SCA Coffee Training Courses
Develop your coffee expertise with professional Barista, Brewing and Sensory Skills courses, delivered by authorised SCA trainers.
SCA Training courses
These courses will be taught by Authorized SCA Trainers (ASTs). Trainers deliver course content within the SCA Coffee Skills Programme and assess the written and practical examinations required to pass each module, audited by the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association).
Pricing for courses includes SCA examination and Certification fees.
Once enrolled, please register at https://sca.coffee/education and have your SCA Learner ID ready. You will need this to access your course assessment and certification.
AST Training:
Gene Ke a SCA Authorised Trainer (AST) in Barista Skills, Brewing and Sensory Skills, and a certified CQI & CVA Q Grader. With seven years of professional teaching experience, a Mathematics degree from Oxford and a Master’s in Education, she brings a strong educational foundation to her work in coffee. Her industry experience spans business ownership, training, operations and green coffee quality, and she now delivers education and consultancy through Tribe Coffee Workshop.
Barista Skills Courses
Develop practical barista skills, from understanding coffee and preparing espresso to mastering grinder calibration, milk steaming and latte art. Progress through Foundation, Intermediate and Professional levels to improve beverage quality, consistency and café workflow.
BARISTA SKILLS FOUNDATION
£300 Incl. VAT and SCA Certificate*
1-day Course (10am-5pm)
Minimum 5 students
The Barista Skill Foundation course provides an introductory understanding of coffee while building a strong foundation of practical barista skills, including milk techniques and latte art:
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- Coffee from farm to cup — species, origin, processing and flavour
- Understanding the grinder and espresso machine
- Espresso fundamentals — dose, yield, time and flavour
- Dialling in the grinder
- Milk steaming, texture and milk beverages
- Introduction to latte art
- Workflow, cleaning, health & safety and customer service
The course concludes with an online written exam to assess theoretical knowledge based on the course learning objectives. *SCA Certificate subject to pass the theoretical tests
Barista Skills Intermediate
£500 incl. VAT and SCA Certificate*
2-days course (10am-5pm)
Minimum 4 students
The Barista Skills Intermediate course builds on the practical skills and coffee knowledge developed at Foundation level, exploring in greater depth how a barista can influence espresso quality and the overall customer experience.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- Develop a deeper understanding of coffee, equipment and extraction.
- Understanding espresso extraction and brewing variables: variables such as dose, yield, time, grind size and temperature influence espresso flavour.
- Measuring and evaluating espresso: Through practical exercises, assessing extraction and making informed adjustments to achieve a desired flavour profile.
- Advanced dialling-in and troubleshooting
- Milk science, texture and consistency
- Latte art and beverage construction: Advanced milk skills, including milk composition, steaming techniques, consistency and latte art.
- Practical barista skills, learners will explore workflow, equipment management, cleaning and maintenance.
- Customer service and the importance of creating consistent quality in a café environment.
By the end of the course, learners will be able to evaluate espresso and milk beverages more confidently, troubleshoot common problems and make informed adjustments to improve beverage quality and consistency.
The course concludes with assessments based on the SCA course learning objectives. *SCA Certificate subject to pass the theoretical and practical tests
Barista Skills Professional
£800 incl. VAT and SCA Certificate*
3-day course (10am-5pm)
Please contact for more information
The Barista Skills Professional course is designed for experienced baristas who want to develop an advanced understanding of espresso preparation, sensory evaluation, milk, workflow and café operations. Building on the knowledge developed at Intermediate level, learners will investigate espresso extraction in greater depth and use sensory evaluation and measurement to understand how different variables influence beverage quality.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- Advanced espresso extraction and sensory evaluation
- Recipe development and optimisation: Encourage learners to move beyond following recipes and instead develop a systematic approach to diagnosing problems, making adjustments and designing brewing recipes to achieve specific sensory outcomes.
- Diagnosing extraction and flavour
- Develop advanced milk and latte art skills while considering efficiency, consistency and beverage quality in a professional environment.
- Water, equipment and their impact on espresso
- Explore the wider responsibilities of the professional barista, including equipment management, workflow, quality control and the ability to communicate and maintain standards within a coffee business.
- Developing and maintaining professional bar standards
By the end of the course, learners will be expected to demonstrate a high level of technical competence and to apply their knowledge independently when evaluating, troubleshooting and improving espresso and beverage quality.
The course concludes with assessments based on the SCA course learning objectives. *SCA Certificate subject to pass the theorical and practical tests
Brewing Skills Courses
Explore the science and techniques behind coffee brewing, learning how grind size, water, temperature and extraction influence flavour. Develop your skills in different brewing methods, recipe optimisation and evaluating results to produce consistently well-balanced coffee.
