The Specialty Coffee Association

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?

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Certification for Baristas - Online SCA Courses

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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

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Certification for Coffee Brewers - Online SCA Courses

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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

Certification for Sensory Analysis Coffee Cuppers - Online SCA Courses

AROMAS IN COFFEE

  • Key positive aromas from coffee (reference aromas from previous exercises)

  • Specialty Coffee Association 'Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel'

  • Identify simple category differences in aroma groups in a practical blind test, tasting brewed coffees.

  • Recall Flavor Wheel Categories categories in a written test

  • Recognize out of 4 categories of flavor on the flavor wheel, 3 of them are flavors that are associated with positive attributes, 1 with negative attribute.

  • To recognize the difference between an objective descriptive sensory evaluation of sensations and a qualitative categorization of those same sensations

  • To state the 9 main categories of flavor found on 'Coffee Taster's the SCA inner Flavor Wheel' Flavor Wheel

  • To distinguish positive aromas from negative (non desirable) aromas in coffee

  • To categorize positive and negative (non Green/Vegetative, Sour/Fermented categorize flavors often associated with processing, storage, roasting, and brewing defect. TBD in more depth in professional level.

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Certification for Coffee Roasters - Online SCA Courses

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THE ROASTING PROCESS

  • Describe the order and coffee roasting process with the physical progression of the changes to the coffee that occur in roasting. Identify that such changes determine the roast level.

  • Water evaporation

  • Change in color

  • First crack

  • Change in size

  • Second crack

  • Record time, temperature and other relevant data on roast logs along with observations during and after a roast record:

  • Temperature at time (roast profile)

  • Colour of roasted coffee

  • Weight loss

  • Volume gain

  • Cupping observations

  • Produce a roast profile and description of the properties of a roasted coffee

  • Identify the use of a roast profile as a tool to support quality control processes and to determine if a roast is acceptable

  • Calculate development time and temperature midway point

  • How to record and calculate specific events during the development of a complete roast cycle.

  • Temperature midway point

  • Development time

  • Identify critical events during a roast cycle to enable calculation of development time Calculate and record different transformational phases of roast development

  • The relationship between flame and roast speed and their measurement on the roast log

  • The heat source heats up the air and the roast chamber which in turn heats up the beans so the speed of the temperature increment depends on the heat source settings during the roast. So the following causal succession applies

  • Heat source

  • Air/roast chamber

  • Beans

  • Discuss the basic effects of time and heat on roast development Predict what changes in heat application are needed to effect a change in the flavor of a roasted coffee

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Certification for Green Coffee Buyers - Online SCA Courses

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COFFEE FARMING & LAND TENURE

  • Farms of different sizes grow coffee

  • Distinguish between the terms “smallholder” and “farm” and show awareness of the different production goals in the supply chain

  • Recognize the variation in volumes of coffee produced by each country and identify that:

  • Brazil is the world’s largest producer of coffee

  • Brazil is the world’s largest Arabica producer

  • Vietnam is the world’s largest Robusta producer

  • Brazil is the largest producer of natural processed Arabica

  • Colombia is the largest producer of washed Arabica