Barista Pathway Series - One Day Intensive
About this Event
Reserve your spot today at sipsociety.coffee/barista-pathway
☕ Barista Pathway Intensive — One-Day Professional Barista Training | Chicago
The complete Sip Society Barista Pathway Series—three professional workshops combined into one immersive day.
Whether you're hoping to work in a café, strengthen your current barista skills, or finally understand coffee beyond the basics, the Barista Pathway Intensive provides a full day of hands-on training designed around real café expectations.
Working in small groups on commercial café equipment, you'll learn the complete workflow of a professional barista—from brewing and sensory evaluation to espresso preparation, milk steaming, latte art, and drink assembly.
No prior café experience is required.
What You'll Learn
Brewing Fundamentals & Sensory Skills
Build the foundation every great barista relies on.
You'll learn how brewing variables influence flavor, develop professional tasting skills, and understand how coffee's journey from farm to cup affects what ends up in the mug.
Topics include:
- Manual brewing methods and recipe development
- Grind size, brew ratio, water temperature, and extraction
- Coffee origin, processing, and roasting fundamentals
- Professional coffee tasting and sensory evaluation
- Describing coffee using flavor, body, acidity, and balance
- Communicating coffee confidently with guests
Espresso Fundamentals & Workflow
Learn to work behind an espresso bar with intention, consistency, and efficiency.
Using commercial espresso equipment, you'll develop professional habits while learning how cafés produce consistent espresso throughout service.
Topics include:
- Espresso machine and grinder operation
- Proper dosing, distribution, tamping, and extraction
- Executing and repeating espresso recipes consistently
- Dialing in espresso through logical adjustments
- Identifying under- and over-extracted espresso
- Troubleshooting common espresso issues
- Bar organization, workflow, and cleanliness
- Daily equipment care and maintenance
Milk, Latte Art & Drink Assembly
Finish the day by bringing everything together to build café-quality beverages from start to finish.
You'll practice coordinating espresso and milk while producing drinks efficiently in a service-style environment.
Topics include:
- Café menu knowledge and drink construction
- Milk steaming and microfoam development
- Basic latte art techniques
- Espresso-based drink assembly
- Workflow during multi-drink preparation
- Maintaining speed, organization, and cleanliness behind the bar
- Mock café service scenarios
Hands-On Experience
Throughout the day, participants will spend the majority of their time working directly with coffee.
You'll:
- Brew and evaluate coffee together
- Pull espresso on commercial equipment
- Steam milk and pour latte art
- Build complete café beverages
- Practice workflow in realistic service scenarios
- Receive coaching and feedback from experienced instructors
What You'll Walk Away With
By the end of the Barista Pathway Intensive, you'll be able to:
- Brew balanced coffee using professional techniques
- Taste and evaluate coffee with confidence
- Pull consistent espresso to a recipe
- Dial in espresso using logical adjustments
- Steam silky microfoam for café-quality beverages
- Pour foundational latte art
- Build common espresso drinks correctly
- Maintain an organized, efficient workstation
- Understand the workflow expected in a professional café
Professional Skills Assessment
Throughout the day, instructors observe participants using a practical skills assessment modeled after entry-level café expectations.
Following the workshop, participants receive:
- Certificate of Completion
- Individual skills evaluation with instructor feedback
- Professional development recommendations
Professional Development Opportunities
Graduates of the Barista Pathway Intensive may be invited to continue building experience with Sip Society through opportunities to:
- Assist during future workshops alongside experienced educators
- Gain hands-on experience in real service environments
- Connect with café employment opportunities
- Participate in future coffee education projects and events
Who This Intensive Is For
- Aspiring baristas
- Entry-level café employees
- Working baristas looking to refine their skills
- Coffee enthusiasts seeking professional-level education
- Anyone interested in understanding coffee from brew bar to espresso bar
Event Details
Duration: Approximately 7–8 hours (including breaks)
Prerequisite: None
Location: Sip Society Coffee Education Center – Chicago (North Center)
Format: In-person • Hands-on • Small-group instruction
This intensive combines the complete Barista Pathway curriculum into one immersive day, providing the same comprehensive training as our three-week series in a single experience.
Agenda
Brewing Fundamentals & Variable Control
Info: Learn how grind size, ratio, water temperature, and brew time affect extraction and flavor. Participants brew coffee multiple times while tracking variables and observing how small changes impact the cup.
Sensory Skills & Flavor Language
Info: Develop professional tasting skills through guided sensory exercises. Learn to identify acidity, body, sweetness, and flavor notes—and practice describing coffee clearly using non-judgmental, guest-friendly language.
From Bean to Cup: Understanding Coffee Context
Info: Explore coffee’s journey from plant to processing, roast, and brew. Understand how species, origin, and processing influence flavor—and learn how to communicate that story to café guests.
Foundations of Espresso Workflow
Info: Set up the bar for success before the first shot is pulled. Participants begin with a guided walkthrough of espresso bar setup, tools, and workflow fundamentals. We’ll cover efficient station organization, wet vs. dry zones, and professional movement behind the bar. The goal is to build habits that support consistency, speed, and cleanliness in a real café environment.
Brewing, Recipe Execution & Dialing In
Info: Learn to pull consistent shots—then adjust with intention. Working in small groups, participants will pull espresso using a provided recipe while practicing proper machine and grinder operation. We’ll focus on hitting target dose, yield, and time before learning how to dial in by adjusting variables logically. Taste-based evaluation is introduced to connect flavor, texture, and extraction.
Tasting, Troubleshooting & Establishing Good Habits
Info: Taste together, solve problems, and build café-ready standards. The workshop concludes with group tasting, common espresso troubleshooting, and cleaning best practices. Participants learn to identify under- and over-extraction, diagnose common issues like channeling or fast shots, and maintain equipment throughout service-style practice—reinforcing habits expected in professional coffee environments.
Café Menu, Milk Texturing & Technique
Info: Participants begin by breaking down common café drinks by ratio, appearance, and taste. This section focuses on milk steaming fundamentals—proper pitcher use, microfoam texture, temperature control, and steam wand hygiene—building the foundation for consistent, high-quality espresso-based drinks.
Latte Art & Drink Assembly
Info: With milk texture dialed in, participants move into basic pouring techniques and simple latte art (heart and rosetta). We then combine espresso and milk into complete café classics, practicing timing, balance, and on-the-fly adjustments while maintaining espresso quality.
Bar Workflow & Mock Service
Info: The workshop concludes with service-style practice, emphasizing efficient bar flow, cleanliness, drink identification, and communication. Participants prepare drinks under light pressure, reinforcing habits expected in real café environments and building confidence behind the bar.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
