UMN Coffee Class Explores The Science And Art Of Coffee – CoffeeTalk

The Coffee from the Ground Up class at the University of Minnesota is a freshman seminar that explores the history, origins, and processing of coffee. The course aims to develop an appreciation for the complexity of coffee, which seems simple yet so complex. The class covers topics such as geography, biology, breeding, and sustainability of coffee. Instructor Rex Bernardo explains that the primary goal is for students to develop an appreciation for a product that seems simple yet has so much complexity.

The class discusses both the coffee plant and drink, including their origins and how coffee is produced and processed. The second half of the course includes brewing experiments, where students observe how coffee is picked by hand and transported. The brewing experiments involve exploring the influence of water temperature, the coffee’s acidity, and the concentration of solids in the coffee.

During the first half of the semester, the class also conducts various coffee tastings, bringing in coffee from around the world and different species of coffee. Students also visit a roastery in town to see a small coffee operation and how coffee is roasted.

Teamwork is a core component of the class, with a competition at the end of the semester where students brew their own coffee in teams. Each team is required to choose coffee grown in some place and brew it in a certain way. A panel of judges then taste the coffee and make their decisions after the students give a spiel on their coffee.

Trent Risser, another first-year student in the class, said that students will also be able to pick what elevation the coffee comes from since it can affect its taste. There are two main kinds of coffee: arabica and robusta.

Students also create their own vlogs about a coffee place they enjoy, helping them develop video communication skills. The class will watch a documentary on Starbucks to explore its success while examining the company’s sustainability and fair trade issues.

Leitch, who is also a Starbucks barista, said the class has given her a newfound respect for coffee and opened her eyes to the different factors that make the beans taste different.

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