As an HB member who has recently moved to the Portland area I see it as a time not only to sample some of the area's better cafes but also to learn a little more about the craft of making great coffee and espresso. I've been pulling shots with some decent equipment for the past 8 years. I've improved significantly over that time, but kind of feel like I've plateaued.

So what I'm looking for is an opportunity to do some local hands on training with a good barista. Not looking for a newbie course. It would be nice to experiment with some different coffees, play with some different equipment, and mostly learn some better techniques. I'm definitely not looking for training to become a professional barista, just something from a couple hours to a day possibly.

I did a quick search and see that Clive Coffee offers a 2 hour class, but it appears more geared toward the beginner. http://www.clivecoffee.com/learn/2012/1 ... a-classes/

The American Barista and Coffee School apparently has a Portland location, but from what I can tell this looks more career and business oriented. https://www.coffeebusiness.com/

Any HBers out there in the Portland area who are aware of any decent training opportunities?

You've found the two choices that I'm aware of, coincidentally the Barista College, Clive Coffee, &
Water Ave. are all in the same building.

Your best option is to hang on until Dr. Gary gets settled in & we have an HB get together at his
place...or the next installment of our random gatherings (usually during an evening) at Clive Coffee (that's been long overdue).

You can also contact Mark at Clive and see if he would do a training for you geared more to your
needs, his own Lovejoy blend and other coffees on hand would give you great material to work with
and/or pick up some interesting beans from Water Ave. or some from the other local roasters that interests you.

Thanks danetrainer! Some good suggestions. Would be fun to have a local HB get together sometime.

Hi Ken,

I also found a sign-up list for weekly cuppings at Nossa Familia. They're in the Pearl District of downtown Portland and are very close to Barista.

I would like to join in a coffee crawl soon, so if folks can start to pull together a schedule that will be great. Not quite ready to host an event here at our home but that could happen in early Fall.

drgary wrote: I would like to join in a coffee crawl soon,

My open days are Mondays or Saturdays...giving me the ability to travel to Portland and not
be pressed for time to be back.

And in the future (maybe this fall) Mike (mivanitsky) just put his deposit down on a 1 grp Slayer and said he will be hosting a get-together in Coos Bay...depending on delivery of said machine!

I will split off to a new topic in the Cafes section.

Portland Coffee Crawl