BREWING SKILLS FOUNDATION
£300 Incl. VAT and SCA Certificate*
1-day Course (10:00am-5:00pm)
Minimum 5 students
In this Brewing Foundation course, you will follow the journey of coffee from farm to cup, including a guided cupping. The course begins by exploring coffee species and how flavour profiles can be influenced by terroir, processing and, importantly, the brewer.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Learners will explore how key brewing variables influence extraction and flavour, and how to produce a tasty, well-balanced brew by understanding the essential elements of brewing and analysing their brew results:
- Understand Coffee from farm to cup
- Introduction to brewing methods and equipment
- The essential elements of brewing
- Coffee-to-water ratio and brew recipes
- Grind size, time, temperature and turbulence
- Brewing with gravity and immersion methods
- Tasting and evaluating your brews
The course concludes with an online written exam to assess theoretical knowledge based on the course learning objectives. *SCA Certificate subject to pass the theorical and practical tests
BREWING Skills Intermediate
£500 incl. VAT and SCA Certificate*
days course (10am-5pm)
Minimum 4 students
The Brewing Intermediate course builds on the principles introduced at Foundation level. Through theoretical and practical exercises, learners will explore the relationships between coffee-to-water ratio, grind size, contact time, water temperature, turbulence and brewing method.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- Understanding extraction and flavour
- Brewing variables and how they interact
- Measuring coffee — strength and extraction
- Water and its influence on brewing
- Comparing brewing methods and techniques
- Recipe development and troubleshooting
- Sensory evaluation and brew optimisation
The course concludes with assessments based on the SCA course learning objectives. *SCA Certificate subject to pass the theorical and practical tests
BREWING Skills Professional
£800 incl. VAT and SCA Certificate*
3-day course (10am-5pm)
Please contact for more information
The Brewing Professional course develops an advanced understanding of coffee extraction and the scientific principles that underpin brewing. It is designed for experienced coffee professionals who want to analyse, design and optimise brewing systems and recipes with greater precision:
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- Advanced extraction theory: Learners will investigate the complex relationships between coffee, water, equipment and brewing variables, using both sensory evaluation and objective measurement to assess brew quality
- Advanced measurement and interpretation
- Grind size, particle distribution and extraction
- Water chemistry and brewing
- Advanced recipe design
- Understanding and controlling brewing systems
- Sensory-led optimisation and troubleshooting
The course also encourages learners to critically evaluate brewing decisions and communicate their findings clearly and effectively. By the end of the course, learners will be able to integrate sensory observations, extraction measurements and brewing theory to make informed decisions and optimise coffee brewing across different situations.
The course concludes with assessments based on the SCA course learning objectives. *SCA Certificate subject to pass the theorical and practical tests
SENSORY Skills Courses
Develop your ability to identify, describe and evaluate coffee flavours and aromas through practical sensory exercises and cupping. Learn how taste, smell and perception influence coffee quality, progressing towards advanced sensory evaluation, calibration and quality assessment techniques.
SENSORY SKILLS FOUNDATION
£300 Incl. VAT and SCA Certificate*
1-day Course (10:00am-5:00pm)
Minimum 5 students
This Sensory Skills Foundation course explores the essentials of sensory assessment in a practical and interactive way.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
The course introduces the fundamental sensory science behind the physiology of taste and smell, exploring how our senses work together to perceive the five basic tastes and a wide range of aromas:
- How taste, smell and flavour work
- Recognising the five basic tastes
- Aroma recognition and sensory memory
- Understanding acidity, sweetness, bitterness and body
- Introduction to coffee sensory vocabulary
- Introduction to cupping
- Descriptive and affective coffee assessment
By the end of the course, learners will have developed a foundational understanding of how to identify basic differences in coffee attributes, recognise and describe aromas, and set up and conduct a cupping according to SCA protocols.
The course concludes with an online written exam to assess theoretical knowledge based on the course learning objectives. *SCA Certificate subject to pass the theorical and practical tests
SENSORY Skills Intermediate
£500 incl. VAT and SCA Certificate*
days course (10am-5pm)
Minimum 4 students
The Sensory Skills Intermediate course builds on the sensory foundations developed at Foundation level, exploring and developing sensory acuity through practical exercises involving taste, aroma and tactile perception, while gaining a deeper understanding of the physiological and psychological factors that influence sensory experience.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- Sensory physiology and perception
- Developing taste and aroma acuity
- Sensory thresholds and differentiation
- Describing coffee using a common sensory language
- Descriptive and affective assessment
- Cupping, calibration and consistency
- Understanding how coffee production influences sensory characteristics
By the end of the course, learners will have greater confidence in recognising and describing sensory attributes, comparing coffees and communicating sensory information clearly and objectively.
The course concludes with assessments based on the SCA course learning objectives. *SCA Certificate subject to pass the theorical and practical tests
SENSORY Skills Professional
£800 incl. VAT and SCA Certificate*
3-day course (10am-5pm)
Please contact for more information
The Sensory Skills Professional course is designed for experienced coffee professionals who want to develop advanced sensory evaluation skills and a deeper understanding of how sensory information can be collected, interpreted and applied.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- Exploring sensory science in greater depth, examining the physiological, psychological and contextual factors that can influence perception and sensory judgement.
- Advanced sensory perception and sensory science
- Sensory thresholds, acuity and calibration: explores the importance of methodology, calibration, bias and experimental conditions when collecting and interpreting sensory data
- Bias, context and psychological influences on perception
- Advanced descriptive and affective assessment
- Designing and conducting sensory evaluations
- Analysing and interpreting sensory results
- Applying sensory science to quality control and professional decision-making
By the end of the course, learners will be able to approach coffee evaluation with a more analytical and systematic mindset, design and conduct sensory assessments appropriately, and critically interpret sensory results to support professional decision-making.
The course concludes with assessments based on the SCA course learning objectives. *SCA Certificate subject to pass the theorical and practical tests
EXPLORE SCA COURSES
Develop your coffee skills with our Barista, Brewing and Sensory courses, taught by authorised SCA trainers. Get in touch to learn more about availability and enrolment.
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
Stay up-to-date with all the latest updates and product
offers from Brew-It Group.
