What you'll learn
Coffee Basics builds confidence with the everyday foundations of coffee service — from setting up the coffee station and understanding espresso extraction, through to milk texturing, common coffee styles, guest requests, cleaning, hygiene and safe workplace practice.
- Prepare a clean, stocked and safe coffee workstation
- Identify key machine and grinder components and their purpose
- Follow a consistent espresso workflow — grind, dose, distribute, tamp, extract, assess
- Recognise basic under-extraction and over-extraction indicators
- Texture milk safely to a smooth, glossy finish for common coffee styles
- Maintain cleaning and hygiene standards during and after service
- Respond professionally to common guest requests while protecting coffee quality
Coffee Basics is a non-accredited internal learning program. It does not lead to a nationally recognised qualification or an accredited unit of competency. Completion is recorded according to internal training requirements.
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You'll receive
Choose a date to enrol. We'll email you a secure sign-in link to confirm it's you, then collect your details and any payment - no card details until you're verified.
Course structure
Eight modules, reviewed online at your own pace, followed by two assessments and an in-person practical observation.
- Welcome and course expectations
- Coffee fundamentals — bean basics, Arabica and Robusta, freshness and storage, tasting terms
- Equipment and workstation readiness — equipment and its purpose, mise en place checklist
- Espresso extraction — the venue recipe, a nine-step routine, and troubleshooting balanced, fast and slow shots
- Milk texturing — the golden rules, an eight-step process, and foam levels for flat white, latte and cappuccino
- Coffee menu and guest service — a nine-drink menu and service language
- Cleaning, hygiene, and quality — an eight-task cleaning schedule and safety reminders
- Workplace practice activities — practice prompts and the practical items you will be signed off against
Assessment
- Knowledge check — 15 questions (6 multiple choice, 9 short answer), 1 mark each.
- Scenario questions — 5 written scenarios covering bitter coffee, steam-wand hygiene, dairy-free requests, fast extraction and stale grounds.
- Practical observation — 12 items observed in person by a trainer, covering hand hygiene and safe work practices, workstation set-up, machine and grinder knowledge, dosing and tamping, extraction and quality assessment, milk texturing, presentation, and daily cleaning.
Both written assessments require a minimum of 80% and are reviewed by a trainer. You have up to three attempts. Three practical items — hand hygiene and safe work practices, safe milk texturing, and steam-wand cleaning — are critical: if they are not satisfactory you receive immediate coaching and re-attempt before sign-off.
Recognition
Coffee Basics is a non-accredited internal learning program. It does not lead to a nationally recognised qualification or an accredited unit of competency. Completion is recorded according to internal training requirements.
- 8
- Modules
- 15
- Knowledge-check questions
- 5
- Workplace scenarios
- 12
- Practical observation items
Signed off at the machine, not on paper
The written assessments confirm what you know. The practical observation confirms you can do it — a trainer watches you work through set-up, extraction, milk texturing, presentation and clean-down against 12 checklist items, using your venue recipe and equipment standards.
Hand hygiene and safe work practices, texturing milk without burning or reheating it, and purging and wiping the steam wand after use are critical items.
Course FAQ
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Start Coffee Basics today.
Review the guide online, complete the knowledge check and scenarios, then book your practical observation.