The SCA

WHAT IS THE CVA BY THE SCA - COFFEE VALUE ASSESSMENT - PART 2

This is the 2nd part in our series on the Coffee Value Assessment by the Specialty Coffee Association, complete with resources and links for you to learn, download, practice and provide your feedback.

Source Links for the Coffee Value Assessment CVA by the Specialty Coffee Association SCA.

Introducing the CVA: https://sca.coffee/value-assessment

Download and Read about the CVA: PDF CVA Full Link

Printer friendly version of the CVA: PDF CVA Printable Link

Physical Affective Form CVA: PDF CVA Physical Affective Link

The Value of Specialty Coffee Cuppers: PDF SCA Perspectives Roles Professional Competencies

Descriptive Form CVA: PDF CVA Descriptive Link

SCA White Paper: PDF Towards a Definition of Specialty Coffee

CVA SCA White Paper “Towards a Definition of Specialty Coffee” https://sca.coffee/sca-news/just-released-new-sca-white-paper-towards-a-definition-of-specialty-coffee

CVA SCA White Paper “The Value of Specialty Coffee Cuppers” https://sca.coffee/sca-news/just-released-the-value-of-specialty-coffee-cuppers-sca-white-paper

SCA YouTube Playlist on “Theory of the SCA Coffee Value Assessment” https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ5Na-9NWGIrHQ8M4H9_i_5lDZnTvcUAe&si=hF1FY_oeTOGlKrVb

Re’co Specialty Coffee Symposium article by Peter Giuliano “The Power of the Extrinsic” https://sca.coffee/sca-news/watch/video/the-power-of-the-extrinsic

Understanding Value in Coffee from the Green Coffee Summit 2022 YouTube Recording: https://youtu.be/eq_XkGqJdIo?si=ASomY1eXP4ThTnIv

SCA Article 25 Magazine Issue 18 “How Do Cuppers Cup?” https://sca.coffee/sca-news/25/issue-18/how-do-cuppers-cup-evaluating-and-evolving-elements-of-the-sca-cupping-protocol

SCA Article 25 Magazine Issue 18 “All in the Mind: How External Cues Impact Brain Activity and Preference” https://sca.coffee/sca-news/25/issue-18/all-in-the-mind-how-external-cues-impact-brain-activity-and-preference

SCA Article 25 Magazine Issue 19 “From Value to Values: Determining the Worth of Coffee” https://sca.coffee/sca-news/25/issue-19/from-value-to-values-determining-the-worth-of-coffee

What is the CVA by the SCA - Coffee Value Assessment

It’s time to dive into the CVA by the SCA.

This multi-part series has long been waiting, in the making. We need to unpack the great research and thought that the Specialty Coffee Association has put into the Coffee Value Assessment tool. With white papers and research examining coffee cupper value assessments, cupping scores, green coffee scores and more - we will seek to understand how the SCA CVA was created and how coffee professionals can use it in their coffee purchasing and roasting decisions.

Please let us know what questions you have and if this information is helpful. Thank you!

Updated Cohort Calls Model for HowToCoffeePro and SCA Training

Hey Friends!

Adam at ROCC Coffee at SCA.Training and HowToCoffeePro. I have an exciting announcement if you are a new learner on the fence or one of our alumni. So, stay tuned and be sure to pay attention.

First, you want to ensure that you are on our: Email List so that you get every announcement about new course offerings, the cohort calls and the Live social media sessions that we are going to be having.

So here’s the update: all of our courses that had been self-paced and self-directed with one-on-one coaching are now moving to a more dynamic cohort model. 

SCA Training International Cohort!

To provide you with distance learning convenience with a cohort team and class experience. This is something we’ve been working on for a long time to build, and in part we just needed to have a greater number of alumni and students. And now we’re there.


As of August 1, 2022 we want you, we want new learners to watch for the Open-Enrollment window of time. This is the open enrollment when you can join into a course. The first course, for example, is going to be Sensory Skills Foundation, and it’s going to be open for 10 days. Sensory Skills Foundation, all the new learners should join from August 1st - 10th.

Now, these will be changing and updated by email.
Every student who joins this course will be able to start your study, work on your practicals for the course and you may even have time to complete the entire course. Wait for the announcement for our first Google Meeting and class call. All of our new students, that first cohort are going to be invited.

