FLORENCE – Do you want to discover the secrets hidden behind a cup of coffee? Thursday June 30th, intellectual and world famous coffee philosopher Scott Rao will land in Italy. The expert will hold two masterclasses, an exclusive for Italy, in Florence at Ditta Artigianale Oltrarno, in the coffee bar dedicated to quality coffee directed by italian barista champion Francesco Sanapo (via dello Sprone 5r www.dittaartigianale.it)
Created for professionists and coffee lovers, the masterclasses by Scott are a real must, the most advanced and stimulating ones among the whole coffee sector, even for the most prepared barista or roaster. Rao, a world famous coffee expert, is from New York and works in the coffee business since 1993.
It is now a major figure in the coffee sector thanks to his studies and his publications like “Everything but Espresso”, “Espresso Extraction”, “The Professional Barista’s Handbook” and “The Coffee Roaster’s Companion”. Scott’s books have literally teached to a whole generation of baristas all over the world the art of modern coffee. Moreover, Rao has directed several successful coffee bars and various roasteries, working on over 100 hundred machines, and spending the last six years writing advices for coffee companies on a global level.
Scott Rao’s teaching method is extremely practical, teaching how to work by beginning from the small details, with hints of chemistry and physics that regard, for example, what happens to the milled coffee in the very moment when it gets in touch with water.
Let’s break into the details of the two masterclasses at Ditta Artigianale Oltrarno: the first one, which is going to last three hours, will begin at 10 am and will be dedicated to Roasting. Among the many subjects that will be covered in the lesson, the correct selection of a roasting machine and, in the end, a tasting session.
The second one, which will take place at 3 pm, will be dedicated to the Espresso and the “Filter Brewing” preparation method, following the latest consumption trends. Subjects like milling, distribution and particle size will be touched while, at the same time, explaining the best levels of extraction for divers and milling machines, the pour over method, some advices on chemistry and physics on the extraction method, the barista techniques and, finally, how to create the best coffee.
Rao dedicates, in his books as well, a lot on time to explain how to obtain the perfect cup, which he describes as “the one where sweetness is exalted, the one we can imagine as a full aromatic fragrance.”
The maximum number of participants is 24, in order to guarantee the biggest interaction between trainer and attendants. Participating in the masterclasses has a cost. For more informations and subscriptions: info@dittaartigianale.it
For more informations on Scott Rao www.scottrao.com
Scott Rao on Roasting
The class will include:
-Principles of constructing a roast curve
-Choosing and adjusting charge temperature
-Managing gas adjustments
-Looking at and interpreting actual roast-profile data.
-How to adapt one’s approach to various types of roasting machines.
-Tasting samples and comparing the cup results to their respective roast curves.
-Identifying baked flavors, underdevelopment, and other roast defects.
-Q&A (Scott encourages participants to prepare questions ahead of time).
This Masterclass is available to experienced roasters who are looking to deepen their understanding of roasting. Class time: 3 hours, including time for Q&A
Scott Rao on Espresso and Filter
Topics to be discussed include:
– Water quality
– How grind quality affects extraction quantity and quality.
– Espresso preparation methods (dosage, movements, time, ratios)
- Pour-over preparation methods
- Batch-brew programming and storage.
- Extraction measurement
- Barista techniques to optimize extraction quality and level.
Baristas of all levels of experience are welcome to attend. Class time: 3 hours, including time for Q&A.
