Seeing UGA students jumpstart their day with a cup of coffee isn’t unusual. However, a professor requiring them to do so is.
Rob Shewfelt typically starts his coffee technology class with a taste test. Between sips, the students shout out their ideas: “Is it French roast?” “It has milk in it.” “Iced café au lait!”
The first-year freshman seminar class teaches every aspect of coffee, from how it’s grown, priced and promoted to the array of flavors and kinds available.
Students sip on the coffee samples Shewfelt purchases from a coffee house on the Athens Campus.
The students are required to identify the coffee by flavor, robustness and other qualities. From Crackachino to a special pink Valentine’s Day mocha, students have sampled a variety.
“People who are interested in coffee are really into it,” Shewfelt said. “I wanted to take something that people like and use it as a way for students to learn about food science.”
Shewfelt promotes food science as a major and a field. Students learn about the job opportunities and many factors that go into creating coffee along with other aspects of food science.
Students don’t just sip coffee. They must also study Uncommon Grounds by Mark Pendergrast. Field trips allow the class to get an inside look at how coffee goes from bean to cup.
“At the Jittery Joe’s roaster, students met the owner and learned about certain beans, their different acidities and which ones require more roasting,” Shewfelt said. “There we also tasted Guatemalan and African coffees, which have very distinguishing tastes.”
After taking the seminar, Shelby Marbury is thinking about changing her major from dietetics to food science.
“I never drank coffee before the class, but I drink it now sometimes,” Marbury said.
“I love the class, and Dr. Shewfelt is entertaining and knowledgeable. I like learning about coffee’s other benefits, besides caffeine, like antioxidants and boosting metabolism,” she added.
