The Tasting Panel magazine

June 2012

Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/68310

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 80 of 124

COFFEE College T Grind story and photos by Kelly Merritt here was a time when restaurant patrons and at-home diners didn't leave the table without a cup of coffee. It was the staple end to a civilized dinner. And as coffee surges toward a comeback as the retrofit "it" bever- age, staying late for coffee and dessert is all the rage again. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, 54 percent of Americans now drink coffee every day and spend more than $40 billion on coffee annually. Italian coffee empire illy has implemented a beverage industry "coffee college" of sorts called the Università del Caffè Coffee Expert Course. The course aims to help illy partners maintain and exceed their coffee programs and exceed diner expectations. In the Università del Caffè classes, students ranging from bartenders to restaurateurs, servers to F&B managers engage in a two-day intensive exploration into coffee from bean to cup. The course includes tasting sessions and hands-on training in mastering the art of coffee preparation. The classes are taught by illy's Università del Caffè professors in conjunction with Master Barista Giorgio Milos, leaving students pas- sionate about coffee and invigorated—and not just from the umpteen espresso tastings they Andrew Generalao, General Manager of The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco, practices his drip coffee technique. Left: An illy espresso, perfectly pulled and served. 80 / the tasting panel / june 2012 THE illy UNIVERSITÀ DEL CAFFÈ INFUSES NEW PASSION INTO RESTAURANT COFFEE PROGRAMS

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Tasting Panel magazine - June 2012