What You'll Get
Much like a massage from a cat, coffee helps people wake up, enlivens morning routines, and can be painful against bare skin. Keep a lid on your morning with today's Groupon: for $59, you get a two-hour coffee-preparation course at Seattle Barista Academy in Kent (a $175 value). Courses run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays only.
Helmed by espresso trailblazer Bob Burgess, the Seattle Barista Academy's seasoned baristas transform home brewers into coffee connoisseurs with two-hour coffee-preparation courses laden with professional tips and tricks. An initial tasting session teaches students how to evaluate flavors, and an exploration of different brewing methods exhibits how coffee is affected by its preparation and early childhood. Topics for crafting the perfect cup—such as using the correct water, choosing the proper flavors, and the link between the grind and preparation method—further improve each student's coffee-making repertoire. A hands-on demonstration caps off each course, allowing students to practice several notable home-brewing approaches without staining new turtlenecks.
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires Mar 16, 2012. Amount paid never expires. Limit 1 per person, may buy 2 additional as gifts. Valid only for weekend classes; not valid for 11/26-27, 12/24-25, 12/31, and 1/1/12. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About Seattle Barista Academy
A poorly trained barista in front of a top-notch espresso machine is like an 8-year-old behind the wheel of a car—he has no idea the power before him, nor how to use it. That's why for just less than a decade, Bob Burgess and company have taught intense hands-on training programs that focus on crafting coffee, espresso, cappuccino, macchiato, and mocha drinks using advanced techniques and equipment. From learning the life cycle of a coffee bean to mastering grinding methods, extraction techniques, and latte art, students walk away with a wealth of knowledge that makes them more employable. Like deeply unpopular one-man shows, the classes consist of one-on-one attention, since class sizes are limited to no more than seven participants.
Seattle Barista Academy's staff members—all of whom have been professional baristas at some point in their careers—have up to 19 years of experience in the field. These sessions provide clients with the coffee-making and marketing knowledge they need to grow their coffee cart, kiosk, or fort built from coffee beans.