Roasting 101 in Minneapolis
New for 2024, we've added an extra day of hands-on coffee roasting training, pre-class videos so we can hit the ground running, and an optional, casual Saturday morning Coffee Break session focused on business topics.
Whether you are starting a business, a hobby, or the next chapter, Roasting 101 is the industry's best launching pad for coffee professionals. Our apprentice-style direction will allow you a comfortable structure through which you’ll get hands-on experience with the machinery, exposure to different greens and profiling strategies, and guided tastings to repeatedly connect our efforts to our results.
Students will also receive an invitation to our online library of exclusive training videos. Watching these short lessons before joining us in Minneapolis will provide a helpful overview to specialty coffee roasting and prepare you for the hands-on portion of class.
Early Bird Discount: Register early and you pay $1300 $1100!
Group Discount: Register two or more students and save an additional $200 on each registration! Discount automatically applied.
FROM SAMPLE TO SUCCESS
In this class, we’ll walk through the typical steps you would take to source, sample roast, and develop a profile for a new coffee. Our apprentice-style direction will allow you a comfortable structure through which you’ll get hands-on experience with the machinery. At the machine, you’ll work as a team in a small group and together we’ll all move from sample roasting through production roasting and we’ll investigate variations of light, medium, and dark profiles for a single coffee.
PRACTICE & PLAY
Once we have some fundamentals down, we’ll apply what we’ve learned and play with different greens and new profiles. Using a learn-by-teaching method, students will take their experiences and offer advice to each other as they move from roaster to roaster. By sharing insights and expectations, students will begin to develop a vocabulary through which to communicate with others about what they are experiencing both with the machinery and the profile.
SENSORY SKILLS
Over and over, we’ll return to the cup to evaluate the real output of our effort. We’ll experience the flavor, mouthfeel, and body of all of our roasts but we’ll specifically investigate students’ roasts of the same green coffee rendered differently in the cup. We’ll review the role that cupping protocol plays in your roasting and give you practical advice on how to establish a solid cupping practice for yourself.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO ACCESS
Before class begins, students have access to a private video library with content to help them get ready to roast. Watch short videos on topics such as green coffee sourcing, green quality grading, sample roasting, and an overview of manual and digital control roasters. You'll be able to learn at your own pace and rewatch videos for clarity.
BEYOND THE DRUM
We operate a commercial roastery and provide roasted coffee to several cafes and private-label customers. By learning and working in our facility you will become familiar with other tools and equipment that are necessary to operate a commercial roastery.
SCHEDULE
| Before Class | Watch the videos in our Roasting 101 Resources collection to prepare for your time in Minneapolis | |
| Wednesday | 1pm-5pm | Sensory training, space planning, tour at Cafe Imports' green coffee warehouse |
| Thursday | 9am-4:30pm | Cupping and calibration, roast level exploration, guided roasting exercises |
| Friday | 9am-4:30pm | Team roasting challenges, blend building, roasting naturals, machine care & maintenance |
| (Optional) Saturday | 9am-11am | Optional, casual discussion & Q/A focused on business ownership and strategy with Steve & Angie |
MORE DETAILS
- This class is lead by Lauren & Bryant with pep-talks from Steve and a special session from Angie.
- You will roast on several roasters including the MCR500, MCR-2E, MCR-3D and MCR-6.
- Lunch is provided on Thursday and Friday at Mill City Roasters.
- No perfume, aftershave, heavy scents, etc. Gotta keep the air clear to smell the coffee!
- Discounted hotel rates available.
- Sorry, no cancellation refunds within 30 days of class. Groups must all attend the same class to receive the group discount. Students must be 18 years of age or arrange advance approval to attend.
JOINING US FOR CLASS?
Be sure to fill out your registration form. This information helps us prepare class materials, order lunches and get an idea of where you are in your roasting education. Before you arrive, watch the videos we've made in our Roasting 101 Resources collection so that we can all hit the ground running when we're together in Minneapolis.
Join us in Minneapolis
Roasting 101
It's always exciting to welcome a new group of students into our Minneapolis roastery for our popular Roasting 101 class. Take a peek at what it's like to be part of a group focused on leveling up their coffee skills.
Customer Reviews
TAKE THIS CLASS!
This was such a great experience. Lauren and Bryant are not only excellent instructors but just wonderful and fun people to get to know. It would have taken me years to learn what I did in 3 days. The roasting, cupping, instruction and camaraderie have inspired my coffee roasting journey. Thank you all so very much!
Class was amazing. Really pumped me up for a new roasting experience. Bryant and Lauren are absolutely amazing at their craft and are eager to share it and help you along the way! Super dynamic class. Also...from now on I'm forever in love with the cupping classes. Thanks guys!!!
Regardless of your starting foundation and comfort level, Lauren and Bryant will definitely help you develop your roasting skills and individual roasting philosophy. I was extremely comfortable roasting already, but was able to fine-tune my skills through the various short classes and roasting activities on different Mill City models. Bryant and Lauren both do a great job connecting with students, assisting them in defining their individual goals. It feels like family, which is one of the reasons we will always use Mill City Roasters in our roastery. They are human and embody the sense of community everyone should be looking for when getting into this industry.
President and Founder, Steve Green, also gives a series of insightful talks from the business side of things to help attendees develop a plan for their own roasteries. He is honest and sincere about what has worked, and what hasn't, giving us multiple perspectives from which we can view our own businesses.
I highly recommend attending this class. They are good people, with the best machines and customer service in the game.
My husband and I are brand new to coffee roasting, but we have had a passion for coffee for decades! We went into this course without any frame of reference or preconceived notions of what we’d get out of the class. We learned so much— from coffee origins to roasting and cupping techniques. Lauren, Bryant, Steve, and Angie were welcoming from the start; and their depth and breadth of knowledge and ability to teach, coach, and relate to us was invaluable. I know they will continue to partner with us and inspire our ongoing coffee journey.
We highly recommend this course for anyone, regardless of roasting experience.
What an incredible experience! the Mill City team's passion for quality coffee shines through in this training. Listening to Lauren and Bryant talk about surprise and delight at the cupping table has helped reframe the way I assess and enjoy a cup of coffee. It is also something I will carry into other parts of my life. I feel like my passion for coffee was amplified last week! Thanks for being so open with your knowledge and your love for a good cup of joe! I miss it already!
