Meet Food Sorcery’s coffee master teaching Mancunians how to make the most of coffee at home

One of Food Sorcery’s most popular classes is the Coffee Lovers class.

Run by Mancunian coffee master Gavin Scouse, we had a chat with the man behind the class to find out why it’s become so popular in Manchester and what to expect.

Having worked in the coffee industry since 1999, Gavin is something of a coffee connoisseur.

Now he’s using his in-depth knowledge and experience to help educate Mancunian coffee fiends on how to make the most out of coffee at home.

“I started off working for Cafe Nero as a barista before working my way up to manager, then senior manager level,” says Gavin.

“After spending 15 years there, my passion for coffee outgrew working for a coffee chain so I decided to go and work for independents and speciality coffee venues, starting off at Caffeine and Co. I built up my knowledge even further and now I’m running coffee classes at Food Sorcery.”

Food Sorcery approached him to join the team, pitching an idea of what they wanted out of a coffee class.

“The goal of the Coffee Lovers course is to help people make great coffee at home. I wrote the class myself using what I’ve learnt over the years.”

So what does the three-hour Coffee Lovers class entail?

“I always start off the class giving everyone a tasting of a coffee, explaining what the coffee is and why it tastes the way it does, its origin, where it grows,” says Gavin. “It gets very geeky.

“We then cover different home brewing methods. We cover roast profiles, different methods before roasting the beans. I dispel myths about how to store coffee and the correct way to grind/handle coffee etc.

“It’s a lot of information, a lot of tasting and a lot of methods.

“We get onto the espresso machines to teach people how to make the perfect espresso. We show them how to steam milk – and help them practice their skills and generally try to get people involved as much as possible.”

The goal of the course is to provide all of the information and notes you need – along with a shopping list – so that you can put your newly found knowledge and skills to the test in your own kitchen.

“The classes always follow the same path, but the way the class is steered depends on what the people in the class ask throughout the day.

“Different people have different questions or want to learn about different areas of coffee. I’m happy to answer lots of weird, wonderful and normal questions.”

And why should you attend the Coffee Lovers class?

“More and more people are becoming aware of coffee and specialty coffee. People are understanding now that stepping away from coffee chains is better for everyone, themselves and sustainability.

“People should attend because it’s highly caffeinated fun. It’s geeky and gives people much more of an understanding coffee, because it tends to be much more than people think.

“People think coffee is quite basic but it’s a hell of a lot more than that. I just want to share my passion and my knowledge of coffee – and generally people that come to the class feel like they learn a lot and understand more about coffee and how to recreate it at home.”

The cookery and barista school is the perfect place for people looking to be social with food and drink.

Based in Didsbury, the school’s fun, hands-on sessions are perfect for couples, groups of friends or even for office team-building.

Get creative with your nearest and dearest while learning new skills and exploring new territory in the kitchen – and before you know it, you’ll become a pro.

Costing £75 per person for the three-hour coffee class, find out more by clicking the link below and prepare to show off your new coffee skills with your mates. You might even have to start charging!

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