Intentional Blending: Designing Flavor with Purpose ($)
(Room 31C)
12 Apr 26
9:00 AM
-
12:00 PM
Blending is both an art and a science, and intentional design is key to achieving flavor, balance, and consistency. This workshop teaches roasters how to craft blends with clear sensory goals using component tasting, roast-level experimentation, and iterative cupping feedback. Participants explore how origin, variety, and roast interact to influence sweetness, acidity, body, and clarity. Emphasis is placed on co-discovery, allowing participants to hypothesize, test, and refine blends collaboratively. The workshop also incorporates storytelling, helping participants translate blend design into concise narratives for café teams and consumers. Attendees leave with repeatable frameworks, tasting skills, and practical storytelling tools to create blends that are purposeful, repeatable, and memorable.
Learning Objectives:
1. Evaluate individual component coffees for sensory contribution.
2. Adjust roast levels to optimize blend balance, body, and flavor clarity.
3. Co-create blends collaboratively using iterative, sensory-driven experimentation.
4. Use cupping and sensory feedback to refine blend outcomes.
5. Craft concise, engaging narratives explaining blend intention, flavor goals, and origin context.
6. Apply repeatable frameworks for signature, seasonal, or menu-specific blends.