The aroma of coffee leads my way as I make my way up the stairs to The Brew School (TBS) at Kadavanthra junction. Situated on the second floor of Daffodils, a building on KP Vallon Road, it looks more like a chemistry laboratory than what one expects ‘barista school’ to be. The ‘classroom’ has all kinds of equipment required to make coffee – V60 drippers, all manner of kettles, French presses, coffee grinders, drip scale and coffee cups of varying sizes.
A dozen-odd students listen intently as an instructor shows them the right way to make a cappuccino: the ratio of coffee powder and water, the quantity — all of which goes into the making of that perfect cup of coffee. The ‘school’ is compact yet spacious — there is a practical classroom for baristas, another for students of mixology, and one for theory classes. What sets The Brew School apart is that this is the only such training institute for baristas in Kerala.
Lessons transition from theory to practical lessons about coffee, starting from its history to brewing various types of coffee.
Co-founders Manoj KP and Vipin Sarin, with their years of experience in the hospitality industry as employees and consultants, put their heads together to set up TBS in June 2024. Combined, they bring in the experience of having worked at brands such as KFC, Burger King, McDonalds and Pandhal Cake shop and cafe. The school is affiliated with the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), a global coffee trade association based in the US.
As part of their job as consultants in the hospitality industry, Vipin and Manoj realised the need for trained baristas especially due to the growing consumption of coffee, burgeoning coffee shops and the resultant demand for staff who understand the beverage.
Coffee being made at The Brew School
| Photo Credit:
R_K_Nithin
“First off, there are few standardised learning platforms and, most are three-four day workshops, which are seldom comprehensive because of the duration. There is only this much you can learn over three days about making coffee,” says Vipin, a trained barista (SCA-certified) and sommelier. He is the training manager of TBS while Manoj is the principal. Few baristas are trained, they usually pick up skills on the job rather than understand the alchemy of coffee.
“There is a lot more to coffee than getting the guest what they ask for. Of course, that is a barista’s job but if you know more you can take the experience one step further. A smart barista can also educate the guest about coffee and, if need be, even personalise that cup of coffee. But for that they have to know how coffee works. A barista who learnt on the job would know the textbook mocha, cappuccino, latte… but a trained one would be able to tweak it to suit the guest,” Vipin says.
More than 80 students have ‘graduated’ and are employed as baristas in India and overseas. “We want to make coffee education affordable and accessible, which is why we set up TBS. Of the three-month course, one month is spent on teaching and the remaining time is spent interning because there is only this much you can ‘learn’. The rest of it comes from practice,” adds Manoj. The fee for the course is around ₹47,000 plus taxes, “the rates of the three or four day workshop work out very close to this figure,” adds Vipin. The medium of instruction in Malayalam so that it is accessible to anybody who is interested. “Usually when it comes to courses like this, language becomes a barrier,” he says.
There are two batches daily — morning and evening. Apart from Vipin, there are three other trainers.
The students of The Brew School
| Photo Credit:
RK Nithin
The school goes through 60 kilograms of coffee beans on a monthly basis, and several litres of milk daily. “We use real milk because only then do the students understand how milk behaves. There are places in other parts of the country where they use detergent for training because it is, understandably, more economic. We don’t cut corners when it comes to training and it is all hands on,” informs Vipin.
Students come to The Brew School from across Kerala, and from a variety of professions from lawyers and bankers to restaurant owners. TBS also offers a six-month mixology course.
Roshnan MV, a barista at one of the Third Wave Coffee outlets in Bengaluru, quit law school to become a barista. Her decision was provoked by a reel she saw on Instagram about TBS. She was pursuing her masters in International Law in London at the time.
“I had been gradually losing interest and enthusiasm for law. I was on the lookout for something else, that is when The Brew School popped up on my feed. Here I discovered the life of coffee – the various kinds of beans, flavours and types – it is so much more interesting,” says Roshnan, who hails from Kozhikode. As much as she loves to see a ‘guest’ enjoy coffee brewed by her, she also likes the connection it helps form with people.
TBS interviews prospective barista-wannabes before admission. “We just want to know if they are serious about pursuing it rather than just indulge in it as a hobby or out of curiosity. We pick students who are genuine in their interest and see it as an opportunity to make a livelihood of it,” says Manoj. TBS has had a couple of cafe owners take lessons in order to understand their product better and to be independent.
Vipin adds, “We have a large number of students who are looking to move abroad for higher studies. This course is perfect for them. Baristas are not easy to come by, it is well-paying especially from a student’s perspective for someone looking for a part time job.”
Published – February 07, 2025 11:09 am IST
