UNT's hospitality management program to offer free coffee class by South Korean expert

Monday, July 28, 2014 - 20:32
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What: "The Discovery of Coffee" -- A free class at the University of NorthTexas taught by Nahie Kim, World Coffee Events coordinator for the Korea Coffee Association and a visiting faculty member in UNT's College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism.

When: 9:30 a.m.-noon Aug. 5-7 (Tuesday-Thursday)

Where: Marriott Culinary Laboratory, Room 322 of UNT's Chilton Hall, 410 S. Ave. C (southwest corner of Avenue C and Chestnut Street)

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- According to the National Coffee Association of the USA, Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee per day, or 146 billion cups per year, making U.S. citizens the leading consumers of coffee in the world.

But South Korea isn't far behind. Since 2010, more than 900 Dunkin' Donuts have opened in the nation, and the company chose South Korea as the site for its first roasting plant outside the U.S. More than 600 Starbucks are also in South Korea, with the capital city, Seoul, having more stores than New York City. At least 100 academies in the country train baristas.

Nahie Kim, the World Coffee Events coordinator for the Korea Coffee Association, will lead a free class, "The Discovery of Coffee," at the University of North Texas Aug. 5-7 (Tuesday-Thursday). Kim, a professor in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism at Chungnam Provincial Cheongyang College in South Korea, is a visiting research scholar in UNT's College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism through January 2015.

The class, limited to 17 participants, will take place from 9:30 to noon in the college's Marriott Culinary Laboratory, Room 322 in Chilton Hall. Chilton Hall is located at 410 S. Ave. C in Denton.

Kim, who is also a certified barista trainer, said she's been drinking coffee since attending Florida International University during the 1990s for her master's degree.

"In Korea, many people, until recently, drank instant coffee, because the coffee industry wasn't well developed," said Kim, who added that she traveled to several European nations to perfect her brewing techniques. She also briefly attended Salzburg University in Austria, where coffee houses have flourished since the 17th century.

Kim began to teach coffee brewing techniques and roasting of beans in 2002, three years before the Korea Coffee Association formed.

On the first day of "The Discovery of Coffee," Kim will demonstrate three different brewing techniques – manual drip, French press and moka pot. During the second day, she will demonstrate roasting of coffee beans, with the students also roasting the beans and creating coffee flavorings. The final day will be a coffee tasting, with the focus on observing tastes and aromas of brewed coffee. The students will also learn how to develop create coffee menus for special occasions and events.

Note: Members of the media are welcome to photograph and shoot footage of the coffee class. Contact Nancy Kolsti in the UNT News Service at 940-565-3509 or at nancy.kolsti@unt.edu to make arrangements to attend.

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