Taking a Costa Coffee Masterclass to learn about the art of coffee

After the school run on Wednesday I was very close to getting a flat white instead of my usual morning latte. I was almost ready to try something new, as Daddy T and I had tried being baristas in Costa Coffee near Oxford Circus the evening before and we were suddenly very up-to-date on coffee types. We had been invited to attend an exclusive preview Costa Coffee Masterclass, where we had a chance to learn about the skill that went into making a flat white and make our favourite coffees on our own.

The Masterclass was led by a team of enthusiastic and passionate Costa Coffee staff with roles in areas ranging from training to coffee bean selection. They made the company seem like a place anyone would love to work, and I could see myself having become super competitive if I’d had a chance to collect all their employee badges and participate in the Costa Coffee barista championships.

There’s actually a special badge for baristas that have excelled in making flat whites. It turns out a flat white is considered the most difficult coffee to make, as it’s challenging to get the balance right between coffee and milk and ensuring the milk has the perfect texture–more airy than the milk used in a latte. The smoothness in the milk complements the coffee in the flat white, and it’s creamy and not as strong as I expected. 

When Daddy T and I tried making lattes and flat whites, however, they looked all wrong. Daddy T’s flat white was finished with a dot instead of a florette, and my latte had no foam at the top. In the process, I also managed to do the one thing we were told not to. I touched the silver part on the coffee machine instead of sticking to the black bits that were safe to touch.

After trying making the coffees myself I’ve gained a new appreciation for coffee-making. There’s clearly more to know about coffee making than I thought, and I like the idea of Costa Coffee now introducing a free Costa Coffee Masterclass on Wednesday 21 September, demonstrating to customers how much care and attention baristas put into each coffee.

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