NEWCASTLE COSTA STORE TRIALS EXCLUSIVE COFFEE MASTERCLASS

To celebrate UK Coffee Week 7-13 April 2014, Costa, the nation’s favourite coffee shop, launched an exclusive Coffee Masterclass programme at selected stores across the nation. The St Mary’s Place branch in Newcastle held a Coffee Masterclass for its customers on Friday, April 11, 2014. Barista extraordinaire Rob Herald led the hour-long taster session, assisted by Costa staff members Andru Lawson and Alexandra Dixon. For many coffee lovers, UK Coffee Week is considered as an annual highlight - and this year is no different. Thankfully, coffee connoisseurs didn’t have far to go for the ultimate experience to indulge their coffee passion. To celebrate UK Coffee Week, the nation’s favourite coffee shop, Costa, launched an exclusive Coffee Masterclass trial for a handful of customers in Newcastle’s St Mary’s Place store. Customers who attended the Coffee Masterclass were treated to a hands-on tutorial led by barista maestro Rob Herald, who won Barista of the Year Regional Champion 2013 and has worked as part of the Costa team for around four years. Rob – and fellow baristas Andru Lawson and Alexandra Dixon - treated guests to an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Costa and shared hints and tips on crafting the perfect drink, as well as providing guests with the opportunity to brush up on their knowledge of Costa’s famous Mocha-Italia blend. The team rounded up the evening by teaching the guests to make their favourite drinks. Rob said: “It was fantastic that we had the opportunity to share our knowledge with our customers at this masterclass. It was a real privilege to speak to our guests about our world famous Mocha-Italia blend – some were astounded as to how much work goes into creating the perfect blend. “From sourcing our beans to the serving process, it’s our expertise which makes a cup of coffee into a Costa cup of coffee.” Costa’s Master of Coffee, Gennaro Pelliccia said: “We’re delighted to have created an opportunity to share our passion for coffee with our coffee loving customers. At this stage we wanted to trial our Masterclasses at select stores, but given its success we’ll hopefully look to roll this out on a larger scale for next year’s UK Coffee Week.”