Barista Academy: The Forage

Our Groundhouse Academy baristas assembled on a cold winter’s morning – ahead of a day that would encapsulate, enhance, and reinforce the skills and understanding they had developed of delivering quality, hand-crafted coffee but also the essence of artisan coffee culture.

Graziano, our coffee mentor, headed the tour of some of London’s very best coffee houses, giving our Academy baristas the opportunity to experience first-hand the essence of the environment and coffee service culture that Groundhouse reflects within the business.

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From the hustle and bustle of Caravan in Kings Cross – where we witnessed a mind blowing range of coffee choices in a setting that reinforced that quality coffee is not exclusively for aficionados, to Kaffiene in Holborn where we indulged in the menu of complimentary artisan bakery products along with their multi-award winning coffees.

As we sauntered around these and many more coffee shops in  central and west London, the Academy baristas immersed themselves in the experience; tasting, recognising and defining a diverse selection of coffee blends and origins – and having the opportunity to experience and appreciate  a range of on-trend alternative brewing methods such as chemex, syphons, and pour over.

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Engaging with industry experts really highlighted how far our baristas had developed with their knowledge of great coffee. Delving into the London coffee scene and holding conversations about craft methods and practices with like-minded peers.

Throughout the day they showed the passion, hunger for and grasp of the cultural knowledge, that shows not only how far our baristas had come from their first training session (10 steps for the perfect espresso), but also emphasises how Groundhouse baristas are set out from the rest.

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We, as a business, can’t wait to see our baristas hone their skills and knowledge, sharing it with the rest of the team and keeping Groundhouse firmly at the forefront of artisan coffee experiences.