Expat. Roasters Indonesia hosted an immersive coffee education experience titled “Beyond the Cup: Exploring Coffee Through Aroma, Texture and Flavour with Rafif Almer” on 1 and 2 September 2026. The event took place across two locations, Expat. Roasters AEON BSD and Expat. Roasters Bandung, bringing together a total of 35 guests for a sensory journey into the world of coffee.
Designed to encourage participants to look beyond coffee as simply a beverage, the event explored how aroma, texture and flavour can shape the overall coffee experience. Through three dedicated workshops, guests were invited to train their senses, develop their tasting skills and discover new ways of appreciating what is in their cup.
Exploring Coffee Through Aroma
The first session, the Aroma Workshop, focused on training the senses to appreciate coffee through its aroma.
Aroma plays an important role in how we experience coffee, helping us identify and recognise different characteristics before taking the first sip. During the workshop, guests were encouraged to pay closer attention to the aromas they encountered and to become more aware of how scent contributes to their perception of coffee.
Rather than simply drinking coffee, participants were encouraged to pause and engage their sense of smell. This approach provided an opportunity to develop greater awareness of the aromatic characteristics that can be found in coffee and to build confidence in recognising them.
The session highlighted how the experience of coffee can begin even before the first sip.
Understanding Coffee Through Texture
The sensory journey continued with the Texture Workshop, where guests explored coffee through its texture and mouthfeel.
This session encouraged participants to consider how coffee feels when enjoyed, rather than focusing solely on its flavour. Different coffees can create different sensations in the mouth, and recognising these characteristics can add another dimension to the tasting experience.
By paying closer attention to texture, participants were introduced to another way of understanding what makes one coffee different from another.
The workshop also demonstrated that enjoying coffee is not simply about identifying a particular flavour. The sensations created while drinking coffee are equally important in shaping the overall experience.
Sharpening the Palate Through Flavour
The final session, the Flavour Workshop, focused on developing participants’ tasting skills and helping them recognise differences between coffee blends.
Guests were encouraged to explore the different layers of flavour that can emerge when tasting coffee. By comparing the flavours they experienced, participants could begin to identify the characteristics that distinguish one blend from another.
The session provided a hands-on opportunity to become more attentive to flavour and to consider how different characteristics can develop throughout the tasting experience.
Rather than simply identifying whether a coffee tastes good or bad, participants were encouraged to look more closely at what they were actually experiencing in the cup.
Taking the Coffee Experience Beyond the Cup
Together, the three workshops created a more complete approach to understanding coffee. Aroma encouraged participants to explore what they could smell, texture introduced them to how coffee feels, while flavour helped them sharpen their palate and recognise different characteristics through tasting.
The first session was held on 1 September 2026 at Expat. Roasters AEON BSD, welcoming 13 guests. The experience continued on 2 September 2026 at Expat. Roasters Bandung, where a further 22 guests took part.
With 35 guests across both locations, Beyond the Cup created an engaging space for participants to learn, explore their senses and develop a deeper appreciation of coffee.
The event offered a simple reminder that experiencing coffee can begin with taking a moment to pause and pay attention: smell the aroma, notice the texture and explore the flavours that unfold with every sip.