Technically yes. Although coffee academy is supposed to be done off the clock, you’re able to do the activities on the clock if your ssv lets you and you have down time. Personally, my SM lets us come in on our days off if we want to use the espresso and machines and stuff to get the activities out of the way.

Yyeah. It's for learning the contrast for brewing the wrong way and then the Starbucks way.

Yes. I had to do a coffee tasting with my sm asm and dm. Its fun to do for me just be prepared to explain the steps of tasting...and what to look for aroma acidity body etc and tell a story about the coffee. On the partner hub there are pages under company and coffee where it describes the coffee tells its story and what food pairs well with it.....good luck!!