COFFEE CONNOISSEUR
Six days to understand coffee on a deeper level.
- Understand how variety, terroir, processing and roasting shape flavour.
- Develop your ability to taste, recognise and describe coffee with greater confidence.
- Explore professional tasting methods and the science behind aroma perception.
- Learn what happens at farm level and how it influences the final cup.
- Earn to link decisions made at origin, during processing and roasting to what you ultimately taste in the cup.
- Receive a certificate of participation after completing each day.
COMPLETE COURSE NOW AT 30% OFF & EACH DAY AT 20% OFF!
NOTE: Spots are limited.
For special requests, please send an E-mail to [email protected] .
COFFEE CONNOISSEUR
Take your coffee knowledge to a professional level with this intensive six-day programme, developed within the internationally recognised Coffee Consulate education system. Through theory, guided tastings, sensory training and demonstrations, you will learn to understand the factors that shape coffee quality and flavour and build a broader, more informed perspective on coffee as a whole.
What you will learn
Throughout the programme, we explore coffee as both an agricultural product and a complex sensory experience. You will learn about coffee production, botany and varieties, origins and provenances, processing methods and their influence on flavour. From there, we move towards the cup with dedicated training in coffee sensory, cup tasting and aroma recognition. Rather than simply memorising flavour descriptions or preparation rules, you will learn to recognise relationships: how decisions made at origin influence the green coffee, how processing and roasting shape its potential, and how these characteristics can be identified through tasting. The goal is to give you a strong and structured understanding of coffee that can be applied whether you work as a barista, roaster, hospitality professional or simply want to develop your coffee knowledge at a much deeper level.
Six intensive days
The Coffee Connoisseur programme takes place over six consecutive days at ONAN Coffee & Tea in Leuven and combines classroom learning with cupping, aroma exercises, comparative tastings and practical sensory training. The programme is based on the educational approach of Coffee Consulate and is organised under the supervision of Dr. Steffen Schwarz. You will receive all the learning material created by Coffee Consulate. Participants complete the full six-day programme together, allowing knowledge and sensory references to build progressively from one day to the next. Upon completion, you will receive a Coffee Consulate certificate of participation. Places are limited to keep the sessions personal and interactive and to allow sufficient time for tasting, discussion and individual guidance.
THE DAILY PROGRAMME
Each day focuses on a different part of the coffee world, building your knowledge step by step throughout the programme. Each day includes a dedicated study book to support the course material.
- Day 1: Coffee Production
Learn how cultivation, harvesting and processing influence coffee quality.
Day 2: Coffee Taxonomy
Explore coffee species, varieties, botany and their key characteristics.
Day 3: Coffee Provenances
Discover how origin, climate, soil and processing shape flavour.
Day 4: Coffee Sensory
Train your senses and learn how to recognise and describe coffee characteristics.
Day 5: Cup Tasting
your ability to recognise, classify and describe coffee aromas.
Day 6: Coffee Aromas
Learn professional cupping methods and how to evaluate coffee consistently.
Meet Elena, YOUR TEACHER
Elena’s coffee journey began in Russia in 2009, where she started as a barista and quickly progressed to coffee roaster. Her passion for coffee brought her to Belgium, where she found her place with us. As the roastmaster, Elena ensures that every bean you buy or taste at our shop is roasted to perfection. With a Q-grader certificate and extensive training from the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) in roasting, barista skills, and green coffee, Elena is dedicated to sharing her knowledge.
Her expertise and passion for the wide range of coffee flavours and aromas drive her to innovate and maintain high standards in our coffee assortment. She has a high commitment to quality!
Meet LISA, YOUR TEACHER
Lisa’s journey with ONAN Coffee & Tea began while she was studying History at KU Leuven. What started as a student job quickly became much more, and even after travelling and exploring different cultures, she always found her way back to ONAN. Today, she proudly calls herself a “Baristorian,” combining her love for history with her passion for coffee.
At ONAN, Lisa helps keep the team running smoothly with her caring nature and strong organisational skills. For her, coffee is all about connection and bringing people together. She also shares her expertise in latte art, teaching others how to turn each cup into something special.
