For those, professionals or coffee lovers who wish to receive a technical-practical preparation on coffee and all its facets of service, from roasting to grinding to extraction, the Specialty academy was born in Aprilia, the school created by Emmanuel Tomassi master roaster, winner of the Italian Coffee Roasting Championship 2018 and creator of the homonymous micro roastery with the aim of training highly qualified professionals in the world of coffee and coffee roasting
Emanuele Tomassi has lived for years in New York and Amsterdam, developing over time a deep passion and knowledge of coffee and being completely conquered by this world: with constant study he has acquired an excellent competence which he has refined through experience day-to-day in his roastery where he handles only rigorously selected coffee, one seed at a time. All this, combined with the desire to disseminate the culture of coffee, prompted Emanuele to create a school of specialization for professionals in the sector, but also of information and culture for enthusiasts of specialty coffee.
The Specialty Academy is located along the Via Pontina, at km. 47,015, in a former industrial building of fascinating design. The renovation, carried out by the SpSk+ architecture studio, has enhanced the existing elements and underlined the productive function of the building and of the rooms - bright and exposed to the southern sun through the large windows - which allow the perfect performance of every activity. The roasting sections, the cafeteria and the tasting room have been skilfully designed to enhance the modern concept of coffee.
The academy offers a wide range of courses aimed at both placement in the working world and professional qualification. The aim is to enable the operator to work in compliance with codified protocols for everyone worldwide. To this end it offers SCA certified courses (Specialty Coffee Association, an association that represents industry professionals around the world and which has built its authority on knowledge and shared knowledge), internationally recognized and able to guarantee the possibility of being able to work anywhere. The Specialty Academy is also aimed at professionals who want to develop and increase their skills in order to be able to manage their work or business with ever greater authority and professionalism.
Obtaining an SCA certification or training that follows its criteria means acquiring knowledge of standards and protocols, working knowing and respecting quantifiable and qualifiable measures, based on scientific tests, which fix values and/or ranges of values for coffee. Currently the SCA has standards for water, green coffee and cup coffee, which ensure the reproducibility of the perfect cup.
The Specialty Academy aims to train highly qualified personnel in the various skills and for this reason it marries the subdivision of the courses following the SCA Coffee Skills Programs, in the various disciplines.
The school will open its doors on 21 and 22 June with a Latte Art Masterclass conducted by Emanuela Fensore, 2019 Latte Art World Champion, and a Cafeteria Masterclass conducted by Chiara Bergonzi, Latte Art Vice World Champion, roaster, sensory teacher , teacher of all SCA modules as well as international judge. The workshops will take place on two mornings from 9,00 to 13,00, and two afternoons from 15,00 to 19,00
Latte Art masterclass topics: correct texture and frothing of the milk inherent in the different basic figures-designs: leaf and tulip. Depending on the composition of the master class and personal skills, more complicated figures may be shown such as, for example, narrow rosettes and fantasy designs.
At the end of this Masterclass it will be possible, for those who wish, to ask to take an exam for the certification of their latte art grading system module.
Masterclass Topics Cafeteria: notions of botany – espresso extraction – specialty – the grinders to be used and machines and technologies that can be found on the market.
The classes will have a number of 4 participants per course and at the end of the day the following will be delivered: certificate of participation, an autographed t-shirt, 2 packs of 250 g Caffe Tomassi. The Academy has very large spaces and professional machinery that guarantee the attendance in total safety of at least six students.
Scheduled courses
IIntroduction to Coffee: basic course created to provide the basic tools and information regarding the world of coffee for those approaching it professionally for the first time.
Equipment: this course will reveal not only the skills related to the drinks offered (coffee with various extractions) but also the fundamental notions related to the grinding of coffee beans, the management and maintenance of various machinery and tools, essential for those who want to train as banker.
brewing: course that offers an overview of specialty coffee, from the basic notions of what a filter coffee is and the different types in circulation (v 60, aero press, clever, chemex, french press, moccamaster, etc.), understanding the differences between a manual and automatic filter up to the analysis of the recipes codified by the SCA, coffee weights on water weights, overextraction or underextraction, including the skills to prepare a filter coffee at home.
sensory: the course focuses on various fronts, not only the sensory one, but on methodologies and protocols that make this tasting system a way to scientifically define the quality of the coffee product.
roasting: the course opens the doors to the world of roasting through which coffee can express the immense variety of all its organoleptic characteristics.
A separate mention should be made for the Latte Art course as it does not follow the SCA certification methods but will issue the certifications according to the Latte Art Grading System, which provides for the assignment of different milk jugs, white, orange, green, red, black and gold, each of which certify the various degrees of technical competence of the student. The courses in this case can be one-to-one or collective and can last one or two days depending on the student's skills and requests.
Each course is divided into three levels.
Basic level: admission to the course does not require particular skills, offering an overview of the chosen discipline. The candidate will then choose whether or not to continue in training. The basic level earns 5 training credits and lasts 7 hours.
Intermediate level: dedicated to those who have attended the basic course or have already gained experience in the field pertaining to the chosen course. It lasts 14 hours and guarantees 10 training credits.
Professional level: aims for a highly specialized training, requires considerable experience in the sector and having attended the intermediate course. The intermediate courses last at least 14 hours and confer 25 training credits. This training system, controlled and certified, provides for exams to verify the skills acquired and is perfected with the achievement of 100 training credits which confer the SCA diploma.
Camateur bears for coffee lovers
The academy also turns its attention to coffee lovers, curious lovers of the world of specialty coffee. For this reason it will organize, through the Introduction to coffee, tastings for enthusiasts who want to discover the world of specialty coffee, with the aim of learning to understand the differences between a commercial coffee and a coffee that has all the potential to express a product with more than a thousand scents. They will be tasting days, dedicated to discovering what is hidden at the bottom of a cup of coffee: it will be a real journey into the world of coffee, from its origins in Ethiopia to the present day. The shared information on processing, roasting and infusion will offer enthusiasts the tools to consciously taste and savor the various flavours, starting with green coffee and then passing through the various single origins.
Preparatory courses for trials and mixology courses
The universe of coffee creates among its admirers the desire to get involved in competitions of mastery and, for this reason, the training package is also offered which includes courses in preparation for competitions in the various disciplines. These courses will be individual and tailor made, as they will identify the training areas according to the objective to be achieved through race simulations.
Not just coffee. The Specialty Academy will also include courses in cocktail mixology. This course does not have SCA certification and, unlike the courses available on the market today, intends to transmit teaching which, starting from the essential technical and operational manual notions, puts the future professional in a position to be able to distinguish himself in daily activities through training in a boot camp that tempers him to the real world of work.
