illy brews training programmes

Narang Group, together with ITC Hotels, organised WelcomBarista - a two-day training session on brewing techniques for that perfect cup of coffee. By Sayoni Bhaduri

illy made its presence felt in India about eight years ago when it was managed and distributed by Fresh & Honest Coffee. Today, it is being promoted by the Narang Group and as part of its branding and marketing strategy, the group collaborated with ITC hotels to organise a training programme - WelcomBarista at ITC Hotel, The Maratha, Mumbai. Participants of the workshop were from various WelcomGroup hotels from cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Vadodara, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Agra, Jaipur and Hyderabad.

Maurizio Crotta, coffee technician and professor at Università del Caffè of Trieste, together with Enrico Wurm, field specialist for quality assurance of Le Marzocco, came down specially to train coffee makers or baristas from various ITC hotels. The aim was to teach authentic and technically correct brewing and presenting of espresso.

Says Sachin Sonavane, illy manager at Narang Group, "Espresso is one of the most popular beverages today and an establishment ends up selling it a number of times in a day - nearly 600 to 700 cups a day. This requires a high level of consistency and skill." Explaining why the group planned a training programme, Sonavane says, "We need to raise the bar for quality and create consistency in luxury." Adding to this, Atul Bhalla, EAM (F&B) at ITC Hotel, The Maratha, said, "Coffee induces malt-like passion and people can be as selective about coffee as malt, which is why it is important to know how to brew a perfect cup of coffee, time and again."

The two-day training programme started with an opening ceremony where Chef Gev Desai and S C Sekhar addressed the workshop. Bhalla gave an overview of the workshop's aim - to be able to create a consistent cup of coffee each and every time.

The first session began with Crotta discussing the details of various industrial processes involved in the making of coffee. From the coffee plant, picking of the beans, its treatment to the differentiation between Arabica and Robusta beans to the meaning of espresso, its features as well as physical and chemical properties and its impact on sensory organs, all was explained to the participants of the workshop. The participants also learnt how to brew espresso with correct water pressure and extraction, at the same time understanding the various features of espresso.

Day two began with Chef Madhu Krishnan demonstrating and discussing how coffee is not just limited to beverage but also food, giving a distinct and a unique taste of its own. Next was the theory on coffee grinders and coffee machines, understanding machine parts and functions and how some machines are different from the others. Getting a bit more technical, the participants learnt how to understand and decipher the electrical pump, manometer pressostat and the double boiler system.

Just learning how to make coffee is not enough, the participants also had to learn how to maintain and manage the equipment they would be working on, how to handle the coffee grinder, the filter system, the blades and manual tamping. The day ended with the participants training on grinders and espresso machines.

According to Bhalla, the participants seemed overwhelmed. "Its as if a bug has bitten them. It is a challenge for them and it is a test to be able to create a consistent cup of coffee." The participants' knowledge was tested with a WelcomBarista competition where they made a cup of espresso and cappuccino. The final product was judged by Wurm, Bhalla, Crotto and Sonavane. The highest scorers received a certification from Università del Caffè. Ajay Kumar Singh of ITC Hotel Grand Central, took the first place, Jitendra Singh Taak of ITC Hotel Mughal, Agra bagged the second prize and the third position went to Ajay Prasad of ITC Hotel, The Maratha, Mumbai.