AlternativeCoffee, 508 Moss Lane, Manchester (2026)

26/07/2026

Another SCA Barista Skills Professional course completed. ☕️

Three intensive days exploring the science behind espresso, from coffee physics, bean pore structure, water chemistry, extraction theory, TDS, Extraction Yield, grinder adjustment etc and how every variable changes the cup.

Coffee isn't about memorising recipes. It's about understanding why things happen. When we're learning, it's natural to want to play safe and stick with what we know, especially when there's an exam. But sometimes the best learning comes from being willing to try something different.

This class left me reflecting on how often we do the same in life. It's easy to choose the familiar route because it feels safe. Yet some of the most memorable discoveries—both in coffee and in life—have come from being willing to ask "what if?" Not every experiment works, but every thoughtful one teaches us something.

Thank you for three days of great questions, thoughtful discussions and plenty of coffee. I always enjoy learning together with every group, and I'm already looking forward to the next one. ❤️☕️

22/06/2026

Today I was at Real Hope Leeds to support a barista training session with 9 students from different cultural backgrounds. Their enthusiasm and willingness to learn brought so much energy. Just love this learning attitude.

The highlight for me was seeing one of my former students now teaching the class. For more than three months, he has been walking alongside these students, investing time, building relationships, and helping them grow.

A few years ago, I simply shared some coffee training with him, and today I watched him confidently lead a class, I didn’t do much in the bigger picture, but it was meaningful to see him using coffee training serving others.

It feels like many of the small things we’ve been doing over the past few years are beginning to show first green shoots. Today I saw another young shoot emerging outside Manchester, and I can see so much potential in what lies ahead.

21/06/2026

Spending the week at the Canada Barista Championship judging was honestly one of the most meaningful learning experiences I’ve had.

I deeply appreciated being part of a team that truly embodied what a mentor of mine once called “excellence with soul.” Throughout the week, I saw people holding a very high standard of work, while still treating each other and the competitors with real care and respect. I also really appreciated how feedback was given: honest, direct, but always encouraging. It created space to improve without losing confidence. Even small actions / scores we are giving, it may have real impact on competitor's journey.

It deeply reminds me as a coffee trainer that good teaching can feel like when clarity, standards, care and sincere all exist together.

Grateful to have been part of it, and may I carry these lessons forward into my own teaching and work in the coffee community.

Huge thanks and respect 🫡 to Trent Trent Rollings | World Coffee Championships Rep & Judge 🇨🇦 and all the fellow judges in the Canadian team.

03/05/2026

☕ Roasting Workshop: Coffee & you? Roast | Reflect | Rebuild ☕

Have you ever wondered if we’re a bit like coffee beans? Sometimes it takes a little heat and the right "roast" to bring out the best in us.

We’re opening up our space for a cozy, 4-hour evening to slow down and explore the parallels between a good brew and a life well-lived. We’d love for you to join us.

What we’ll do together:
🔥Roast: We’ll play with the Link sample roaster. You’ll get to see the transformation from green to gold firsthand.
💭Reflect: Over coffee, we’ll look back at our own origin stories. Through some simple, creative activities, we’ll map out the highs and lows that have shaped who you are today.
☕️Rebuild: This will be the fun part. We’ll take the coffee we roasted and the reflections we shared to create two personalized drip bags for you to take home. They’re a little piece of the evening to keep you grounded. ✨

No need to be a coffee expert or a "creative" type—just come as you are. Whether you're here for the caffeine or the conversation (or both!), you’re warmly welcome!

📅 Friday, 15 May 2026
🕔 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
🔗 Payment link is waiting for you in our Story, scan the QR code also works!

03/05/2026

☕ Roasting Workshop: Coffee & you? Roast | Reflect | Rebuild ☕

Have you ever wondered if we’re a bit like coffee beans? Sometimes it takes a little heat and the right "roast" to bring out the best in us.

We’re opening up our space for a cozy, 4-hour evening to slow down and explore the parallels between a good brew and a life well-lived. We’d love for you to join us.

What we’ll do together:
🔥Roast: We’ll play with the Link sample roaster. You’ll get to see the transformation from green to gold firsthand.
💭Reflect: Over coffee, we’ll look back at our own origin stories. Through some simple, creative activities, we’ll map out the highs and lows that have shaped who you are today.
☕️Rebuild: This will be the fun part. We’ll take the coffee we roasted and the reflections we shared to create two personalized drip bags for you to take home. They’re a little piece of the evening to keep you grounded. ✨

No need to be a coffee expert or a "creative" type—just come as you are. Whether you're here for the caffeine or the conversation (or both!), you’re warmly welcome!

