Welcome, Future Coffee Master
You were chosen because of your willingness and desire to share the essence of coffee – Facts and
stories with others.
To Inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time.
Your Role:
Be a guardian and champion of coffee quality.
Understand and share the Starbucks difference.
Positively impact your team, your customers and the business.
History:
AD 800-900 with an Ethiopian goat herder, Kaldi, who noticed his goats became energetic after eating
berries of a certain shrub. Curious, he tried one himself and noticed it had a similar effect.
A monk who came across Kaldi and his dancing goats grew and picked some berries from the same
shrub. He crushed them into powder and added boiling water (this may have been the first-ever cup of
coffee).
Starbucks became part of coffee’s rich history in 1971, opening its first store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market.
Q1) When did the New York coffee exchange opens?
A) 1882, it was called the CSCE (Coffee, Sugar and Cocoa Exchange)
Q2) When did Decaffeination process discovered?
A) In 1903, Acco.to Ludwig Roselius and Karl Wimmer, German coffee importers accidentally figured it, one
of the shipments was soaked in seawater. While the taste of the brewed coffee was still good, but the
beans had lost most of their caffeine.
Q3) Who and when did the First Coffee Filter discovered?
A3) In 1908, Melitta Bentz, she found her son’s school blotting paper was the right tool to have a cup of
coffee without the bitterness.
Q4) Who is the Father of Espresso?
A4) Dr. Ernesto Illy and believed the perfect shot of coffee must “paint the tongue”. First one to develop
automatic Espresso machine.
Q5) The word “Cappuccino”?
A5) Means “little hood”, the coffee’s brown colour and pointy cap of foam placed atop the drink reminded
Italians of the Capuchins, the brown robed hooded order of monks.
Q6) When did the first roasting plant opens?
A6) In 1973, the first Seattle Roasting Plant opens.
Q7) Important dates and subject:
A7)
1984
1983
1990
1993
1995
1998
2000
2000
2004
2004
2007
2008
2009
2012
2013
2014
2015
The First Starbucks Caffe Latte served
Howard Schultz visits Italy and is inspired by the country’s Espresso Bars
Starbucks support center expands and builds new Roasting plant
Second Roasting Plant opens in Kent, WA
Starbucks roasting plant opens in York, PA
Starbucks partners with Conversation International
Starbucks launches commitment to origins
Special Reserve Coffee program launches
First Farmer Support center opens in San Jose, Costa Rica
Coffee Master program Launches
Farmer support center opens in Rwanda
Starbucks Launches shared Planet program
Starbucks becomes the Worlds largest buyer of fair-trade certified coffee
Starbucks introduces Blonde Roast
Starbucks purchases first coffee farm – Hacienda Alsacia
Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting room opens
Starbucks reached 99% Ethically sourced coffee
Q8) What do you understand by Altitude and Microclimate?
A8) We only purchase Arabica coffees that grow at higher elevations, which have microclimatetemperature, sunlight, rainfall.
The coffee cherry grows at a slower rate in high altitudes with warm temperature during day and
cooler temperatures at night. This in turn produces beans with complex flavour profile.
Q9) What is High Elevation?
A9) High quality coffee thrives at the highest elevation’s coffee trees can grow, anywhere from 3000-6000
feet.
Q10) What is Low Elevation?
A10) Lower Quality coffee that is less dense grows at lower altitude. Production may be increased, but
coffee does not develop flavourful profiles.
Q11) What do you understand by Terroir?
A11) It’s a French term, literally meaning “earth”, and is used to describe the environmental factors which
will state the taste profile of coffee
Q12) What are the difference between Arabica and Robusta?
A12)
ARABICA
ROBUSTA
60 percent of world’s production
Grows at high altitudes (lower temperatures)
Lower Yield
More flavour
Approx. 1% caffeine by weight
Less resistant to diseases, pests, drought
Higher price point
40 percent of world’s production
Grows at lower altitudes (higher temperatures)
Higher Yield
Less flavour
Approx. 2% caffeine by weight
More resistant to diseases
Lower price point
Q13) What are the different types of Arabica Tree?
A13) Bourbon, Typica, Caturra and Catuai.
Q14) How long does a Coffee Trees Yield?
A14) Coffee trees can live up to 100 years, but the productive fruit bearing life span ranges up to 20-25
years.
Q15) Who are the enemies of Coffee?
A15) Disease, Coffee pest, Climate change
Q16) How many coffee cherries is One shot of Espresso?
A16) 25cherries = 1 shot of espresso.
Q17) Describe the Anatomy of a Bean.