You need to attend the call, just like you attend your class in order to keep progressing. We also are going to invite in our alumni.

We’ve got dozens… hundreds of students who have taken specific courses over the past years, we want them to come in and to join your course. Not only will you be able to ask me questions and to interact with your classmates in that meeting.

We want the alumni to share with you what it’s like to go through that course and take steps in their career and in their coffee business.

Open Enrollment will close and you’ll have to wait to the next class to get into the next cohort. Yet, once you’re an alumni, if you took this course last year, you’re always a part of that group. So every time a new cohort joins you’ll alway be able to join. 

We’ll be cupping, we’ll be roasting, we’ll be looking at equipment. Once you start this program (as long as you want to stick around) we’re going to keep developing and creating meetings with classes for you to visit.

We’ll be sending those out by social media and sharing those by email so be sure to:

Those are going to be the three hot places to be, though more may be coming, and we’ll be sure to share the news. 

If you’ve been thinking about joining an online SCA course and if you’ve been asking, “what’s the online experience going to be like?” This is the time, it’s going to be rich and it’s going to be flexible and it’s going to be dynamic with an international cohort from around the world. 

Once you join, you’re a part of our Community of HowToCoffeePro alumni, so come on back alumni, please join us for these calls, watch for the announcements, join in on the Instagram lives. We would love for you to speak into these topics. Tell us about your company, tell us about your career and the challenges you have faced and overcome.

We need to give hope to the next generation of coffee professionals. That’s what HowToCoffeePro is all about: giving you the how to skills to become a coffee professional and Make Life Better.

I can’t wait to see you in class! 

Come on, let’s go.

How to Work the Specialty Coffee Association and Coffee Skills Program.

If you have questioned “how do I register with the SCA?” or “how can I become an AST?” then you are not alone.

In this blog and video, we will address the most common and troubling questions that arise when navigating the many aspects of SCA course registration, getting your Learner ID, a membership and member ID, what payments are required, where fees are paid and by whom, what certifications mean, written exams, practical skills, course pre-requisites, coffee skill program points, how to earn your coffee diploma and more.

If you are interested in the SCA, then this is for you!

Let’s tackle these questions one by one.

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  1. How do I register for an SCA course?

  2. What is, and how do I get my Learner ID?

  3. What is SCA membership and what is the member ID?

  4. What payments are required for my SCA course and what fees are paid by whom?

  5. What do SCA certifications mean and when I do get mine?

  6. What should I expect for my SCA written exam?

  7. What should I expect for my SCA practical skills exam?

  8. Are there any SCA course pre-requisites?

  9. How do I gain Coffee Skills Program points and when can I earn an SCA CSP Coffee Diploma?



IF THIS WAS A WORTHY READ,
PLEASE CONSIDER SHARING AND LIKING.

THANK YOU
ADAM

Certification for Baristas - Online SCA Courses

EXTRACTION & BREWING

Espresso is a method of preparation that takes finely ground coffee, compacts it into a portafilter and forces hot water through it under pressure to make a concentrated coffee beverage

  • Sensory attributes are used to describe coffee

  • There may be regional variations to espresso and cappuccino parameters used in the SCA exams:

  • Dose: within 7g – 10g (14g – 20g double shot)

  • Brew ratio: 1 / 1.5 – 1 / 2.5 Shot time: 20 – 30 seconds

  • Recognizes the key defining parameters of an espresso used within SCA examinations

  • Tastes and describes attributes, such as aroma, body and flavor, of an espresso Chooses appropriate terms to describe flavor from the SCA Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel

  • Demonstrates awareness of regional variations in parameters

  • There are five interdependent elements to brewing espresso: The bean / The barista / The machine / The grinder / The water

  • Lists the five inter-dependent elements to brewing espresso

Certification for Coffee Brewers - Online SCA Courses

BREW TIME

  • The amount of time the water is in contact with the coffee will allow different quantities of solids to be dissolved. This results in different brew times for different brew methods and volumes

  • Describes the amount of time for the following:

  • Filter Coffee (1ltr/32oz +) 4-6 minutes;

  • Single cup filter 1-3 minutes,

  • Espresso 20-30 seconds

WATER TEMPERATURE

  • The correct water temperature is required to dissolve the desired flavors from the ground coffee. This range is 92 - 96C/195 - 250F

  • Defines the correct temperature range for water used to brew coffee