality, and how to go about elevating a coffee experience beyond the brewing.

Divided into Espresso, Milk and Beverages and Filter Brew classes, each of our practical preparation classes are taught with simple, repeatable techniques that are tried and tested by industry professionals. Good work practices are introduced immediately, with an emphasis on efficient workflow, cleanliness and communication between co-workers and guests. Finally, we’ve added a Guided Practice, which provides the very necessary intermediate stage for those that just need a little extra time on the machine.

Advanced classes are the next step from Fundamentals, where we delve into the details of specialty coffee preparation. Our knowledgeable trainers will share tips and techniques gathered from years of experience behind the espresso machine in a variety of service situations. The Espresso Extraction class takes a close look at different variables we use when brewing, and how to adjust them in order to get the best flavours from a specific coffee. We’ll take a science based approach to brewing, explaining terms like TDS and extraction yield % while experimenting with brew ratios and water temperatures. In Latte Art we build on the milk steaming techniques introduced during Fundamentals to walk trainees through the steps of pouring beautiful, precise designs in their milk based drinks.

Class time is focused on practical exercises and achieving tangible results – great for experienced baristas looking to up their game!

Last but not least, we’re excited to introduce the Professional Development category. These workshop style classes are designed to elevate professional barista to industry expert. While we’re launching with just one class, this will be the space to watch for in depth classes on diverse subjects such as cup tasting and scoring, or sensory calibration. In the meantime, get on over to the expansive Understanding the Specialty Industry class which answers the question of what makes specialty coffee so dang special. In this class we take a detailed look at every point of the coffee production chain, from the coffee farm to the coffee cup, stopping off along the way to discuss processing, the business of trading coffee and how roasting affects cup profile. This class is designed to build context around where coffee comes from and demonstrate just what makes the specialty industry so exciting to be a part of! Presentation style delivery is supported with a range of tastings to illuminate all the factors of quality that go into a really outstanding cup of coffee.

So there you have it – the new Five Senses Barista Academy. Check out our website to learn more about individual classes and schedules, we look forward to seeing you soon!

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