Workshop | Brew Better Coffee at Home

A practical 90-minute workshop exploring brewing, tasting and water.

Brew Better Coffee at Home is designed to give you a better understanding of not only how to make great filter coffee, but why coffee tastes the way it does and how you can make meaningful adjustments to improve it.

Spend 90 minutes with James, our Head of Coffee, who brings over 18 years of experience in specialty coffee, working through three connected areas: filter brewing, coffee appreciation and palate development, and basic water chemistry.

The workshop brings together knowledge and experience built over nearly two decades working with coffee but presents it in a practical and approachable way that you can apply to making better coffee.

James hosts workshops every weekend  (excluding long weekends).

Duration: 90 minutes 
Individual bookings: Maximum 2 individual bookings per session 
Private group bookings: 2–6 people
Larger groups: Tailored workshops available for 7+ people 
Minimum numbers: None 
Experience required: None

All coffee and brewing equipment is provided for our standard workshop, along with a practical brewing guide to take home. 

More information on what you'll learn and booking a workshop below.

What you'll learn

  •  1. Brewing Better Filter Coffee 

    Learn the fundamentals of making great filter coffee at home using a range of soft brew methods, including AeroPress, V60, Kalita Wave, Ceado Hoop and plunger.

    We'll also explore:

    • Coffee-to-water ratio 

    • Grind size 

    • Brew time and extraction 

    • Water temperature 

    • Different brewing methods 

    • How to troubleshoot a brew that doesn't taste quite right

    The aim is to give you an approach you can apply to whatever brewing method you use at home.

  •  2. Coffee Appreciation & Palate Development 

    Great brewing starts with understanding what you're tasting.

    We'll taste different coffees and roast styles and explore how to identify some of the characteristics we use when talking about coffee.

    We'll look at sweetness, acidity, bitterness, body and flavour, and how these influence the way we perceive a cup.You don't need any previous tasting experience. 

    The goal is to help you become more confident in recognising what you enjoy and using your palate to make better brewing decisions.

  •  3. Understanding Water 

    Water makes up the vast majority of a cup of filter coffee, so we'll also explore some basic water chemistry and why it matters.

    We'll look at how the mineral content of water can affect extraction and the way we perceive flavour, along with the role water temperature plays during brewing.

    This is a practical introduction to understanding why the water you use can change your coffee and what you can do about it at home.
  • Workshop | Brew Better Coffee at Home - Coffee Embassy
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If you're booking for yourself, you can book through this form. $300 per person, per class. 50% non-refundable deposit to be paid online upon booking, with the remaining amount paid in cash on arrival. 

 If you are booking for multiple people, please read more details below, and email James to arrange booking and payment. james@coffeeembassy.co.nz 

View full details

 Booking Information 

Individual Bookings

There are no minimum numbers required for the workshop to run. 

Individual places are $300 per person, with a maximum of two individual bookings per session. 

If you're the only person booked, you'll receive a one-on-one workshop. 

If another individual books the same session, there will still only be two participants, keeping the experience small and personal.

Use the booking form above to book a class as an individual. A 50% deposit of $150 is paid online when booking. The remaining balance of $150 is payable on the day, please bring cash.

Read on if you'd like to book more than one person at a time.

Groups + Private Bookings (2-6 people)

If you'd like to attend with a partner, friend, family or group, you can book the workshop privately and take advantage of our group pricing.
1 individual — $300
2 people booking together — $500 total
3 people — $650 total
4 people — $750 total
5 people — $850 total
6 people — $900 total

Private group bookings won't be combined with individual bookings. Email us to arrange a booking of 2 - 6 people.

Larger Groups & Team Events

For groups of more than six people, we can create a more refined workshop tailored specifically to the size of the group and the type of experience you're looking for.

This can work particularly well for workplace events, team building, social groups or private functions where the full hands-on Brew Better Coffee workshop may not be practical for everyone at the same time.

For example, a team of 15 could take part in a relaxed Coffee Appreciation & Tasting Workshop, exploring different coffees, origins and roast styles while learning how to taste coffee and identify sweetness, acidity, bitterness, body and flavour.

Larger workshops can be adapted to be more tasting-focused, educational, interactive or simply a fun introduction to specialty coffee.

Content, duration and pricing can be tailored to the group.

Enquire with us about larger group and team bookings.

Booking + payments

$300 per person | 90 minute workshop

  • A 50% deposit of $150 is paid online when booking.
  • The remaining balance of $150 is payable on the day, please bring cash.
  • Sessions are for 1–6 people.
  • If you'd like to book for 2 or more people at once, email James to arrange discounted pricing.
  • We can accommodate groups of more than 6 people with a customised workshop. To enquire, email James at james@coffeeembassy.co.nz

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