CIA — “Coffee: Brewing, Tasting, and Cooking”

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) produced a free online coffee education module in partnership with Starbucks Coffee, covering the full bean-to-table arc: sourcing, processing, brewing, cupping, and cooking with coffee. Relevant to the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Institute curriculum design and as a reference for the CIA’s San Antonio campus as a partnership candidate.

Module Content

Bean processing — how coffee is processed from cherry to green bean
Brewing — proper technique across methods
Cupping — professional coffee evaluation; demonstrations by Major Cohen (Starbucks coffee educator): how to cup like a professional, milk steaming for cappuccino and latte
Cooking with coffee — Latin, Mediterranean, and Asian flavor pairings
Responsible sourcing — ethical growing practices
Barista guidelines — foundational bar skills
16 downloadable recipes with CIA chef-instructor streaming video

Recipes (representative)

Coffee Chili Rubbed Flat Iron Steak
Smoked Turkey and Shaved Asiago Sandwich with Coffee Shallot Jam
Apple Jack Ribs Smoked over Coffee Beans and Applewood
Savory Cheddar Bacon Scallion Scones
Red Velvet Coffee Chocolate Cupcakes

Partnership Model

CIA + Starbucks collaboration produced curriculum that neither could have made alone: CIA’s culinary technique and chef-instructor credibility + Starbucks’ sourcing knowledge and cupping expertise. The joint module was distributed free via ciaprochef.com. CIA’s New Media group received two James Beard Awards for Best Video Webcast.

Quote — John Barkley, CIA director for strategic initiatives:

“Collaborating with Starbucks Coffee allows us to delve deeply into a topic — getting a good cup of coffee — that millions of Americans take seriously.”

Planning Relevance for H&H

CIA San Antonio campus (The Pearl): The CIA operates a campus at the Pearl Brewery complex in San Antonio — one of the most relevant adaptive reuse projects in the city, a former brewery converted to a food, market, and culinary destination. The CIA’s SA presence makes it a local partnership candidate for the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Institute, not just a national reference.

Curriculum template: The CIA module covers the same arc the Institute is planning — bean sourcing → processing → brewing → cupping → professional bar skills — in a structured, credentialed format. The “cooking with coffee” component is a natural extension for the Institute’s consumer/heritage track and for the coffee bar + event space menus.

Partnership model reference: The CIA/Starbucks joint module shows how a culinary institution and a coffee company can co-produce curriculum. H&H’s version: CIA SA as culinary partner + Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Institute as heritage anchor. The Institute provides the historic site and brand narrative; the CIA provides chef-instructor credibility and culinary technique depth.

Pearl precedent: The CIA chose the Pearl (a repurposed brewery) as their SA home — directly analogous to H&H choosing a repurposed roastery. There may be appetite at the CIA SA campus for a second heritage-industrial partnership, especially one with a coffee focus.

Cooking with coffee programming: The recipe list (coffee chili rub, coffee-smoked ribs, coffee shallot jam) suggests a culinary programming track — coffee-paired dinners, chef collaborations, event-space programming — that could differentiate the H&H event space from generic venue rentals.

CIA San Antonio — current public course catalog (as of May 2026)

The CIA San Antonio campus at 312 Pearl Pkwy offers 62 courses for food enthusiasts. The catalog breaks into three tiers:

Tier	Duration	Price	Examples
Evening classes	2 hours	$95	Sushi Secrets, Spanish Tapas, Easy Thai, Easy Indian, Fresh Pasta, Grill Masterclass, Asian Dumplings, Modern Texas Steakhouse
Half-day classes	5 hours	$195	Many Flavors of Texas, Italian at Home, Mediterranean, Classic Sauces, Bangkok and Beyond, Knife Skills, Artisan Breads, Healthy Cooking
Boot camps	2–5 days	$1,055–$2,500	Culinary Basic Training (5d, $2,455), Pastry (5d), Plant Forward (5d, $2,500), Regional Italian (4d), Seafood (2d), Mexican Cuisine (3d), Grilling & BBQ (3d), Asian Cuisine (3d)

Beverage offerings: wine only. The entire beverage category is three rotating wine-tasting sessions at $95/90 min:

How To: Taste Wine in 90 Seconds (Jun, Oct 2026)
The Tasting Bar: All That Sparkles (Jul, Nov 2026)
An Introduction to Wine (Sep 2026)

The gap

There is no coffee, tea, NA beverage, carbonation, extraction, flavor science, or beverage development course in the CIA San Antonio public catalog. The gap is striking:

No coffee at all — despite the CIA’s own online coffee module (see above) and the fact that San Antonio has a deep coffee heritage (H&H, the regional roasting scene, the Tejano coffee culture)
No non-alcoholic beverage development — the fastest-growing category in the food & beverage industry has zero representation
No flavor science or extraction technique — the Flavor Lab’s curriculum (percolation, essence creation, tincture production, sensory evaluation, carbonation) has no analog anywhere in the CIA SA public catalog
No beverage formulation — no syrups, shrubs, bitters, botanical sodas, or any of the Art of Drink–style content

This is the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Institute’s opportunity space. The CIA SA covers culinary technique comprehensively but leaves the entire beverage development field open — especially the non-wine, non-alcoholic, and coffee-specific tracks. A partnership where CIA SA handles culinary application (cooking with coffee, food pairing) while the Institute handles coffee, beverage science, and flavor development fills a gap that the CIA itself hasn’t addressed.

Source: CIA San Antonio course catalog (retrieved 2026-05-27)

Open Questions

Is the CIA San Antonio campus (Pearl) open to partnership discussions with the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Institute? Who is the right contact at CIA SA?
Has the CIA updated or expanded the coffee module since its original release? (Useful to know before proposing a joint curriculum)
Would CIA SA consider co-teaching a “Coffee and Cuisine” course at 601 Delaware as part of their continuing education or professional development offerings?
The Pearl + CIA model: what revenue split / partnership structure does CIA use for its Pearl operations? Informative for how H&H might structure a similar relationship.
Why doesn’t CIA SA offer beverage development courses? Is this a deliberate scope choice, a staffing gap, or an opportunity they haven’t pursued? If the latter, the Institute could propose filling it as a satellite or co-branded offering.