📅 Friday, 15 May 2026
🕔 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
🔗 Payment link is waiting for you in our Story, scan the QR code also works!

02/05/2026

4 years of The Giving Tree Cafe 🌍☕️

What a beautiful day celebrating diversity, friendship, coffee, and community together at our Open House. From Hong Kong, India, Ethiopia, Malaysia, to Brazil — every booth brought its own culture, stories, coffee, and amazing homemade food. The café was full of colour, music, dancing, conversations, laughter, and the smell of coffee everywhere.

So many people came throughout the day to celebrate with us, and it genuinely meant so much. Happy to see old friends, new faces, students, families, neighbours, and people from many different backgrounds sharing the same space together.

A special thank you to our wonderful volunteer team who managed the café, hand pour counter, food, hosting, and everything behind the scenes with such care and joy. Many of you first joined our Coffee and Life classes over the past 5 years, and now you are the ones serving, welcoming, encouraging, and building community for others. That is deeply meaningful to see.

Super super thankful for every volunteer, every guest, every conversation, every small act of kindness, and everyone who helped make this day possible. 💛

The Giving Tree Cafe has never been built by one person alone. Every volunteer, guest, student, neighbour, conversation, and shared meal became part of the story — like pieces of a puzzle forming something bigger together. Thank you for being part of this journey with us. ☕️

01/05/2026

Just like a coffee tree takes years of patient care before its harvest, our lives are somehow a bit like a slow, intentional brew.

These 2 weeks, 8 students from Turkey, Hong Kong, China, Eritrea, Lebanon, India and the UK gathered for our Coffee & Life intensive at . We arrived as strangers with different mother tongues, but our "flavor notes" were clear :) We shared the sweetness of Turkish hospitality, the resilience of Eritrean stories, and the "interesting" working culture of Hong Kong traditions.

Between the deep reflections, we spent hours learning about coffee! We moved from the science of espresso dial-ins to the steady control of using the steam wand. Seeing those first shaky pours turn into beautiful hearts felt like a victory for the group 🤭🤭

At the end of the course, we’ve spent some time mapping out dreams for the next 3 to 5 years, from family to community projects. My deepest wish is that these dreams, which are like small seeds today, will grow strong and tall in the years to come❤️.

01/05/2026

Yesterday we spent the evening with 20 students from the Coffee Society at the The University of Manchester for a sensory and cupping workshop 🤗🤗

For many of them, it was their first time doing sensory training and first time cupping in a more professional way. We did use the CVA form, learning how coffee scores are calculated, and understanding what actually happens behind the numbers written on a coffee bag.

What I enjoyed most was the conversations. You can really tell when people are genuinely thinking and absorbing. The students asked such thoughtful questions throughout the workshop: from psychology, memory, flavour perception, chemistry, cultural background, to why different people experience the same coffee differently. Those conversations made the session feel very alive. I just love it.

We talked about how flavour is connected to memory and life experience. Sometimes a coffee note is not just “berry” or “chocolate”, but childhood medicine (your childhood medince is bananna or cherry flavor? 😂 a family / culture dessert, or a memory from home.

Sensory is never only about the tongue, it is also about people, brain, emotions and culture.

Really grateful for such a curious and engaged group, and I hope this is only the beginning of a longer coffee journey together.

27/04/2026

Ten years ago, when I first started learning about coffee, I asked my teacher why he worked in coffee and why he became a trainer.

He told me that giving honest feedback to farmers, roasters, and baristas can help them improve their quality, and even their living. That answer stayed with me for a long time. I think that was the moment something started to grow in me.

I don’t believe a license can fix the whole supply chain. It can’t. But I really believe in sensory work. It’s the part I enjoy the most, and also feel it is the "backbone" of coffee industry. It helps us pay attention, be far, to taste carefully, and to recognise the work and value behind each cup.

Becoming a Licensed Q Instructor feels like a quiet full circle moment for me. It is a small reminder to keep doing things properly, and to stay honest to the coffee and the people behind it.

AlternativeCoffee

26/07/2026

22/06/2026

21/06/2026

03/05/2026

03/05/2026

02/05/2026

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27/04/2026

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