The SCA

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.

Certification for Coffee Roasters - Online SCA Courses

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

Certification for Green Coffee Buyers - Online SCA Courses

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

Introductions to Specialty Coffee Online SCA Certification

The historical development of coffee cultivation

  • Knowledge of Arabicas discovery in Ethiopia, and Robustas discovery in the Congo

  • Basic knowledge of the first attempts at cultivation of coffee in other countries

  • Knowledge of the movement of coffee to Bourbon (Reunion) by the French in 1715, giving rise to one of our main Arabica varietals

  • Knowledge of the overall size of the coffee industry and the largest producing countries

  • Describe the origins and spread of coffee cultivation to the present day

  • Identify the largest coffee producing countries

UNDERSTANDING THE BEANS

  • Coffee is derived from the fruit of a tree

  • Identification of the coffee tree and its fruit. Structure of the cherry and that two beans normally exist within (or just one peaberry)

Become a SCA Member Today - Get SCA Certified Online

First, the WHY:

  1. Typically I help enlist new members to the SCA in order to help them receive DISCOUNTS on their Certified Training programs. For example in China the cost of membership (about 600 CNY) is perfectly offset by the savings in your first Intermediate course (600 CNY).

    1. So - after 1 Intermediate course your membership fee is covered.

  2. ALL subsequent Intermediate and Professional level courses are discounted that same amount (in China's case 600 CNY)... so you end up SAVING LOTS OF CASH!

  3. There are a number of GREAT RESOURCES which unlock through:

    1. Specialty Coffee emails

    2. SCA Store Discounts 20%+ on SCA/SCAA/SCAE approved merchandise and training equipment

    3. Access to conferences and Specialty Coffee events

    4. And much more at www.howtocoffeepro.com .

How to Certify your SCA Specialty Coffee Training Center

"Becoming an SCA Premier Training Campus

"Achieving SCA Campus accreditation is a prestigious designation that requires demonstrating compliance with standards of educational excellence. If your company or organization is interested in pursuing SCA Campus accreditation, you must complete the following steps:

"The first step in the process is to review the documents below andemail an SCA representative with questions or to begin the process of becoming a Campus. A SCA staff member will connect with you to discuss next steps in the certification process."