Post published on 18/04/2024

New Roasting Academy appointments at the IMA Coffee Lab

The new Roasting Academy organized by IMA Coffee is about to start within the spaces of the Coffee Lab, one of the most innovative research and training centers dedicated entirely to coffee and its transformation technologies.

Training, technology, innovation and sustainability are the key words that have led to the creation of the Coffee Lab, the new training and demonstration center dedicated to coffee and its transformation from green bean to final beverage.

After a series of events that in recent months have focused attention on the analysis of green coffee, from the plantation all the way to roasting cleaning systems, and on grinding, through the study of suitable combinations between different grinding technologies and extraction systems, new courses will be focused on the heart of coffee transformation: the roasting process.

The IMA Coffee Roasting Academy will be a real full immersion in the world of coffee roasting.

An experiential journey through the roasting process to discover and manage the key drivers of the coffee beans transformation, from the coffee varietals to how the roasting, blending, grinding and degassing processes influence the aroma and taste of the cup.

It offers all the theoretical and practical notions to become a professional roastmaster, with everything you need to know to gain expertise about green coffee, roasting and sensory skills.

The Roasting Academy will be held at the IMA Coffee Lab at the IMA Petroncini production site and the first training appointment is scheduled for 24 June 2024.

The Roasting Academy will be held at the IMA Coffee Lab, the new pioneering laboratory placed at IMA Petroncini production housing a full operational pilot plant from the green coffee intake to cleaning and storaging, roasting, grinding and degassing, plus several packaging solutions. The entire process is accomplished in an area covering 3000 sqm.

The Roasting Academy is therefore not only focused on the roasting process but offers all the theoretical and practical notions to become a professional roastmaster, with everything you need to know to acquire skills on green coffee, roasting, grinding and sensory skills.

Auditorium and Roasting Area

The Coffee Lab houses an auditorium for courses and conferences, classrooms dedicated to theory and tasting, and analysis rooms fully equipped of laboratory instruments for the qualitative and sensory analysis of coffee. A Roasting Area is entirely dedicated to the Academy, adjacent to the FAT area of the IMA Petroncini production site, where small and large roasters are tested.

Two training appointments for the Roasting Academy in 2024. The first Roasting Camp will start on June 24, a Two-days training camp, Foundation Level. The second appointment will be held in November, 27-29.

Starting from a deeper understanding of green coffee and examining in detail the various aspects related to cultivation, harvesting, processing and selection, participants will be able to create the right coffee blend, before or after roasting, and obtain the result of desired tasting.

During the course, several testing sessions will evaluate the overall skills of coffee roasting and sensory analysis.

Through several roasting sessions, participants will become familiar with ROR prediction and roasting parameters such as airflow, drum speed, burner power. At the end of the course they will be able to clearly define the target of the final product and the roasting method to obtain the ideal result, verifying the roasting quality of the beans in terms of yield, color, uniformity, humidity, friability and aromas, detecting any defect of roasted coffee from visual and tasting points of view. The tasting sessions will be performed using the SCA cupping protocol. The Roasting Academy courses give participants all the training requirements to attend the SCA certification exam, Roasting Skills Module.