At Perkee, training is key to developing our Baristas. It gives them the tools required to be able to deliver the highest quality cup of coffee every time.
Our vision is to have greater control and traceability from origin, roaster and barista. Our best practice from the farm to roaster is celebrated in the excellent delivery of a perfect coffee.
We have developed a robust internal training scheme. It starts with our ‘Introduction to coffee’, on-site training focusing on the core concepts of handling coffee, retaining freshness, dialing in and milk texturing. We then progress to our full-day off site Perkee training which follows the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association).
Introduction to Coffee
Our ‘Introduction to coffee’ course explains about barista service, equipment, the science of coffee and a typical barista shift.
Our first focus when training a new starter is to understand what coffee is and the importance of handling it with care. We follow a set recipe devised by our team who have established a flavour profile that works with all the beverages we create. It is important that our baristas dial in their coffee every day to capture the desired flavours. We monitor this through our quality control standards (‘dial in’ is the terminology for setting up the correct dose, yield and extraction time for a coffee). We also focus on what baristas can control to ensure an espresso is correct every time.
To ensure we brew the perfect espresso every time these are the 10 espresso steps we follow:
The 10 espresso steps:
- Knock out
- Purge
- Dry and wipe filter
- Grind and Fill
- Distribute
- Tamp
- Clean edges (bless)
- Purge again
- Insert and lock handle
- Brew
Along with the 10 steps we also focus on these three steps in our training to ensure every cup is as good as the last.
- Grind size (which affects the speed at which our coffee will draw through the machine).
- Dose (the amount of coffee we use affects the extraction speed and flavour profile)
- Cleanliness and an understanding how the machine’s pressure and temperature affect extraction.
We want our baristas to grow within the company, that’s why it is important to give them opportunities for development internally. This is demonstrated by our baristas taking on new roles and challenges throughout the business.
Our trainers go through SCA certification to ensure that our training is accurate, up to date and following internationally recognised training standards.
Training the Trainer
As part of our trainer development I have been attending the SCA courses hosted by our roasters, Bewley’s. I have completed both ‘Barista skills’ and ‘Brewing’ up to intermediate levels along with several foundation courses. These SCA training courses have been great for my understanding and personal development. They have helped me learn how to deliver training sessions, balance theory, practical and presentation elements to ensure that what is being taught is digestible and memorable.
Our training ensures that the Perkee roasts are delivered at the highest quality every time, across all our sites!
Theo Pearson
Deputy Brand Manager
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