A17)
Q18) What are the different types of processing methods?
A18) Washed Processing, Semi-washed processing, Natural (Dry) processing
Q19) What are the steps of processing methods?
A19)
Washed Processing
Semi-Washed Processing
Natural / Dry processing
Receiving
De-Pulping
Fermentation
De-Mucilaging
Drying
Resting
Hulling
De-pulping
Rinsing
Partial Drying
Receiving
Continued Drying
Hulling
Final Drying
Receiving
Drying
Hulling
Final Drying
Q20) What is Coffee Belt?
A20) The coffee trees grow in the Equatorial band between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricon.
Q21) What are the coffee growing regions?
A21) Latin America, Africa, Asia/Pacific
Q22) How are normally Coffee Farms measured?
A22) Farms are most measured in Hectares (one hectare = 2.5acres)
Q23) What do you understand by C.A.F.E practices?
A23) Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E) is a sustainability verification program administered by a third
party, CAFÉ practices are our set of buying guidelines that promotes the production of socially and
environmentally responsible coffee.
Q24) What do you understand by Agronomy and Agronomist?
A24) Agronomy refers to the science of soil management and crop production.
Agronomist are the experts in coffee agriculture and processing.
Q25) What is Farmer Support Centers role?
A25) FSC provide on-the-farm support to the farmers around the world through a team of agronomist and
quality experts. They work with farmers to develop more responsible methods to grow better coffee.
Q26) What are the steps in Ensuring Quality?
A26) Each coffee is tasted 15 times before reaching you, the below stated are the steps:
TASTE
PURCHASE
TASTE
SHIP
TASTE
Offer sample of three cups of coffee tasted by SCTC quality experts
Contract negotiated by traders, which includes amount and price
Preshipment sample of six cups of coffee tasted by SCTC
Green coffee makes its way to one of our roasting plants, decaf facility, green coffee
warehouse or aging warehouse
Arrival sample of six cups is tasted by Global Coffee Quality Team.
Q27) What are the different process of Decaffeinating Coffee?
A27) Direct Contact method, Swiss Water Process method, Natural Decaffeination process
Q28) What is Direct Contact Method?
A28) The most common decaffeinating method, direct contact, uses a solvent called methylene chloride.
Methylene chloride is highly selective in removing caffeine, so a greater amount of the coffee’s inherent flavor
and quality is maintained during the process. Green coffee is steamed to open pores. Beans are rinsed in
solvent, and then caffeine-laden solvent is rinsed away. Beans are steamed again to remove any remaining
traces of the solvent. During roasting, the coffee’s temperature reaches more than 400°F (205°C). By the
end of roasting, there’s no detectable methylene chloride left in the beans.
Q29) What is Swiss Water process method?
A29) The SWISS WATER® Process method removes caffeine from green beans by soaking them in warm
water to create “flavor-charged water,” and then running that water through an activated charcoal filter that
captures the caffeine molecules. No solvents are applied directly to the coffee bean, but the carbon filter
essentially filters out the caffeine. Then the coffee beans are soaked in the “flavor charged water” to
reintroduce the flavors to the coffee.
Q30) What is Natural Decaffeination Process?
A30) This process starts with water-soaked green coffee sealed in a stainless-steel tank. Liquid CO2 is
forced into the coffee in the tank at a very high pressure that acts as the solvent to dissolve and draw out
caffeine, leaving larger flav
or molecules behind.
Q31) What do you understand by Aged coffee?
A31) The term “aged coffee” refers to green coffee that has been stored in a warehouse for three to five
years in order to further develop its flavor. Aging high-quality Indonesian beans results in a range of flavors
like spice, peat moss and toasted marshmallow. Some coffees we buy from Indonesia are shipped to our
designated coffee aging warehouse in Singapore instead of a roasting plant. Singapore has similar tropical
and subtropical climate conditions as the origin countries where this coffee is grown, and its consistent high
humidity provides a stable environment for effective aging.
Q32) What are the Roast / Coffee Spectrums in Starbucks?
A32) Blonde Roast, Medium Roast, Dark Roast
Q33) What are the Roasting Process steps?
A33)
1 Green Coffee Loading
2 Batching
3 Roasting
4 Color Analyzing
5 Storage
6 Post-Roast Blending and Packaging
Q34) Where all do we have Starbucks Roasting Plants?
A34)
Kent, Washington, USA
York, Pennsylvania, USA
Carson Valley, Nevada, USA
Sandy Run, North Carolina,USA
Augusta, Georgia, USA
Seattle, Washington, USA
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Shangai, China
New York, NY, USA
Q35) What do you understand about Pre-Roast Blends?
