SCA BREWING SKILLS

Designed to introduce the novice to the core skills and equipment required to produce great brewed coffee. No prior knowledge is needed before taking this module. A passion for great coffee is essential! Students will learn the following:

​

• Coffee knowledge: the origins of coffee, freshness, and how species and processing shape flavour

• Brewing methods, brewing devices and grinders

• The 7 Essential Elements of Brewing: coffee to water ratio, grind setting, brewing time, water temperature, brew turbulence, water quality and filter media

• Hands-on brewing across a range of devices, from automatic gravity brewers to manual methods

• Brew analysis: describing the brew, the balanced brew, optimum extraction and concentration, and the SCA Brewing Control Chart

• Holding hot brewed coffee, and cleaning and maintaining your equipment

This Foundation course has no practical exam. Your trainer assesses your practical work in class and completes a CSP Course Skills Report for you, which you keep and which prepares you for the Intermediate course. The course can be delivered in person, by distance learning, or as a combination of both.

​

The course fee includes 1 written exam. A retests will be charged as follows:

• Written retest - ฿1,000.00

​

Learners must complete their tests 2 months from the date of their class. Learners may also opt out of doing the tests, in which case there will be no SCA certification awarded. However, these learners will receive a certificate of completion from Espresso Academy.

​

We require a minimum number of 3 learners to run each class. If the number of sign-ups does not meet this requirement, learners will be notified and have their class rescheduled to the next available date.

This course takes a very hands-on approach. Learners match their grind setting to their brewing method, work through the seven essential elements of brewing and the brewing process itself, and learn to scientifically measure solubles concentration (coffee strength) and calculate solubles yield (extraction) using the ratio-based Brewing Control Chart.

 

It is recommended that learners complete SCA Brewing Skills - Foundation prior to taking this Intermediate level course.

​

The course fee includes 1 written and 1 practical test and both exams will be scheduled another day (1-hour time slots). Any subsequent retests will be charged as follows:

• Written retest - ฿1,000.00

• Practical retest - ฿3,000.00

​

We require a minimum number of 2 learners to run each class. If the number of sign-ups does not meet this requirement, learners will be notified and have their class rescheduled to the next available date

For: Career baristas, brewers and coffee professionals looking to advance their knowledge and skill in brewing

​

Having learnt how to chart your coffee at the Brewing Intermediate level, you're now ready to apply those skills to good use to investigate and scientifically understand a range of brewing factors.

​

This Professional course will look at aspects including:

​

• Charting by-pass and investigating its effect on flavour

• Investigating the effect of grind particle size

• Mastering navigation of the ratio-based Brewing Control Chart, and brewing to a given solubles yield

• Learning how to influence the brewing parameters to hit precise extraction targets

• Learning how to influence the brewing parameters to hit precise strength targets

• Understanding the effect of different temperatures on coffee brewing

• Understanding the acidity in your coffee at different points within the brewing process

• Investigating how different water qualities have an effect on coffee brewing and flavour

• Understanding how different holding methods for brewed coffee affect quality and flavour

• Understanding how different degrees of roast effect the brewing process

 

As this is an advanced course, it is recommended that you have reasonable experience of working in this field before attempting this level.

The Professional course is structured as follows (subject to change at the discretion of the instructor):

​

DAY 1

• Review and recap of charting brewed coffee on the ratio-based Brewing Control Chart

• Deepen understanding and application of the Core Brewing Variables

DAY 2

• Deep dive into understanding Extraction & Concentration

• Investigating the effect of grind particle size

• Understanding by-pass brewing and investigating it’s effects on flavour

DAY 3

• Understanding and exploring acidity and acids in coffee

• Understanding water and exploring it’s impact on coffee brewing and flavour

DAY 4

• Exams

​

IMPORTANT

1. It is mandatory to hold the SCA Brewing Skills - Intermediate Certification. Students are required to have all the knowledge and skills from these and may be tested on them during the practical and/or written assessments.

2. In order to sit for the SCA Brewing Skills Professional exam, there needs to be at least a 3-month gap from the date of the Intermediate exam.

3. Experienced coffee brewers who do not wish to take the exams are welcome to sign up for this Professional class.

4. Learners are welcome to bring their own brewing equipment to class.

​

The course fee includes 1 written and 1 practical test. Any subsequent retests will be charged as follows:

​

• Written retest - ฿1,000.00

• Practical retest - ฿5,000.00

​

We require a minimum number of 2 learners to run each class. If the number of sign-ups does not meet this requirement, learners will be notified and have their class rescheduled to the next available date

Updated to the SCA Brewing pack (25 May 2026)