This module focuses on how to develop skills on green coffee selection, roasting, grinding, and brewing, and how to evaluate and grade green coffee. This will help to analyze different coffee samples and evaluate coffee samples during the purchasing phase or the processing phase. The training unit will ensure minimum standards that complies with international requirements with respect to facilities, institutional and legal grounds, work conditions, ventilation, water, power, light, etc., training skills and resource requirements, and neutral environment with wall hangings for coffee related poster display.
Advanced level training on cupping is important as quality and value of coffee has been compromised due to lack of adequate understanding and provision of the service.
In the sensory lab, the following activities are performed at sample level, including green bean evaluation, roasting, grinding, brewing, and cupping & tasting.
- Green bean evaluation: This refers to evaluation of the coffee quality at the bean stage, both wet and dry processed coffee.
- Training on Roasting: This refers to training on variants of coffee roasting for the purpose of cupping and tasting.Roasting is the most critical factor that determines the physio-chemistry that makeup the roasted coffee characteristics, including aroma, and is an essential step in forming the ideal aroma and flavor. Reactions during roasting, such as Maillard reaction and caramelization are responsible for the color, volatile components, and flavor development. Optimum and appropriate level of roasting skill is to balance the sugar, caffeine, protein, fatty acid contents, water, CO2, etc.
- Training on grinding: This refers to training on variants of coffee grinding for the purpose of cupping and tasting.
- Training on coffee brewing and cupping: This refers to training on variants of coffee brewing for the purpose of cupping and tasting. Specifically, it is to train how to perform coffee tasting, identify defects in the aroma and taste, and analyze the reasons behind, analyze the effects of green coffee quality, roasting, and grinding on final cup quality, analyze the difference between lab roasted coffee and industrial roasted coffee on cup quality, etc. Understanding the different tastes of coffee, sensorial and industrial laboratory, and the brewing laboratory skill are important.
Therefore, training on general coffee cupping; identification of defects in the aroma and taste, such as stinker, rancid or acid beans, musty beans, and rio-flavored coffee; selection of droughted beans, broken or crushed beans, pitted beans, elephant beans etc.; understanding of Ochratoxin in Coffee (OTA), mycotoxin and aflatoxin, etc. are important.
This training can be demanded by Cuppers, baristas, café entrepreneurs and managers, coffee traders, coffee producers, coffee quality researchers; Industrial processors who want to add value, Exporters, commercial farmers, students, university instructors etc. In addition, beneficiaries from the neighboring countries could also enjoy the services.
Training on identification of defects of green coffee and the reasons behind is important. The black color, grayish or dark grey, foxy beans, coated or murram-colored beans, blotchy and spotted beans, etc. are common defects that affect the quality of coffee and that need specific identification skill.
Training on Storage of coffee cherry, green beans and parchment coffee: Storage quality contributes to coffee quality. During wet and dump weather conditions, cherry coffee can absorb moisture, which can lead to loss of quality. Moreover, packaging of green coffee, i.e., the quality of the material to be used and the storage condition, and warehouse management are important requiring specific skills.
These trainings can be demanded by coffee producers, coffee traders, coffee processors and exporters, coffee roasters, cuppers, coffee quality researchers, café managers and entrepreneurs, etc.