Barista Course Zurich – your espresso ritual in the Oerlikon showroom

Barista Course Zurich – your espresso ritual in the Oerlikon showroom

The grinder whirs, the aroma rises, a hand gently guides yours to the warm portafilter – this is how your barista course in Zurich begins.

Even before the first espresso runs into the cup, something happens in your mind: dopamine is released in anticipation, not just at the first sip.

This exact feeling carries the barista course in the Zurich Oerlikon showroom – not a lecture with slides, but a shared afternoon on professional equipment, right up close to the machine.

Your hands learn first. How much coffee goes into the portafilter, how it's distributed, how the tamper feels when the pressure is even. And then, while the first espresso extracts, the only question that really matters: do you like the way it tastes?

What happens in the barista course in Zurich

At the center is extraction – not as a formula, but as something you feel for yourself. Instead of watching the seconds, we work by weight ratio: a double espresso from 18 grams of coffee yields around 36 grams in the cup, the standard 1:2 ratio. Time is always only a consequence, never the goal.

Bean, humidity, and you yourself are not the same today as yesterday – every shot is unique, and that's not a limitation, that's what makes it beautiful.

Alongside that come latte art, sensory tasting, and a look at filter coffee as the counterpart to espresso. Why a coffee tastes like caramel and chocolate instead of nothing has a lot to do with your nose: a large part of what we experience as aroma only happens during swallowing, when aroma compounds rise through the throat to the olfactory mucosa.

Over 800 compounds are packed into a single cup of coffee – more than in a glass of wine. In the course, you get a feel for which of them you're tasting in that moment, and why temperature and pressure determine which ones dissolve in the first place.

How you read extraction, how you understand temperature and pressure as tools rather than numbers on a display, what role the grinder plays in all of it – that's our view of espresso, one of many. There are no espresso laws and no espresso police, only the question of whether it tastes good to you.

At a glance

Feature	Details
Format	Private, 1:1 or 1:2
Language	German or English
Location	Zurich Oerlikon Showroom, Hagenholzstrasse 50b
Content	Extraction, latte art, sensory tasting, filter coffee
Equipment	Professional showroom equipment
Price	CHF 459.95
Introductory course with machine purchase	Included, around 60 minutes

Who the barista course in Zurich is for

The course is open to anyone who wants to know more about their espresso – whether your own machine is already at home or doesn't exist yet, whether you've been making coffee for years or only just started.

Nobody has to understand extraction to enjoy coffee. But anyone who wants to understand it, who's looking for that feeling when an espresso suddenly makes sense, is making a decision that belongs entirely to them – and that's exactly what we respect, just as we respect every decision that comes from desire rather than necessity.

The barista course takes place privately, for one or two people, in German or English, directly on the professional equipment of our showroom in Zurich Oerlikon. If you'd rather learn at home on your own machine, we'll come to you as well.

And for anyone who wants to bring the whole team: it's just as possible as a corporate workshop and as a coffee tasting for up to eighteen people – one of several barista courses we offer as a Swiss coffee roastery in Zurich and Bern.

You'll find all the details on scheduling and the booking itself on our Zurich Oerlikon Showroom page.

Which equipment carries your ritual afterward

After the course, the same question usually comes up: which grinder fits what you just learned? For anyone who wants a grinder that's affordable and precise, the Varia VS3 from our Varia Collection is an obvious next step – zero retention, single dose, built for everyday use.

Anyone who wants more – more presence on the counter, more control over every variable – will find that in the Weber Workshops EG-1 from our Weber Workshops Collection.

The same principle applies to the scale: for anyone who wants precise weight without any frills, a scale from our Normcore Collection is entirely enough. Anyone who wants more – real-time flow rate, app connectivity, a scale that's a small statement in itself – will find it with Acaia from our Acaia Collection.

You make this same choice with the tamper too: Normcore for uncomplicated everyday use, Weber Workshops for anyone who wants to feel what's in their hand even while tamping.

And if you realize after the course that your own machine is the next step: our coffee machine advisory tool helps without any guesswork, and in our Coffee Machines Collection you'll find the whole spectrum from single-boiler to dual-boiler.

Our opinion on this is always just one of many – in the end, all that matters is what tastes good to you and what feels right for you.

Frequently asked questions about the barista course in Zurich

What will I learn in the barista course in Zurich?

At the center is extraction – how espresso changes depending on weight ratio, temperature, and pressure. Alongside that come latte art, sensory tasting, and a look at filter coffee as the counterpart to espresso.

Do I need to already have experience with espresso?

No. The barista course is open to everyone, regardless of how long you've been making coffee or whether you even have a machine at home yet.

Does the course take place privately or together with others?

The barista course in the Zurich Oerlikon showroom takes place privately, for one or two people, directly on the professional equipment. For larger groups, there are dedicated formats like corporate workshops and coffee tastings for up to eighteen people.

In which language is the course held?

In German or English, whichever suits you best.

Can I see the showroom and the equipment before the course?

Yes. The Zurich Oerlikon showroom at Hagenholzstrasse 50b can be experienced live at any time during opening hours, even without booking a course. The same applies to our showroom in Bern at Gerberngasse 44.

Is a course included with the purchase of an espresso machine?

Yes. When you purchase an espresso machine, an introductory course of around 60 minutes is included, tailored individually to your own setup – together, we build your espresso ritual, which afterward takes around 5 minutes per shot.

Questions that aren't answered here can reach us anytime at office@coffeecoachingclub.ch, by phone during business hours, or simply live in the showroom. More about us as a Swiss coffee roastery can be found at coffeecoachingclub.ch.