SCA Training
⭐ 8.5
* Includes the manual, lunch, and certificate fees
The SCA Sensory Skills Intermediate course builds on the fundamentals of sensory perception and prepares you for more complex professional applications. You’ll delve into the physiology of taste and aroma, human perception, and the influence of psychology on sensory evaluation.
You’ll learn about and apply various forms of sensory analysis. Triangle testing plays a key role: you’ll understand its purpose, applications, protocol, and the basic statistics behind discrimination tests. You’ll also work with the SCA Flavor Wheel and the WCR Sensory Lexicon to more accurately identify, describe, and communicate coffee attributes.
You’ll also delve deeper into cupping operations and panel work. You’ll work with standardized protocols and forms, learn how to organize sensory sessions, and gain insight into selecting, training, testing, and calibrating panel members. This will make your evaluations more accurate, more reproducible, and more professionally grounded.
Sensory Skills Intermediate is designed for baristas, roasters, trainers, quality control staff, buyers, and other coffee professionals with a solid foundation in sensory evaluation. Completion of the Sensory Skills Foundation and Green Coffee Foundation courses is recommended. Regular tasting and cupping experience will help you get the most out of this level.
Laurens DaCosta is an award-winning barista and SCA trainer with over sixteen years of experience. With his practical and inspiring approach, he helps both professionals and coffee enthusiasts take their coffee quality to the next level.
“The Foundation course gave me a solid foundation, but it wasn’t until the Intermediate course that I really began to understand how to objectively evaluate flavors. The cupping exercises and comparing different coffees were incredibly educational. What I loved was that you don’t just learn what you taste, but also how to describe it in a professional way. I now use that knowledge every day in my work.”
Michelle
“A challenging workshop, but that’s exactly why it’s so good. It really challenges you to taste critically.”
Thomas
“I work as a roaster and wanted to further develop my sensory skills. In particular, I’m able to immediately apply what I’ve learned about how flavors are analyzed and discussed to our tasting panel.”
Roastery North
“I practiced a lot, and that’s what makes all the difference in the end.”
Nina
“The theory was pretty intense at times, but as soon as you start applying it during the tasting, everything makes sense. I found the exam nerve-wracking, but I felt well-prepared.”
Jeroen van Rijn
“You can tell that this really goes a step beyond Foundation. That makes it both challenging and fun.”
Patrick
“I liked that there was plenty of room for discussion. Everyone sometimes tasted something different, and that’s exactly where you learn so much.”
Laura
“Not an easy workout, but a really good one.”
Erik
“Thanks to this training, I pay much less attention to what others taste and rely much more on my own observations. I never would have expected that beforehand.”
Sanne de Vries
“I definitely recommend it if you work with coffee professionally.”
Dennis B.
Education Advisor
⭐ 8.2
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The official introductory course on brewing, extraction, and flavor balance
Develop your sense of taste and learn to evaluate coffee like a pro
Baristastudio in Schiedam, Amsterdam, and Dordrecht offers professional workshops and SCA training courses on coffee! Dive into the world of coffee and the techniques behind it. We’ll teach you the real tricks of the trade and how to make coffee like a professional barista. That’s what makes coffee so incredibly fun and versatile. See you at one of our studios!
