During a chat with an old friend he came out with something like: "I looked into coffee and espresso and there's an incredible amount to study and SORT through. All I need is someone to help me zero in to find what I like from all the origins, blends, roast levels, brands etc. and the proper and most appropriate way for ME to prepare it, buy it, store it. I just need a Coffee Personal Trainer!"

Knowing him, I considered it a reasonable request and something that was doable and made sense. We were able to fairly quickly come up with a brewing start and a couple roast choices I'll send him to compare, share feedback then continue to narrow down and then custom roast a couple more. He wants to learn coffee first then move on to espresso.

I'm glad to help him out. We can do everything by internet, phone and mail since he's not in my area. This got me to wondering if this might be a desired and worthwhile service by others?
thoughts?

What will most likely happen is that he will somewhat arbitrarily focus on what he imagines are his coffee preferences by striking whole categories off his list because of a few samples that were grown on a particular farm in a particular way in a particular season and then processed, shipped and roasted in a particular way.

He will then believe he "knows" what a Sidamo, a Kenya, a Panama gesha, etc. tastes like and believe he "knows what he likes."

There are undoubtedly ways to accelerate one's coffee education, but I doubt this kind of easy remote learning is it.

[Edit] Let me put my dim opinion of the concept into context. I have no "favorite coffees." My senses are constantantly delighted by being introduced to new and wonderful coffee experiences by people whose tastes I trust. I would be much more enthusiastic about a program that educates by expansion, than by subtraction.

+1 to Marshall
Can you imagine creating some sort of narrow focus on what you like in a coffee and then setting out on a quest for it. Can you imagine trying to teach someone to find a specific sort of taste? Might as well attempt to describe "blue" to a person who has never had sight (one of my very least favorite creative writing assignments when I was in school).

I would say he's starting out backwards, and doing it too academically.

" I looked into coffee and espresso and there's an incredible amount to study and SORT through.."

He makes it sound like a negative. What he seems to fear is what has kept me interested.

All I need is someone to help me zero in to find what I like from all the origins, blends, roast levels, brands etc.

"Hey! Sir Arthur! Do me a solid. Go out and find me a Grail."

Tell your friend, it's all about the quest and all that you meet along the way. Coffee, like life, is a journey, not a destination.

Tomorrow morning I will make a very nice espresso, drink it, and then I will tell your friend he really liked it. That will definitely save him even more trouble.

OK, maybe some (SOME!?) of that was a bit facetious (A BIT!?), but really, what is the point of taking a "class" and having someone teach you what flavors you like.. that's what it sounds like to me. Crops change, roasts change, and tastes change. I quit buying Sumatran a few years back because the earthy taste was getting to taste a bit too much like earth to me. ("HEY! This coffee tastes like dirt!".. "I know,. it was GROUND this morning."). So even if he does find some narrow range of something he likes, a year from now it could all change.

Is coffee-education designed obsolescence the new job security? Hmm.. I have a teaching credential and class starts promptly at 9:00!

Randy G. wrote:Tell your friend, it's all about the quest and all that you meet along the way. Coffee, like life, is a journey, not a destination.

We all use this kind of statement all the time. It is applicable for many things. How many interests do we have that we just don't have time to self explore to the degree we would like? We tend to have to decide how much focus and time to put into various interests. Some we seek in depth understandings and others we can only seek a basic crash course or some general advice from friends with more experience.

We all share our focused interests with others. As being known among my friends as a pretty serious home coffee roaster/coffee brewer/espresso maker I often get asked for various degrees of advice. Their experiences with coffee vary widely and their wants for improvement vary just as widely. With experience talking coffee with folks I've gotten better at feeling out what they're seeking. Same as a friend of mine knows I'm happy enough making bread with a bread machine and packet yeast and helps me tweak my recipes but knows I don't want to keep starter going or build a beehive oven in the back yard or get involved with bread forums too.

When it gets down to what coffees to buy or try I find my answer again varies widely depending on their level of interest. Some are content with what is offered at a supermarket and just want advice sorting through what exists there. Others want advice on what's available fresh and local and some I give our link of the list of top online roasters.

The friend I spoke of above has a hodgepodge of coffee experiences and knowledge. Though he is generally quality oriented. In about 30 mins. I was able to help him consider some appropriate starter tweaks to his brewing equipment, technique and storage. I had 3 different origins roasted at the time that I brewed up and he compared. He said that it was the first time he had really compared coffees side by side. He first said they were all very good and then started sorting what he liked and didn't like with each one. He understood the 3 samples were far from representing the full spectrum of specialty coffee but found it a useful new experience. We then talked about the the 40+ lots in my stash and came up with some first pairings to send him to continue to explore. Tom at SM has offered an ever changing lineup of intentional roasted pairings for several years that has helped folks by comparing various coffee differences. I've also attend several open houses that George Howell puts on that include several designed cupping comparisons that attendees have expressed as being very helpful.

My friend decided that the only thing we will assume is quality beans and fresh. Otherwise the slate was to be wiped clean except for what was learned by the first random cupping. We will start with broad extremes and then refine to "some" subtle differences. His initial goal is to merely determine some of his basic preferences of coffee tastes. He has no interest in getting as deep and picky as many of us are. Merely developing his appropriate base of understanding when choosing coffees he might like and a list of appropriate vendors will pretty much satisfy him.