We partner with select roasters that we have worked with for years. Criteria are that they have long term personal relationships with the producers, transparent pricing, coffees from a variety of origins, and Specialty Grade beans representing the growing countries' flavor profiles.

While we work with the same partner roasters, coffee is a natural and seasonal product. That means that flavor profiles change slightly as the seasons change. However, we curate all coffees to match our courses perfectly in flavor profile as well as roast grade.  

We carefully review and select offers from current harvests that showcase flavor as well as the work of producers and cooperatives, to make sure you receive coffees that work with the recipes and exercises in our courses.

That said, we select coffees from all around the coffee belt as there are more than 50 exporting countries. Popular origins include Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia, Guatemala and Nicaragua to name just a few.

For Explorer we typically select more approachable flavor profiles, while we get more experimental in our Creator course using beans from origins like Zambia or Papua New Guinea and new processing methods.

In our Masterclass we work with a variety of tools and include fine Robusta along with Arabica in some lessons for students to experience the differences and understand sorting and quality protocols.

Every practice coffee set also includes Minerals for optimal brewing water.

The practice coffee sets are optional, so you can use your own coffee if you like.

The framework in each course is designed for different roast styles and the courses are purposely experimental so that you are definitely okay brewing with your beans.

Just keep in mind that we can't help trouble shoot your results from afar if you use your own beans since processing methods, age, precise roast grade, water quality and other factors will effect your results.

For the Explorer course, you only need a cone shaped brewer, filters and a gooseneck kettle. This can be a temp kettle or a simple stovetop one that you just use for pouring. A scale is encouraged but not mandatory. A grinder is not mandatory as we can ship pre-ground coffee for this course.

For the Creator and Masterclass programs you will need all of the above.

Explorer: A three on a scale of 1 - 10, ten being competition level.

Creator: A four to five (light to medium nerd level).

Masterclass: Up to 10 depending on the goal of the student (the course is custom).

We do aim to provide solid knowledge about how coffee reacts when you brew it with different parameters, but especially Explorer is made to give you guideposts rather than overly strict must do's.
Your coffee has to taste great and you should be able to figure out how to make that happen, that's the main point!

Creator goes deeper into water composition and extraction rates, as well as palate training and describing flavor notes - providing a background on why things happen in addition to how.

That said, we are a little different in the way we treat coffee education.
Our first ever tagline was Enjoy.Being.Awake.
And more than a decade later we still softly promote the often undervalued creative power people can tap into when they practice a craft and master the art of contemplation over coffee. We offer a combination of Science, Craft and Art. If that speaks to you, join us!

We do offer an in house certification program which is optional for Creator course participants, and mandatory for Masterclass students.

Participants of Creator may choose between a final self test or a certification test with instructor feedback.

There is no test or certification for the Explorer course. However, graduates of the Explorer course may upgrade to Creator at a reduced cost and obtain a certification during the Creator course.

Please note that we are not affiliated with the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association). Our curriculum is based on University Studies in Coffee Excellence, as well as lessons we have developed in house over years of training professional and home baristas.
Our courses include a variety of topics from seed to cup, in addition to the hand on techniques.

We believe that in order to appreciate the craft it is helpful to understand the basic process of coffee production.

We do not teach Espresso Extraction as we believe that it requires an in person training, ideally by use of the students' own equipment.
However, learning the basics of extraction and coffee chemistry will provide a base to jump off of, even for Espresso.

Yes. As any Coffee Shop owner who operates a pour over bar will tell you, it takes understanding of coffee chemistry, great care and skill to truly make outstanding pour overs that warrant a $7+ price tag.

With more than a decade in slow bar service under our belt and numerous write ups in publications like Roast Magazine or the Washington Post we can say with confidence that yes, you will be able to pour with the best of them!

You will receive an email with a link to set up your personal dashboard right away.

If you sign up for Explorer, all lessons and downloads are available to view immediately.

Modules in Creator are drip modules because the lessons build upon each other.

Your practice coffee will be roasted and shipped within three days following the 1st or the 15th of each month. In which cycle you fall depends on your sign up date.

Your sign up triggers the coffee order.
If you need to start later or buy the course as a gift and are not sure when the recipient wants to start - please email us at contact@sweetsciencecoffee.com with your order number to arrange a custom shipment date.

Alternatively, you can freeze whole beans without a problem for up to two months after we ship them.

We hope you can understand that we are not extending a money back offer since we roast and ship fresh coffee.

In addition, individual tastes differ and not everyone might enjoy a light roast or a dark one for practice without that being a reflection on the provided lessons.

That said, we want you to be happy with your experience! If you feel lost or have any questions during your course we will do our best to help. Please contact us via email at contact@sweetsciencecoffee.com