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Barista Training Courses

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Why Train With Allied Drinks

Suitable for everyone

Catered To The Individual

Learning Material Provided

Discount On Shop Items

Located in Eastbourne, our Barista Training Centre delivers expert training for both coffee enthusiasts and professionals. Whether you visit us at our Eastbourne showroom or opt for on-site training at your location in the South East, we offer a wide range of courses tailored to all skill levels. From comprehensive full courses to advanced sessions in latte art or coffee calibration, we provide the knowledge and practical experience necessary to excel in the coffee industry. Led by our head of coffee, Dom, we're dedicated to helping you master your craft, whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your skills.

Showroom Training

Professional courses ranging from Foundation and Advanced, to Latte Art skills

Join us at our showroom and training centre to use our top-of-the-range coffee equipment to its fullest

Suitable for anyone, up to 4 people

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Onsite Training

Exactly as it sounds. We come to you!

Get training on the bar you will be using. Whether it’s for your customers or for your home set-up, we’ll ensure you get the best results for the future.

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Coffee Essentials

Barista Shop

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Testimonials

Nice training.

Solly March Footie Boy

I am the trainer. I am the creator. Watch what I do. Follow what I do. Be like me.

Dom Bodle Head of Coffee

Nice training.

Solly March Footie Boy

FAQs

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Buying a coffee machine is a big decision and you should always buy depending on your needs: For personal, professional and commercial.

For personal home baristas – A single group machine with a small boiler will do just fine. A lot of home espresso machines and are not only inexpensive but don’t take long to heat up and still provide a good quality espresso. Some have temperature controls and good quality steam wands for great barista style drinks.
As only a small quantity of drinks are being made at on time, a manual coffee machine will do just fine and allow for total control over each shot whilst keeping costs at a minimum.

For businesses – Whether you are a small café or a fast pace coffee shop, buying a coffee machine that can handle the busiest periods during service and will last for a long duration is important. Consider how much space you have on your bar, how many group heads you need to make multiple drinks at the same time and how many features included to help the workflow of the barista.
To help with workflow and service speeds, automatically programmed machines can be very efficient and reduce human error when making larger amounts of drinks.

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A good coffee grinder is as important as a good coffee machine. Buying a coffee grinder should be based on the amount of coffee needed to be ground and the type of grind you are in need of. Some grinders are more suited for filter coffees (coarse grind) and others for espresso (fine grind). Many home use and commercial grinders alike can both provide great consistency when grinding for any type of coffee brewing but vary in consistency and the speed of which they grind.


We recommend buying a coffee grinder based on the quality of coffee desired and the amount you need to grind on a daily basis. The general rule is to spend as much as you can afford as it affects the flavour of the final brewed coffee greatly.

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A full coffee set up can greatly vary in price, so it’s hard to put an exact number on the final cost. It is important to consider the small extras involved when buying a coffee machine and grinder.


Home-use coffee machines sometimes have a built in grinder and supply coffee accessories as a part of a package. These are relatively cheap and can produce great coffees if you know how to use them and take good care of them. Home machines can range from £500 to £1,500.


Semi-professional or “Prosumer” coffee machines can produce high quality barista style drinks without the need for a large amount of space and a large price point. Not only do they provide good quality but are more durable, can offer more options to adjust settings and can be used for some professional services.
Semi-professional machines can be anywhere from £500 to £3,000. You will need to buy a coffee grinder alongside however in most cases.


Professional/commercial machines are definitely more expensive but can offer a huge variety of benefits based on the buyers needs. For many business, larger coffee machines would require a good filtered water system, a professional coffee grinder and a plethora of coffee accessories to help improve workflow. Some coffee set ups can be up to multiple thousands of pounds but can also provide a good return is used well.

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There are many pieces of equipment needed to make the perfect espresso based drink. Here are the essentials needed:

 

  • Coffee machine – The heart of the coffee making process

 

  • Coffee grinder – Although you can buy pre-ground coffee, we always recommend having a way to grind your own fresh coffee

 

  • Portafilter handle/basket – Usually included when you buy a coffee machine, a good quality portafilter and basket will ensure consistent results

 

  • Tamper – A way to compress your coffee grounds before you pull a shot of espresso. Make sure that your coffee tamper correctly fits your portafilter basket

 

  • Water filtration – Good quality water is extremely important for the quality of drinks and the longevity of your coffee machine. There are different ways to get good water, so it’s good to find the right way for you

 

  • Cleaning essentials – From cleaning tablets/powder, to cleaning cloths and brushes, making sure that you are taking good care of your equipment will benefit you in many ways in the future. A clean machine is a happy machine
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The more features and capabilities coffee machines and coffee grinders have, the more expensive they generally are. This usually means that for better it does cost more, as long as it’s understood as to why it cost more. Depending on your needs, you don’t have to spend more on equipment that you won’t use to its full potential.

 

We would say spend what you can afford and get the most out of what your coffee needs are. Coffee machines last for many years so in the long term we recommended to get something that you will be happy with for a long time.

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Buying the right coffee for you that you enjoy the flavour of is most important. There are many to choose from with a large variety of roasts and flavours. It’s best to try small amounts of each first to help hone in your flavour preferences. Once you are confident with making good quality coffees every time, you can experiment with different flavours and brewing methods.

 

For professional/commercial use, we recommend using a strong and bold flavoured coffee that can be paired with the whole barista drinks range.

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Pre-ground coffee can be bought from many places, even supermarkets. If you don’t have a coffee grinder at home then there is nothing wrong with buying pre-ground coffee however it does affect the quality of the final product. Not only will the coffee go stale a lot quicker, but if the coffee it produces isn’t good quality then you cannot adjust the size of the grind to suit your needs.

 

We recommend that you buy and use whole beans for all brewing methods and then grind only enough for what you need each time. For commercial use, most grinders will have a hopper to store the whole beans so that coffee can be ground fresh every time you need a shot pulled.

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There are many places you can buy coffee, from single packets for home use or in bulk for your busy coffee shop. Prices do vary due to many reasons; quality included.
We recommend that you buy from well sourced coffee purchased at fairtrade prices from rosters that have good traceability to the farms that the coffee beans are grown on.

 

We recommended spending what you can afford until you are happy with the quality of coffee drink that are being made. A good relationship with your coffee supplier is important as you know exactly who you are buying off of and can request help and advice with how to get the most out of the coffee you are brewing, drinking and selling.

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Home use espresso machines can be very cheap to run. As most home coffee machines have smaller boilers, it takes very little time for the water to heat up to the right temperature. This means that you can turn on and off your coffee machine for every time you need to use it.
Extras such as: Water, milk, coffee beans and flavourings won’t get used as much so they would be a relatively low cost every so often to top up.

 

Commercial machines do cost a lot more to run so it is very important to look after them to get the most out of your spending. Most machines take a while to turn on and heat up ready for service so many stay on overnight or at least on standby. This running costs however can be made each day by selling just a few cups of coffee.
Other costs include: Coffee supply, milk supply, running of fridges/freezers, wastage and general maintenance costs.

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After building your coffee set up, it is essential that you are confident in your ability to use it to its full potential. Proper usage of your coffee machine will not only improve the quality of coffee you make but also will help unlock your passion for making coffee and improve your customer satisfaction.


With the skills and knowledge to run your coffee machine, your morning coffees will greatly improve, your customers will have a better overall experience and your coffee sales will improve benefitting your business.