The Coffee Sommelier's Path
Master the art of the perfect extraction and develop a professional-grade palate. From advanced refractometry to the molecular chemistry of roasting, transform from a home brewer into a world-class coffee authority.
Like Duolingo, but for The Coffee Sommelier's Path. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
180 levels across 8 sections, about 360 minutes end to end, roughly 72 days at five minutes a day. It moves through The Perfect Extraction, Sensory Mastery and Cupping, Water Chemistry for Coffee, Advanced Espresso Craft, The Science of the Roast, Post-Harvest Processing Physics, Botany and Terroir, and The Global Coffee Economy.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in The Coffee Sommelier's Path
- Smaller particles have a higher surface-area-to-volume ratio
- Acids extract first (sour/bright)
- Increased surface area accelerates the migration of compounds into the solvent
- Sugars and oils extract second (sweet/balanced)
- Plant fibers and heavy compounds extract last (bitter/astringent)
- The relationship between surface area and extraction speed
- The sequence of flavor extraction (the 'salami shot' logic)
- Sourness is a sign of under-extraction and lack of sweetness
- The coffee bed acts as a valve for water flow
- Bright acidity is a desirable, balanced trait found in fully developed extractions
- Diagnosing sour vs. bright acidity
- Smaller particles pack more tightly, creating more resistance
- Matching grind size to flow rate and contact time
- Heavy molecular weight compounds extract last
- Dose adjusts total strength (TDS)
- Astringency is the indicator of over-extraction
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives The Coffee Sommelier's Path the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Imagine the very first drops of espresso hitting your cup. Which flavor profile is leading the charge in this opening scene?
Get it right to open this lesson and 179 more in the app.
How to learn The Coffee Sommelier's Path, step by step
Go in order. 180 short levels across 8 sections, about 6 hours in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
The Perfect Extraction
- Dialing In: The Interplay of Grind Size and Contact Time
- Refractometry and Measuring Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
- Bypass Brewing and Concentration Manipulation
- Turbulence and Agitation Dynamics in Pour-Overs
- The Physics of Channeling in High-Pressure Systems
- 2
Sensory Mastery and Cupping
- SCA Cupping Protocols and Scoring Sheets
- Identifying Organic Acids: Citric, Malic, and Quinic
- The Retro-Nasal Olfaction Technique
- Detecting Taints: Phenolic, Quakery, and Potato Defects
- 3
Water Chemistry for Coffee
- The Role of Magnesium and Calcium in Flavor Extraction
- Buffer Capacity: Alkalinity vs. pH
- Designing Custom Mineral Profiles for Specific Origins
- Filtration Systems: Reverse Osmosis vs. Ion Exchange
- The Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) and Machine Health
- Testing and Titration Kits for the Home Lab
- 4
Advanced Espresso Craft
- Pressure Profiling and Flow Control Strategies
- Pre-infusion and Bloom Phases in Espresso
- Basket Geometry and Precision Filter Screens
- The 'Salami Shot' Technique for Flavor Mapping
- 5
The Science of the Roast
- Thermodynamics of the Drum: Conduction vs. Convection
- Maillard Reactions and Strecker Degradation
- Managing the Rate of Rise (RoR) Post-First Crack
- Endothermic vs. Exothermic Transitions
- Development Time Ratio (DTR) and Solubility
- 6
Post-Harvest Processing Physics
- Anaerobic Fermentation and Carbonic Maceration
- Lactic Acid Fermentation and Yeast Inoculation
- The Impact of Drying Kinetics on Water Activity (aw)
- Honey Processing: Mucilage Retention Levels
- 7
Botany and Terroir
- Genetics: From Typica and Bourbon to Modern Hybrids
- The Gesha Phenomenon and Interspecific Hybrids
- Soil Composition and Volcanic Ash Influence
- Altitude, UV Exposure, and Density (SHB/SHG)
- The Impact of Climate Change on Arabica Cultivation
- 8
The Global Coffee Economy
- The C-Market and Commodity Pricing Mechanisms
- Direct Trade vs. Fair Trade: Economic Realities
- The Auction System and Cup of Excellence (CoE)
8 sections · 36 units · 180 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about The Coffee Sommelier's Path
How do I learn The Coffee Sommelier's Path?
Go in order: start with The Perfect Extraction, then Sensory Mastery and Cupping, then Water Chemistry for Coffee, then Advanced Espresso Craft, and 4 more sections after that. On Tomo that's 180 short levels, about 6 hours in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for The Coffee Sommelier's Path?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. The Coffee Sommelier's Path is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is The Coffee Sommelier's Path free?
Yes. The Coffee Sommelier's Path is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn The Coffee Sommelier's Path?
180 levels across 8 sections, about 6 hours of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start The Coffee Sommelier's Path?
No. It's pitched at an advanced level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
The Coffee Sommelier's Path is taught in the Storyteller style: every lesson is a story. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start The Coffee Sommelier's Path today.
Download Tomo, search The Coffee Sommelier's Path, and play your first lesson in under a minute.