Eastbourne · East Sussex · Since 1993

Learn to pull a proper shot.
Then teach your whole team.

Hands-on barista courses at our Eastbourne showroom, or at your bar on your own machine. Taught by the engineers who install and service commercial coffee equipment across Sussex — so you learn on kit that is set up properly, by people who know why it matters.

See the courses Call 0800 442299
  • 4people max
  • 2.5–3.5hours
  • 6courses
  • 30+years in coffee

Barista courses at our Eastbourne showroom

Four people maximum, so you are on the machine rather than watching someone else use it.

Barista Skills — Foundation

New to coffee, or self-taught and want the gaps filled in

Essential coffee knowledge, the perfect espresso, grinding and dosing, steaming milk and building the core menu.

180 MIN · MAX 4 · SHOWROOM

£160 +VAT · £192 inc

Course details & booking

Barista Skills — Latte Art

Anyone whose hearts keep coming out as blobs

A latte art course that starts where it actually goes wrong: milk texture. Then the three core pours — heart, tulip, rosetta — until they are repeatable.

150 MIN · MAX 4 · SHOWROOM

£175 +VAT · £210 inc

Course details & booking

Barista Skills — Advanced

Working baristas going beyond making the menu

Extraction theory, dialling in across different beans, recipe and ratio, palate work and the standards that separate good from consistent.

180 MIN · MAX 4 · SHOWROOM

£275 +VAT · £330 inc

Course details & booking

Or we come to you

Onsite barista training on your own machine, your own grinder, your own beans — which is the setup your team has to get right every morning.

Barista Training — Onsite

New cafes, and teams that need bringing up to standard

The Foundation material delivered at your bar, plus honest advice on your grind settings, your workflow and the kit you are running.

150 MIN · MAX 4 · YOUR SITE

£275 +VAT · £330 inc

Course details & booking

We travel up to 60 miles from Eastbourne as standard, which covers Hastings, Bexhill, Brighton, Lewes, Crawley and most of Kent. Further afield is usually still fine — a travel surcharge is calculated from your postcode when you book.

What you will actually learn

Technical skill and palate together. Every course is hands-on — you spend the session making coffee, not watching someone else make it.

ESPRESSO

  • Dialling in a shot, and knowing from the taste which way to move
  • Grind, dose and yield — what each one changes
  • Extraction theory, so the adjustments are reasoned rather than guessed
  • Calibrating a grinder and keeping it there through a service

MILK & MENU

  • Texturing milk properly — the part that decides whether latte art works
  • Heart, tulip and rosetta, poured until they repeat
  • Building the full espresso menu to a consistent standard
  • Working cleanly and quickly enough to hold up in a rush

LOOKING AFTER IT

  • Daily and weekly cleaning that actually protects the machine
  • Backflushing, and why a skipped one shows up in the cup
  • Water and scale — the thing that quietly kills commercial machines
  • What you can fix yourself and what needs an engineer

Included: course notes to take away, and a discount on anything you buy from our barista kit and coffee bean ranges after the session.

Why train with ADS

SINCE 1993

We are an engineering business first

We install, service and repair commercial coffee machines across the South East. The training comes from thirty years of seeing what actually goes wrong behind the bar.

MAX 4

Four people, not twenty

You spend the session on the machine. A barista school that fills a room with twenty people looks better in photographs and teaches far less.

TAUGHT BY DOM

One trainer, not a rota

Every course is run by Dom, our Head of Coffee, who has worked the other side of the counter. Sessions get tailored on the day to what you can already do.

NO SALES PITCH

Advice you can act on

If your grinder is the problem, we will say so. There is no obligation to buy anything from us, and the training stands on its own.

Common questions

Do I need any experience to do a barista course?

No. Barista Skills — Foundation and Beginner to Barista assume you have never used a commercial machine. If you already work behind a bar, Advanced or Latte Art will suit you better.

Where are the courses held?

At our showroom in Eastbourne, East Sussex — Unit 28 Hawthorn Road, BN23 6QA. It is an easy run from Hastings, Bexhill, Brighton, Lewes and most of Kent. If travelling does not suit, our onsite courses come to you instead.

How many people can come?

Four maximum on every course, showroom or onsite. Booking for a team of four costs the same as booking for one, so it is worth filling the places.

Is there a certificate or qualification?

Our courses are practical training rather than an accredited qualification. What you leave with is the ability to run a bar properly, which is what employers and customers actually notice.

Can you train us on our own coffee machine?

Yes — that is exactly what the onsite courses are for. We train on your machine, your grinder and your beans, and set the equipment up correctly while we are there.

What does a latte art class cover?

Milk texturing first, because that is where most latte art goes wrong, then the heart, tulip and rosetta until you can repeat them. Suited to all abilities and tailored on the day.

How far will you travel for onsite training?

Up to 60 miles from Eastbourne as standard, which covers Hastings, Bexhill, Brighton, Lewes, Crawley and most of Kent. Beyond that is usually still fine — a travel surcharge is worked out from your postcode when you book.

Who runs the courses?

Dom, our Head of Coffee. He has worked behind the counter as well as on the engineering side, and tailors each session to what the people in front of him can already do.

What equipment will I be using?

At the showroom you train on the same commercial espresso machines and grinders we sell and service, so the skills transfer straight to a working bar. On an onsite course you train on your own machine instead, which is the setup that actually matters.

Do I get anything to take away?

Course notes to refer back to, and a discount on anything you buy from our barista kit and coffee ranges after the session.

Can you get our new coffee bar set up as well?

Yes. Alongside training we install and commission commercial machines, dial the grinder in and set the water filtration up correctly. Call 0800 442299 and ask about a set-up visit.

Not sure which course fits?

Tell us what your team can already do and we will point you at the right one — or tell you that you do not need us yet.

Call 0800 442299 Email the team