Our most popular class and the best source for learning coffee roasting from the safety of home. Our education team has taken their many years of experience of in-person roasting class and created a remote curriculum that extends sensory experience beyond the screen.
- Live, interactive class taught in three 4-hour sessions.
- 'Class Box' mailed to you before class with coffees, green grading tools, cupping tools, roast progression samples and more.
- RoastPATH® live broadcasting of the detailed roast curve during multiple coffee roasting demonstrations.
- Multiple camera angles & educators for each session so you don't miss a thing.
$600
Schedule
Typically scheduled on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 1:00 PM – 5:00PM (CST) each day
Your ‘Class Box’ will be mailed to you before class. We will also email students 1-2 days before class with more instructions & helpful tips to get started on Zoom and set up for class.
Three Full Afternoons of Focused Remote Education
Spend a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoon learning the foundational theories of coffee roasting and working with our instructors online. Sessions are structured into three 4-hour blocks with Q&A time available at each session. Classes will take place online via Zoom.
Beginning with Basics
We’ll begin in the roastery with an up close view of the process of roasting coffee. We’ll talk through the fundamentals what happens inside a coffee roaster – and inside a coffee seed – during roasting and we’ll start to connect the influence of heat and airflow with transitions you see and smell in coffee as it’s being roasted. As we move into concepts of roast profiles and roast curves, you’ll begin to see how intentionally controlled application of heat will roast a coffee toward a particular flavor outcome.
Roast Profile Development
Once you’ve got a handle on the machinery, we’ll start roasting with a goal in mind. In your own roasting practice, when you have an excellent coffee in your hands you will need to roast it in a way that best interprets it for your market. We will not teach you how to roast coffee to our liking, but enable you to control the roast for results that are to your desired outcome.
Up Close Demonstrations
Once we cover the concepts, your instructors spend the afternoon in the roastery. We’ll put what we’ve learned into practice by roasting a few batches and you can watch the live screen share of the roast curve on RoastPATH while we talk through the process. Between each batch, we’ll discuss as a group what we saw and talk through some strategy before returning to the roaster to try again. Primary roasting demonstrations typically take place on our MCR-3 or MCR1500 roaster, and we may utilize other sized roasters throughout the class.
Green Grading
Buying green coffee can be daunting but selecting the right green coffee is one of the most important quality decisions you will make. We’ll send along in your ‘Class Box’ a greens sample, grading mat and greens defects info and together we’ll sort and analyse green coffee. We will discuss strategies of green buying including green coffee grading, sample roasting, cupping analysis, and more. After all, a roaster can only be as good as the coffee they roast.
Cupping
Cupping is not only a skill but a language that is used to communicate quality through the supply chain. We’ll send along in your ‘Class Box’ cupping spoons and cupping bowls you can use to practice your cupping at home. You will be exposed to how this language and specific vocabulary can help your business both internally support a quality control program and externally communicate with your suppliers. We will cup coffee incorporating both SCA Cupping Protocols and utilizing our own abbreviated cupping methods.
Safety & Operations
Safely and effectively operating your equipment requires knowledge of the system and a plan for when things go wrong. We will equip you with this knowledge and provide pointers on how to develop your own action plan.
Student Driven Discussion
You lead where the conversation goes next. Interested in exploring how to build blends as a tool for inventory management and seasonal sales boosts? Wondering how coffee gets decaffeinated and how the process changes your roasting technique? Have questions about the right packaging for your roasted beans? We leave time for your questions and deep dive into topics you care about.
Cancellations
Requests to cancel or change registration date must be made 3 weeks (21 days) before the first day of class.
Note: This is a group class for roasters. Discussion, engagement, and interaction are highly encouraged. To cultivate a spirit of group learning, we ask that students turn their cameras on during class and unmute themselves to ask questions. Students may use a virtual background if they wish, and the chat box will also be used to field questions and share helpful tips.
As part of our ongoing commitment to encourage greater diversity in the coffee roasting community, Mill City Roasters offers scholarships to attend our popular Roasting 101 course. This scholarship is intended for members of marginalized groups within our industry – BIPOC, LGBT, non-binary and others.
Joe
This class is definitely a must take if you are new to roasting. You do not need a roaster to make this class useful. The knowledge giving out in this class makes the price you pay for it a steal. Louren and Derrick make the time go by incredibly fast. They are full of knowledge, beyond my newbie comprehension. All ?s asked are answered in detail. They treat you like you are part of the MC Family. I did not once feel I over paid. They weren’t afraid to share any tips or secrets they have learned throughout their careers. From the customer service at MC, to the box they ship to you for class, to the live zoom, it was all an amazing experience. The amazing detail in the way the class is presented is amazing. I was blown away with how much information is giving out in 3 days. Even if you don’t roast but love coffee and want to know more about the seed to sale life of coffee, take this class. As someone who can’t sit still for to long, the (3) four hour zooms feel like you’ve only been there 20 min. It goes by quick, Lauren is full of experience in the coffee world and gives an amazing presentation. Derrick is another amazing person full of roasting knowledge. You will have an amazing experience and plenty of smiles along the way. I highly recommend this class! I am looking forward to taking the continuation of this class in the near future.
Charles Barrett
Extremely happy with this class. From the at home box provided to each and every day, so much thought was gone into this class. Thanks to the MillCity team for an amazing class and I’m looking forward to taking 102!
James
Definitely recommend this course for anyone looking to get better at roasting and all that goes into it. Tips on green grading, cupping, roasting, and developing different profiles. Plus you can ask questions along the way. Lauren and Derek are very knowledgeable and professional. You don’t even need a roaster to take this class. Very happy with my decision and looking forward to 102!
Alyssa Johnson
I was nervous taking this course because, while I’ve researched for a new venture and worked with coffee for a decade, I had no hands-on experience with roasting. Lauren and Derek were so fun and laid everything in the course out from start to finish in a way that was easily digestible while still respecting the nuance and intricacy of the trade. Also, getting the class kit in the mail felt like early Christmas.
Whether you’ve been roasting or you’re a new hobbyist- this course fills in all of the gaps and calibrates with the current industry. Already signed up for 102!
Chelsea Alexander
An excellent team, indeed! Both instructors were amazing and inclusive of all levels of knowledge. They were kind and direct when talking us through misconceptions, and really clear about any questions the group had. The kit for 101 was incredible and there are many parts of it that we will use for years to come. Thank you Mill City! And thank you Lauren and Derek!
Jorge
Class was great. So much good information and insight to build upon if especially if you’re in the beginning of your roasting journey. Great instruction, Lauren and Derek were very chill and personable as well.
Jon Blackmore
I can’t believe how much I learned in three days with this class. The instructors are excellent and I highly recommend this course. Looking forward to Roasting 102.
Mike
This class was great! I really thought I needed to wait for my roaster to come in before I took the class but after going through it I realized that I could have taken it earlier and had better habits for when I did start roasting larger batches. Derek and Lauren were great host. They kept it interesting and answered any questions we had. It was great to hear and discuss others questions and concerns as well. Thank you for offering the class!
Chase
This class was absolutely invaluable. If you are considering roasting coffee on any level, do yourself a favor and register for this class.
Tricia
This is a fantastic class. The instructors are the highest quality you can find. Highly, highly recommend this class. Don’t worry about doing this over Zoom – it really is great. The class kit is very thorough and included everything you’d need for the class. If you are even considering coffee roasting – take the class. You will learn so much – and not only about roasting coffee.
Meg Le VU
So many gold nuggets of knowledge! View my very thorough review from a MCR 1kg roaster with 6 months of experience here: https://youtu.be/iJx76DxNb80