Elite Event: Broaden Your Bean Knowledge at Alchemy Coffee

This was my first event as I was only honored with the elite badge a few short weeks ago. Great timing for me because this was definitely an event I wouldn’t have wanted to miss!
Upon arrival we were greeted with yummy snacks and mingled until the actual fun began. The Alchemy staff was extremely friendly and had such passion for what they were doing and teaching us was like second nature.
There were three stations set up including a history lesson on coffee and the company (very interesting to learn where coffee comes from!). We went from one station to the next and had so much fun we were there longer than originally planned.
Lauri T. sent us home with some awesome goodies and a full belly! A great time!

A study break calls for a visit back in time to a great event! I have always liked coffee, and I always knew it was more complex than I ever tried to understand, but boy did this even really put things into perspective! I got to start off with the history lesson on coffee with Eric. Wow. He was so knowledgable and passionate that I knew I had to start referring my hardcore coffee loving friends to Alchemy. My husband, who is clueless about coffee really enjoyed learning about this drink I seem to always gravitate to and even got to try some samples for his first ever coffee tasting experience! I loved all the stations and it’s not fair for me to pick one over the other. Drinking the coffee and trying my hand at the latte art had the be the best part! (I also have rhyming skills too — who knew!)
I definitely have a greater understanding and respect for coffee shops and baristas like Alchemy and I thank Unilocal for the opportunity! I’ll be coming back!

What an awesome way to spend a rainy afternoon!
As everyone else has mentioned, we learned so much about the history of coffee, coffee-​making gadgets (aero press, v60), espresso machines, and the daunting task of latte art.
I feel empowered in becoming a conscious coffee consumer. I have never considered «coffee culture» before, but I am now more interested than ever!
Also, this was a great first Elite event for me. Very inviting, and aromatic, event. ;)

What a great way to kick off the 2015 Unilocal Elite year in Richmond with our first event here. First off, this is NOT a coffee shop, this is a coffee lab immersion. The way they create and treat coffee here is not only an art form, but also a complicated scientific way of extracting and producing quality coffee.
I am NOT a coffee drinker (I have maybe had like 4 – 5 total cups in my life) but I wanted to give this place a try and broaden my knowledge and see what «good» coffee tasted like. There were three stations where we rotated through to give us a rundown on how they made coffee and what Alchemy does differently from other coffee places in RVA. My favorite station was with learning how to steam milk/​make an espresso! It was my first time doing that and using an espresso machine and there was so much that went into making that drink that I didn’t know about. Janie (sp?), the barista there, was super cool and very knowledgeable and showed me step by step on how to make one.
The staff at Alchemy was super chill and very welcoming and complimented us so much on our enthusiasm to learn more about coffee. They also offered us small pastries like Macaroons and brioche buns to nibble on while sipping on some coffee. This was only the event I have been to where Unilocal gave away several raffle awards which was pretty exciting. I will definitely want to come back here and get a cold press latte from them sometime in the near future.
I know I gave Lauri T (our new community manager) a hard time throughout the event… but I hope she knows I was just giving her a hard time and she did an excellent job at planning her first event! Looking forward to the next Unilocal events!

What do I love? COFFEE and more coffee. Lauri and the Alchemy crew did an awesome job with this event. We accumulated so much knowledge (and caffeine) by the end of this event, I didn’t know what to do with myself when I got home… except, maybe run in circles and think about how many extra hours I would need to work in the future to afford my very own espresso machine.
First off, the Alchemy lab was brilliant in its dedication to the science of coffee preparation. Both baristas and owner went to great lengths to teach us pour-​overs and espresso making. Add on the in-​house, freshly made pastries, and I’m sold. Definitely coming back for more! The gift certificates and Unilocal mugs also made the event a blast. Thank you so much to Lauri for an spectacular first Elite Event & the Alchemy crew for opening their doors to us.

Awesome event! Lauri did an amazing job organizing this event. It was super informative — we learned all about how to hand pour coffees, make espresso and lattes, and about the history of coffee and the coffee business.
There were prizes (gift certificates to local restaurants!), free pastries/​snacks from the coffee shop, tons of tastings, and an awesome gift bag to go home with.
I learned a lot, had some delicious food and drink and had a generally awesome time. Looking forward to the next event!!!

I’m not a coffee drinker, but I loved this event! Lauri did an excellent job executing her very first Elite Event! I look forward to many more.
The staff at Alchemy were very gracious, and in addition to sampling their goods baked in-​house, I learned a ton about coffee and its preparation.
All in all, a super fun, interactive event, and it was great to see some familiar faces after a few months’ hiatus. =)

This was my VERY first Unilocal!event! What a way to start. It was a little awkward for me at first, not knowing what to do and what not, but once the event got started, I had a GREAT time! Lauri (and Elsa) did an excellent job!
I would say we visited a coffee shop, but it was SO much more than that… we went to a Coffee Lab! (see my review of Alchemy Coffee for more) We learned all about how to make various pour over coffees using different techniques, tools and scientific methods, how to pull espresso, steam milk and make latte art and we were schooled on the history of coffee. We enjoyed great food and conversation with fellow Unilocalers and a great staff, participated in a raffle with awesome prizes and we all left with a Unilocal goodie bag.
Now that I’m no longer a Unilocal event noob, I am looking forward to attending future events!