Counter Culture Reveals Stunning New York Training Space

• 11 a.m. Welcome to the New Space from Counter Culture President Brett Smith
• 12 – 2 p.m. Brewing Workshop
• 3 – 4 p.m. Kim Elena Bullock Ionescu leads an intensive/exploratory Coffee Cupping

More deets about the space straight from the press release…

Counter Culture Coffee will open a new training center in New York City’s Nolita neighborhood, at 376 Broome Street between Mott and Mulberry. Dedicated entirely to coffee education (for both professional baristas and home brewers), the Training Center will be home to coffee classes that are part of Counter Culture’s education program Counter Intelligence, weekly coffee cuppings (tastings), and events. The space also features a kitchen for food and coffee pairings with top chefs.

In combination with its modern design, the space’s 100-year-old history is honored throughout with industrial and reclaimed materials like exposed brick walls, a maple floor, and salvaged wood columns and beams. Vintage GE cabinets from the 1950s line the wall, and the Training Center features reclaimed light fixtures and two, large farmhouse sinks.

The Training Center was designed by Jane Kim, a New York-based architect whose recent work includes Milk Bar, Third Rail Coffee, Smith Canteen, Nightingale 9, and more; Jane also teaches Architectural Design at Columbia University. The 3,600-square-foot space features 16-foot ceilings, and originally served as a carriage factory; Jane kept the building’s background in mind as she designed the loft-like, open space and incorporated many original design details.

Serving as a classroom, showroom, dining room, auditorium, and event space, the Training Center is the next generation in the evolution of education in specialty coffee. In addition to training professional baristas and passionate home brewers in the fundamentals of preparing and serving coffee, the space will also host food events with guest chefs, competition training, and a professional tech service workshop.

Representative of Counter Culture’s commitment to the best in coffee technology, the welcome area will feature a professional, four-seat bar with one of the country’s first installations of an under-counter modular coffee brewing system from Modbar. Other equipment will include renowned brewing brands La Marzocco, Ditting, Mazzer, Mahlkonig, Nuova Simonelli, and Marco.

Counter Culture’s popular weekly cuppings “ which are free, open to the public, and help at their training centers across the country each Friday at 10 a.m. “ will be held at a 16-foot long table made from reclaimed bowling alley maple. A full induction cooktop and convection ovens are also located there for coffee and food pairings events.

Counters in the middle of the room will be used for larger, lecture-based classes, during which guests may sit on bleachers made from reclaimed maple sourced from an old factory in Massachusetts. The bleachers can accommodate 30-40 people and include built-in drawers for guests’ use. Reading lights and ample electrical outlets make this a perfect spot for class-goers to hang out or work on laptops before class begins.

The back of the space houses a next-generation espresso training room for total immersion learning for up to 20 participants. Two U-shaped counters enable instructors to lecture and demonstrate techniques to both sides of the room. Sliding glass doors separate the space from the rest of the Training Center, allowing natural light to filter through.

The basement level includes a full-service tech lab, a competition training room, and meeting facilities, all of which are available to Counter Culture’s wholesale customers, who will receive keys to the new Training Center.

The downstairs also houses several sustainability-oriented features “ reflecting Counter Culture’s dedication to resource conservation. A bicycle storage room will house Counter Culture Coffee bikes, available for employees and guests during class lunchtime. The lower level will also include a vermiculture station where worms convert coffee grounds and other food waste into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. A custom-designed water filtration system is made entirely of chemical-free, green filters and can cycle through 40,000 gallons of water before being cleaned through reverse filtration. Other green elements include reusable glass bottles for milk and an in-house washer/dryer.