Coffee Geek Out with Holly - Espresso 101: Espresso Extraction

Do you want to understand what it takes to make truly tasty espresso? Spend 2 hours with Coffee is People's, Holly Bastin, as she brings her 20+ years of professional experience to the table to share with you. Espresso has been one of the primary focuses of her career, as well as tasting/evaluating coffee for quality control. The overall goal is to learn espresso troubleshooting by relying on your senses - what you can see, feel, taste & smell that informs you about the extraction?

After completing this course you will be able to:

• Define Espresso
• Understand the relationship of with coffee and water
• Know the essential parts and role of the Espresso Machine
• Understand the Espresso Grinder and the role of the Grind
• Know which Tools are essential and which are optional (& what they’re for)
• Understand the steps of preparing Espresso, along with the intention of each
• Learn about how to taste Espresso, especially to understand extraction issues

Each participant of the class will take home:

• A bag of Light of Earendil Espresso roasted by Hammerhand Coffee
• Training handouts with guides and tasting tools
• $10 PH Gift Card

Please Note: Class size is limited to 6 participants to ensure that everyone gets ample opportunity to practice the hard skills with feedback and ask questions. Because we will be tasting most of the shots that are pulled, we will be primarily using a decaf espresso - don’t worry, it’s a new process that’s truly delicious! We also recommend getting a bite to eat prior to class.

This class is 2 Hours from start to finish

There are no prerequisites for this class

This class is the first in the Espresso Geek Out series, so we strongly recommend starting here as each class will build on the hard skills learned in this class. We typically hold it at least once per week to make sure you can hop on at any time!

Quotes from other students

“Holly was a wealth of coffee knowledge. She happily fielded the myriad of questions posed by our group. Whether a beginner or prosumer, there is a pearl of coffee wisdom everyone can take from this class.”

“Fun and enlightening experience for people starting out on their coffee adventure. Holly is extremely knowledgeable and showcases skills to carry on in your own coffee making. Highly recommend taking her class!”

“Holly was very patient and informative, giving lots of tips and advice. It was a fun, hands on learning experience. I look forward to seeing what other classes will be offered.”

“What a fun and interactive experience! I walked into this workshop knowing nothing about coffee, but learned so much! The process, the tasting, the adjusting. I have a total new appreciation for the art! Holly has a super laid-back, embracing teaching approach - it made me feel comfortable to ask literally anything & everything!”

“We had such an amazing experience learning about espresso with Holly. We will use these new skills (literally) daily! 10/10 experience for anyone interested in learning more about coffee in general - very beginner friendly.”

“The class was informative, fun and very chill. I would definitely come back for more classes. Holly was a great instructor, very easy going and easy to ask questions.”

“The espresso class was wonderful - not only learning the ins and outs of pulling shots, but also flavor profiles of different roasts and how mistakes can change the flavor of the shot. This class was very informative and I can’t wait to see how my at-home shots level up.”

“Such a great experience! Lots of information/tips/tricks but also the why & not just how. Thank you Holly!”

About Holly:

Holly started in coffee back in 1999, drawn to the culture and people it seemed to attract. Little did she know at 19 that she had just started what would become a full blown, international coffee career. Over the first decade she fell in love with espresso as a craft. As a manager, trainer, quality control manager for a serious roasting company, she spent days and days at an espresso machine, pulling shot after shot, trying to better understand what made a better brew. Through that same company she began to compete in the SCA Barista Championships, as well as judge and eventually coach competitors, hoping to get the chance to coach someone at the World Barista Championship. And, around 2013, she finally got the chance, coaching Pete Licata to win!

From there, they formed our own consulting firm and coffee rating company (Roast Ratings). Over the next 5 years they had amazing opportunities to teach and train around the world, exploring all the different ways that coffee culture manifested In different countries. When back in KC, she did her best to keep some jobs that allowed her to work with customers, whether on bar or recommending coffee gear at a local pro shop. And always tasting new coffees.

Since all the changes that 2020 brought, Holly has been focused more on my local coffee scene here in KC- helping some cafe owners navigate new challenges, training new baristas, and pulling the occasional bar shift myself. Her favorite thing about coffee? It’s the people part, even after all of these years!

Holly’s complete coffee resume can be found here

Holly with World Barista Champions Pete Licata (2013) and Hidenori Izaki (2014)

Holly with 2019 World Brewers Cup Champion, Du Jianing