Sensory exploration
Experience first.An aroma exploration game, contrasting flavours and guided tasting, turns coffee into a sensory experience — one people can explore, compare and describe for themselves.
LYUBOV SPICHKEY · COFFEE ENTREPRENEUR · CREATOR OF KNOW HOW COFFEE · CO-FOUNDER OF COFFEETECA
For years, I helped people explore specialty coffee, understand their preferences and discover what they enjoy. Today, that curiosity is shaping a new chapter: making it easier for people to discover independent coffee roasters and coffees they love.
01 / THE STORY
My journey in coffee began with a coffee shop. From 2007 to 2014, I opened and ran a specialty café in Kyiv, working with roasters, equipment and customers, and learning that choosing coffee is not as simple as it seems. In 2013, I trained at the Probat Training Center in Germany, and in 2014 I joined the SCAE (now SCA).
Later, in Buenos Aires, I created Know How Coffee, an interactive tasting where people smelled, tasted, compared, asked questions, and discovered their own preferences. Over four years, more than 1,000 guests participated.
02 / THE EXPERIENCE
Know How Coffee was an interactive, three-hour specialty coffee tasting experience I created in Buenos Aires. The experience brought together coffee education, sensory exploration and guided tasting.
We followed coffee from seed to cup, exploring the craft behind each cup. At the heart of the experience was Le Nez du Café, a sommelier aroma kit used in a sensory game that helped participants develop their sense of smell and discover how much aroma shapes what we taste. Guests explored four contrasting single-origin coffees from around the world, carefully chosen from local roasters and brewed on Chemex.
Through guided tasting, flavour comparison and clear explanations of coffee labels and tasting notes, guests developed a vocabulary for describing what they experienced — and a clearer understanding of their own preferences.
This was not a formal professional cupping session. It was an accessible, hands-on experience designed for curious people.
The goal wasn’t simply to teach people about exceptional coffee. It was to help them discover what makes a coffee exceptional for them.
Over four years, more than 1,000 people took part. Their questions, preferences, and uncertainties about choosing coffee helped shape the idea behind Coffeeteca.
03 / THE APPROACH
An aroma exploration game, contrasting flavours and guided tasting, turns coffee into a sensory experience — one people can explore, compare and describe for themselves.
Rather than telling people what they should like, I helped them recognise what they enjoy, put their preferences into words and understand what makes each coffee distinctive.
Understanding your preferences makes it easier to navigate different coffees, explore unfamiliar flavours and choose what genuinely suits your taste.
GUEST STORIES / REVIEWS
Highlights from guest feedback on Airbnb and Tripadvisor. Summaries are editorial, not verbatim quotes.
REVIEW HIGHLIGHT
A great experience, recommended for coffee lovers.
REVIEW HIGHLIGHT
An informative coffee tasting in a relaxed setting.
REVIEW HIGHLIGHT
So much fun, and a lot learned.
REVIEW HIGHLIGHT
A fantastic sensory experience, especially the smell test.
04 / THE NEXT CHAPTER
From tasting coffee to discovering your coffee. The experience behind Know How Coffee showed me how personal coffee preferences can be. Coffeeteca takes that curiosity further — connecting coffee lovers with independent specialty roasters and helping people discover coffees that suit their tastes.
Discover Coffeeteca ↗05 / PRIVATE ENQUIRIES
On rare occasions, I consider bespoke coffee experiences for corporate teams, executive groups and selected business partners. Every request is considered individually, based on the audience, context and scope.