SCA Courses, UK

Hone your coffee skills and realise your potential with our SCA Coffee Skills Programe and CVA Courses

 

We have been teaching certified SCA coffee courses for over a decade now. The coffee skills programme is an ideal way to gain comprehensive career-relevant theoretical and practical skills across a range of subject fields.

 

  • The system runs in three levels – foundation, intermediate, and professional – and students gain points after successfully passing a course at each level.  Once 100 points have been achieved SCA rewards students with an overall diploma. An overview of the different levels is:

  • Foundation level courses are a great way of getting an introduction into a particular skills area in the coffee industry.

    Courses usually last 1 day.

  • Intermediate levels are designed to support students already working in coffee to enhance their knowledge base and develop practical skills to help them in day to day work

    Courses usually last 2 to 3 days.

  • Professional level courses are for people looking to gain specialist knowledge and techniques in a particular field of the coffee industry. Before taking the professional level course the intermediate level in the particular subject matter is a prerequisite.

    Courses usually last 3 to 4 days.

SCA Premier Training Campus

The SCA Premier Training Campus certification sets standards to ensure that coffee education is delivered in excellent facilities.  Our Edinburgh lab is certified for green coffee, roasting, and sensory skills and these are the courses that Coffee Nexus most commonly runs.  To see the latest course calendar you can find out more here.

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CVA Courses

We host certification in the Coffee Value Assessment (CVA). Delivered as part of the evolved Q Grader pathway, this two-day programme is designed for professionals across the value chain. It provides practical, research-based training in sensory analysis and green grading. Build the skills to assess coffee with greater clarity, support transparent sourcing, and engage confidently with the future of specialty coffee. Please contact us for information on upcoming course availability.

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Bespoke Training

Training in your own lab or roastery with your own equipment can be an extremely effective way of transferring training programmes into future good practice.  If you’d like to talk about bespoke training programme on your home turf we can help.

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London School of Coffee

We also run regular courses at the London School of Coffee, a training centre with a global reputation that has been central to the development of the vibrant London coffee scene.  For further information about these courses please contact the school directly via their website.

Our upcoming courses:
SCA Sensory Professional
Aug 4
SCA Sensory Professional

The SCA Sensory Professional course will give you an advanced understanding of sensory evaluation and how to apply it rigorously in a professional coffee context. You will explore discrimination testing methods, descriptive analysis frameworks, and how to design sensory assessments that produce consistent, reliable results across a team or organisation.

You will learn how physiological and psychological factors influence sensory perception, and how to account for these when building quality evaluation systems. Sensory panel management, formal cupping protocols, and the practical application of sensory science to commercial decision-making are also covered.

The SCA Sensory Professional course is ideal for experienced coffee professionals who use sensory evaluation as a core part of their work, whether in roasting, green buying, quality control, or training. It builds well on the Sensory Intermediate course, though anyone with strong practical sensory experience will find it valuable.

This course would be challenging for anyone without a solid sensory foundation.

The practical assessment takes place on the exam day and covers discrimination testing and formal cupping evaluation.

Book Now at: https://www.coffeenexus.co.uk/shop/p/sca-sensory-professional

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SCA Roasting Intermediate
Sept 1
SCA Roasting Intermediate

The SCA Roasting Intermediate course will give you a more in-depth understanding of the roasting process and how different methods of heat transfer affect the roast. You will explore how adapting roast profiles leads to sensory differences, even when applied to the same coffee, and how to repeat these decisions in production roasting.

You will learn about the physical and chemical changes that beans undergo during roasting, and how thermodynamics plays a role in what happens inside the drum. Sample roasting, roast colour and its relationship to the profile, and aspects of daily roastery management are also covered.

The SCA Roasting Intermediate course is ideal for roasters who roast regularly and are confident in their skills. It builds well on the Foundation course, though anyone with solid hands-on roasting experience will find it valuable

This course would be challenging for anyone new to roasting.

The practical assessment takes place during the course and covers roasting and cupping tests.

Book Now at: https://www.coffeenexus.co.uk/shop/p/sca-roasting-intermediate

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SCA Sensory Intermediate
Nov 10
SCA Sensory Intermediate

The SCA Sensory Intermediate course will give you a deeper understanding of sensory evaluation and how to apply it consistently and accurately in a work context. You will explore the science behind taste and aroma perception, how to identify and describe sensory attributes with greater precision, and how to use structured evaluation methods to assess coffee quality.

You will learn how to apply the SCA cupping protocol at an intermediate level, work with elements of the CVA (Coffee Value Assessment), and develop the vocabulary and technique needed to communicate your evaluations clearly and reliably.

An introduction to triangulation protocols and other assessment methods that can be analysed statistically is also covered.

The SCA Sensory Intermediate course is ideal for coffee professionals who have completed the Sensory Foundation course and want to deepen their practical tasting skills. Anyone with regular cupping experience and a solid grounding in sensory evaluation will also find it valuable.

The practical assessment takes place on the third day of the course and covers cupping evaluations and taste/aroma sensory identification.

Book Now: https://www.coffeenexus.co.uk/shop/p/sca-sensory-intermediate

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People seated at a table inspecting and sorting green coffee beans spread out on black mats during a coffee tasting or cupping session, with green and black cupcake liners for sample cups, and notes or score sheets.
Group of students conducting a coffee roasting course in a laboratory training setting, with coffee roasting equipment androast profiling software. SCA Training Course
People participating in a tasting event with cupping vessels of coffee, arranged on a long table, with some individuals taking notes and tasting. SCA training course
Group of seven people smiling and posing for a photo in a room with coffee and drinks in front of them and coffee roasting equipment in the background.
Group of five diverse people smiling and taking a selfie indoors.
A group of people gathered around a table in a room with red lighting, engaging in conversation, with various drinks and cups on the table.