About this experience
Held on the café’s bar after closing, this class is all hands-on time with a commercial espresso machine. Elena starts with espresso: dose, grind, yield and time, and how to taste the difference between a shot that ran too fast and one that ran too slow.
Then comes milk. You learn to stretch and texture milk until it pours like paint, and you practice pouring hearts, tulips and rosettas until one looks right. Each guest gets their own station time and pours dozens of cups.
Your day
- 5:30 PM
Espresso basics
Dose, grind and extraction time, with side-by-side tastings of good and bad shots.
45 min
- 6:15 PM
Dial it in
Adjust the grinder yourself until your shots hit the recipe.
30 min
- 6:45 PM
Milk steaming
Stretch and texture whole and oat milk to the right temperature and feel.
30 min
- 7:15 PM
Latte art practice
Pour hearts, then tulips and rosettas, with Elena correcting your pitcher angle.
1 hr
- 8:15 PM
Home setup Q&A
What to look for in a home machine and grinder, and how to keep practicing.
What’s included
- All coffee and milk
- Milk pitcher to take home
- A bag of house espresso
- Printed espresso recipe card
Good to know
- Steam wands and hot water are hot; Elena covers safe handling before you start.
- Closed-toe shoes recommended behind the bar. Non-dairy milk available.
- Suitable for ages 14+; you will drink a lot of coffee, and decaf is available.
Your curator
Elena Ruiz16 years in specialty coffee, 7 as an ownerElena Ruiz worked as a barista and green coffee buyer for a decade before opening her own café with a small roaster in the back. She now runs two locations and buys directly from three farms in Colombia and Guatemala. She still works the bar every Saturday.
View Elena’s profile