Join Elena, Lisa & Felicia
for this intensive and immersive 5-day Training, and experience their mastery firsthand !
Meet FELICIA, YOUR TEACHER
Felicia Gruwez combines her work at ONAN Coffee & Tea with a strong scientific background in biology, ecology and fermentation. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from KU Leuven, a Master’s degree in Global Change Ecology from Ghent University and a Postgraduate degree in Malting & Brewing Sciences from KU Leuven. What started as a student job at ONAN gradually grew into an opportunity to connect her scientific interests with coffee, sensory science and product development.
Today, Felicia works across several areas of ONAN, with a particular interest in sustainability, sourcing, fermentation and the many biological and chemical factors that shape flavour. Within the Coffee Connoisseur programme, she translates this background into an accessible perspective on coffee production, processing, botany and sensory evaluation.
Meet DR. STEFFEN SCHWARZ
Dr Steffen Schwarz is one of the leading figures in the international coffee world. For more than two decades, he has been combining scientific research, speciality coffee, sensory analysis, training, product development and strategic consultancy across the entire value chain – from genetics, cultivation and processing through to roasting, extraction and consumption.
As founder of the Coffee Consulate and initiator and scientific director of the International Coffee Convention (ICC), Schwarz brings together scientists, producers, international organisations and companies. During his time as a Board Director of the then Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) and long-standing Chairman of its Championship Committee, he played a key role in professionalising the European speciality coffee movement and the international competition scene.
Read more About Dr. Steffen Schwarz
A particular focus of his work is on the genetic diversity and sustainability of coffee. He is one of the early and consistent advocates of high-quality Liberica and Excelsa coffees and has championed their re-evaluation as speciality coffees on an international level. Together with partners, he also initiated the International Conservation Collection for Coffee Varieties at Wilhelma in Stuttgart, where numerous rare varieties and species of coffee are now preserved.
Schwarz initiates and supervises research projects, bachelor’s and master’s theses, as well as doctoral research, and collaborates with universities, research institutions and public authorities. In collaboration with various international scientists, he has produced numerous studies and publications on coffee chemistry, food safety, novel foods, by-products, extraction and new analytical methods. Further international collaborations link him, amongst others, with leading experts in coffee genetics, botany and biodiversity, as well as with organisations such as ICO and Crop Trust.
His distinctive role lies not so much in any single discipline as in his ability to identify scientific findings at an early stage, raise new questions and bridge the gaps between research, agriculture, industry and education. As such, Dr Steffen Schwarz acts simultaneously as a researcher, mentor, entrepreneur, consultant and network architect – with the aim of making scientifically sound knowledge practically applicable and actively helping to shape the future of coffee.
DR. Steffen schwarz will be supervising the teachings each day of this programme
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
LOCATION
Onan’s Training Area: Vaartstraat 74, 3000 Leuven
LANGUAGES
ENGLISH
TIME
Each day we welcome you at 8.45 AM and will finish around 4.30 PM.
Please come in time, as we have a tight schedule and we really want to offer you the best experience possible!
DRESSCODE
Dress comfortably and keep in mind coffee stains are possible!
REFRESHMENTS
Of course, we provide delicious coffee, and water. Please bring your own lunch, there is the possibility to heat up your dish.
SPECIAL REQUESTS/QUESTIONS
Please contact us by sending an E-mail to [email protected]
COFFEE CONNOISSEUR
Six days to understand coffee on a deeper level.
- Understand how variety, terroir, processing and roasting shape flavour.
- Develop your ability to taste, recognise and describe coffee with greater confidence.
- Explore professional tasting methods and the science behind aroma perception.
- Learn what happens at farm level and how it influences the final cup.
- Earn to link decisions made at origin, during processing and roasting to what you ultimately taste in the cup.
- Receive a certificate of participation after completing each day.
COMPLETE COURSE NOW AT 30% OFF & EACH DAY AT 20% OFF!
NOTE: Spots are limited.
For special requests, please send an E-mail to [email protected] .