A35) These recipes call for blending green coffee and roasting it all together in order to focus on a single
flavor and roast expression. Washed coffees roast very well together. Some pre-roast blends are Breakfast
Blend, House Blend, Espresso Roast and Komodo Dragon Blend®
Q36) What do you understand about Post – Roast Blends?
A36) These blends could feature multiple roast expressions in the final coffee. We post-roast blends when
one single Starbucks® Roast curve will not bring out the flavors of each component. But we found that we
had to sacrifice one critical element of each in order to achieve another. When we tried to highlight the
acidity and complexity of the Latin American coffees, the body and depth of the Asia / Pacific coffees did
not fully develop. Conversely, when we brought out all the depth, spice and body of the Asia / Pacific
coffees, we found that the roast spectrum would eliminate the acidic character we were trying to achieve
with the other coffees. Some post-roast blends are Caffè Verona®, Gold Coast Blend® and Christmas
Blend.
Q37) What is Our Barista Promise?
A37) Love your beverage or let us know.
We’ll always make it right.
Q38) What are the four fundamentals of Brewing?
A38) Water, Proportion, Grind, Freshness
Q39) What are the different types of Brewing method in Starbucks?
A39)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Coffee press/ French press
Clover Brewer
Pour – Over
Drip Brewer
Chemex
Siphon Brewer
Espresso Machine
Q40) What are three variables controlled by brewing equipment?
A40) Water Contact time, Water Temperature, Turbulence
Q41) What are the two variables controlled by barista?
A41) Proportion and Grind
Q42) Who are the three founders of Starbucks?
A42) Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker, Zev Siegel.
Q43) What are the three coffee quality teams?
A43) Farmer Support Centers (FSC),
Starbucks Coffee Trading Company (SCTC),
Global Coffee Quality (GCQ).
Q)44) How are the quality sorting happening?
A44) After coffee is processed—regardless of the processing method used—all green coffee is sorted by color
and density, either by hand or by machine to ensure quality. All coffee is sorted according to a shared
principle: density means quality. Beans that don’t meet a certain weight are discarded as defective—typically
meaning they’re broken, hollow, over-dried, too small or too big. Beans are also closely evaluated for size,
color flaws and other imperfections.
Q45) What are the coffee growing regions in Latin America?
A45)
1. Guatemala
2. Costa Rica
3. Colombia
4. Brazil
Q46) What are the coffee growing regions in Africa?
A46)
1. Ethiopia
2. Kenya
3. Rwanda
Q47) What are the coffee growing regions in Asia/Pacific?
A47)
1. Indonesia
Q48) What is Pea berries?
A48) In about 5-10 percent of cherries, only one bean develops in the center. This type of coffee bean is
called a “peaberry”.
Q49) Give a brief explanation about Starbucks Coffee Trading Company?
A49) Starbucks Coffee Trading Company (SCTC) is in Lausanne, Switzerland, the site of the first
coffeehouse in continental Europe. SCTC is responsible for the global purchasing of green coffee beans
for Starbucks based on forecast numbers provided by the Global Coffee Quality team. SCTC uses the
following three guidelines:
1. Purchasing transparently.
By purchasing coffee at prices based on quality and sustainable performance, Starbucks offers sellers
reliability and price stability.
2. Direct cooperation with coffee farmers.
This enables us to have closer relationships based on trust and respect, allowing us to grow our businesses
together. Purchasing with transparency from farms or through local third-party facilitators may increase
farmers’ profit margins.
3. Advantages of long-term contracts.
Economic climates stress the importance of farmers knowing they have reliable buyers for future harvests.
By signing long-term contracts, Starbucks helps ensure a steady supply of coffee at prices that are stable
for both the producer and the buyer. In addition to buying coffee, Starbucks travels to origin countries to
continue to learn about coffee and strengthen relationships with coffee growers and suppliers. These
relationships are essential to continued success. They solidify our role as a champion of quality and progress
during every step of the coffee business.
Q50) What do you understand by “the last ten feet are in our hands” written on our Aprons.?
A50) A Bag of Coffee, think of its journey. The coffee spent 9months growing in the sunshine on a family
farm that supports 28 people it was processed by many hands at a community mill a farmer spent 56 hours
packing it so that it would dry evenly. It was roasted by a team member with 18 years of experience. The
batch has been tasted and tested 3 times. It travels 4635 miles to get to our store. 34 pair of hands have
taken care of the coffee until it reaches you. So its our responsibility to maintain the standard and deliver
Starbucks experience for our customers.