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Education


Coffee education is a cornerstone of our pursuit of quality and sustainability in the coffee trade. We have found that coffee education, quality, and sustainability are interdependent, and therefore we feel a responsibility to share our discoveries and expertise with the world. Our mission to create cutting-edge coffee people extends beyond our organization and into our relationships with our coffee partners, customers, and communities.

Our Counter Intelligence coffee education program aims to empower everyone in the coffee chain with the skills and knowledge necessary to ensure quality stewardship and sustainability from farm to cup. In addition to individual courses and an intensive Professional Series, Counter Intelligence also offers Counter Culture Coffee Steward and Barista certifications.

Register for a Lab

Please visit our Counter Intelligence Course Schedule for a complete list of upcoming labs. To register, email us or contact us by phone at (919) 361-5282 or toll-free (888) 238-5282.

Our regional training centers – located in Asheville, NC; Atlanta; Charlotte; Durham, NC; New York City; and Washington, DC – serve as classrooms, training labs, and community hubs of knowledge, exploration, and cultural exchange. Our weekly public coffee cuppings, held every Friday at 10 a.m. in our regional training centers, represent a proud educational tradition and offer a fun, educational way to experience and discuss a wide variety of coffees and their infinite array of qualities.

Visit any of these Education topics for more information:

Photo by Counter Culture Coffee.   Photo by Brent Hall for Counter Culture Coffee.
  Coffee Cupping
 
Photo by Counter Culture Coffee.   Photo by Counter Culture Coffee.
 
 
Photo by Meister for Counter Culture Coffee.   Photo by Counter Culture Coffee.
 
 
Photo courtesy of Theodore Richard.   Photo courtesy of Theodore Richard.
 
 
Photo courtesy of Theodore Richard.    
 


WHAT'S NEW

Now open in Raleigh, Sola Coffee specializes in Mini Donuts and coffee. Mmmm, Mini Donuts!
 
Now open: Sola Coffee specializing in mini-doughnuts and coffee.
 
Meet Erik Diffin Erik Diffin from Production in the COFFEE PEOPLE section of our site!
 
Meet Philadelphia's Ultimo Coffee.
 
Follow us on Twitter (@counter_culture) for 140 characters of coffee information.
 
The Independent Weekly (NC) looks at fair trade and Direct Trade in coffee.
 
Spruce Street Espresso was included among the top spots for coffee in the 2011 KRUPS National Cup O' Joe Awards.
 
Counter Culture Coffee People: Meet Joe Welsh, Controller
 
The Independent Weekly (NC) offers an introduction to the current Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) coffee scene, including Café Helios, The Morning Times, Parker & Otis, and more.
 
 
The Philadelphia Inquirer's Craig LaBan surveys the Philly coffee scene one cup at a time, including Ultimo Coffee, Spruce Street Espresso, Lovers & Madmen Coffee Lounge, and Town Hall Coffee Co., among others.
 
Check out our TNT Latte Art Throwdown page for a schedule of upcoming coffee events!
 
 
Lynne Rossetto Kasper interviewed Michaele Weissman, author of "God in a Cup," on The Splendid Table.
 
 
Meet our retail partners Sorella (New York) in our COFFEE PEOPLE section.
 
Philadelphia CityPaper digs into the latte art competition scene.
 
Meet Jeff McArthur from the roasting department in our Coffee People section.
 
Meet Amalia Aguilar in our Production Department in our COFFEE PEOPLE section!
 
Imbibe Magazine taste-tests decaf coffees that taste great! (PDF)
 
Barista Magazine takes note of the Finca Mauritania, Peregrine Espresso, Counter Culture pilot project to fight global climate change (PDF)
 
Meet our retail partners Parker and Otis in Durham, NC, in the COFFEE PEOPLE section of our site!
 
Meet Tommy Gallagher, Technical Services
 
Meet Alex Brown, Customer Relations Representative, Washington, DC
 
Coffee & Conservation notices a striking resemblance to Counter Culture's coffee bags in the mainstream coffee world.
 
It's Counter Culture Coffee's mission to introduce our friends and customers to the joy of seasonal coffee!
 
Meet Aquino Huachez Huachez, a contributing farmer to our Valle del Santuario project.