Course Guide
This guide will give you an introduction to the courses that we offer and help with finding the perfect one for you. When you've found your ideal course, head to our Training Calendar to see availability and book your place - just make sure that you read the full description on the course page before you book, to ensure that it meets your requirements.
Foundation & Beginner Courses
Home Barista
This is a half-day course focusing on: hands-on experience on both professional and home espresso machines. An enjoyable introduction to the techniques of the professional barista, this course covers the fundamentals of making delicious espresso based drinks; working to a recipe, making grinder adjustments, steaming glossy, microfoam milk and basic latte art technique.
This is the perfect course for you if: you love drinking espresso based drinks and are thinking about getting an espresso machine for home, or if you already own an espresso machine and want to perfect your recipe and technique.
Prerequisites: none.
Home Brewing
This is a half-day course focusing on: the best techniques, recipes and handy tips for brewing great filter coffee at home, with hands-on practise across immersion, pour-over and hybrid methods. This course covers how brew ratio, grind size and brew time affect your cup, the influence of different types of water and our ideal techniques for French Press, V60 and Aeropress brewers.
This is the perfect course for you if: you're interested in filter coffee specifically, and want to learn brewing technique across a range of brewers, or explore different brew methods to find the best one for you.
Prerequisites: none.
Introduction to Latte Art
This is a half-day course focusing on: the fundamentals of producing perfectly smooth, glossy microfoam milk and the small but critical steps that make for excellent latte art. Covering methods for free pouring and how three key free pour patterns are made; heart, tulip and rosetta, students will take away techniques to help practise their new skills.
This is the perfect course for you if: you are a home barista wanting to focus only on latte art or a new barista wanting to learn the foundations of pouring technique. This course is also a great complement to our Home Barista and SCA Barista Skills Foundation courses, and a fun course for any coffee enthusiast.
Prerequisites: None.
SCA Introduction to Coffee
This is a half-day course focusing on: coffee's journey from farm to cup and introduces students to all the key concepts in Speciality Coffee. Covering the way harvest, process & roast affect flavour, how to taste like a professional, hand brewing and extraction theory, this course is based on the SCA Modules of Green Coffee, Sensory, Roasting and Brewing.
This is the perfect course if: you’re thinking about a career change, wish to find areas of interest for further courses, or are a coffee enthusiast who’s interested in learning more about all aspects of coffee.
Prerequisites: none.
SCA Barista Skills Foundation
This is a one-day course focusing on: the key barista skills, greatly accelerating students’ learning curve and skill set. Covering efficient workflow, grinder setting, milk steaming and drinks production, this course is designed to quickly familiarise students with espresso machinery so that they are fast and neat with their presentation of espresso based drinks.
This is the perfect course for you if: you are thinking about becoming a barista, as a first step to further your skills or if you’re a coffee enthusiast interested in espresso and milk.
Prerequisites: none.
SCA Sensory Skills Foundation
This is a one-day course focusing on: the key skills and concepts required to evaluate coffee, you’ll improve your sensory skills while exploring various characteristics of brewed coffee. We'll look at the way our human senses influence perception and how to apply this knowledge to coffee’s natural characteristics, and you’ll gain the ability to differentiate between certain sensorial characteristics including acidity, bitterness, body and more.
This is the perfect course for you if: you’re working as a barista and would like to improve your ability to evaluate coffee, as a pairing for a Barista Skills or Brewing course, or for anyone keen to further develop their palate.
Prerequisites: none.
SCA Brewing Foundation
This is a one-day course focusing on: the key skills and equipment required to produce great brewed coffee. Covering coffee origins, a range of brew methods and water quality, this course introduces students to brew recipes, the basics of strength and extraction and sensory skills.
This is the perfect course for you if: you are a keen home brewer, a coffee enthusiast not specifically interested in espresso or a barista wanting to improve your skills within other brew methods than espresso.
Prerequisites: none.
Intermediate Courses
SCA Barista Skills Intermediate
This is a two-day course focusing on: professional tasting, variables affecting espresso brewing and extraction theory. Covering efficient workflow and drinks production with a dedicated latte art component, this course is a significant progression from Foundation level and is designed to get attendees to the level of a skilled, working speciality barista.
This is the perfect course for you if: you already have a general understanding of espresso and milk technique and would like to take your coffee knowledge and barista skills to the next level.
Prerequisites: we recommend that students attending this course have a general understanding of espresso techniques – the SCA Barista Skills Foundation course or 3+ months of work experience as a speciality barista is ideal.
SCA Sensory Skills Intermediate
This is a two-day course focusing on: the physiology of taste and aroma and applying sensory skills to different business situations. Covering the various types of sensory analysis tests available, the operations of a cupping session and the quality control measures used in the coffee industry, students will learn how to set up multiple types of sensory tests such as triangulations and In/Out tests.
This is the perfect course for you if: you already have a general understanding of coffee and experience in tasting and evaluation, and would like to further your skills and knowledge in the field of sensory science.
Prerequisites: We recommend that students attending this course have a general understanding of coffee as well as some experience in tasting and evaluation – the SCA Sensory Skills Foundation course or work experience in a role where you regularly taste coffee is ideal.
SCA Brewing Intermediate
This is a two-day course focusing on: the technical brewing concepts of extraction theory and water chemistry. Covering experiments with multiple variables across different brew methods and the resulting effects on flavour, students will take away a clear understanding of how to manipulate the strength and extraction of brews.
This is the perfect course for you if: you already have a general understanding of brewing and extraction theory and would like to further develop both your sensory and brewing skills.
Prerequisites: we recommend that students attending this course have a general understanding of filter brewing theory and techniques – the SCA Brewing Foundation course is ideal.
Professional Courses
SCA Barista Skills Professional
This is a three-day course focusing on: the most up-to-date concepts and techniques of the best speciality baristas. Covering design and evaluation of brew recipes that are specific to the coffee, machinery and environment, completion of this course gives students all the information necessary to manage espresso quality across multiple sites, or to design the brand standards for a successful speciality cafe.
This is the perfect course for you if: you are, or are planning to become, a head barista or trainer, or are a dedicated coffee professional wanting to consolidate your skill set.
Prerequisites: students attending this course should have passed the SCA Barista Skills Intermediate course at least 3 months earlier. In addition, we recommend that students have a very good understanding of espresso techniques - 12+ months of work experience as a speciality barista is ideal.
SCA Brewing Professional
This is a three-day course covering: how different variables combine to affect taste, body and extraction of brewed coffee. Covering the cutting edge of extraction theory, water chemistry and grind analysis, completion of this course gives students the ability to confidently navigate the brew control chart, designing varied recipes to achieve their flavour and extraction goals.
This is the perfect course for you if: wish to experiment and achieve brewing skills at the highest SCA level.
Prerequisites: students attending this course should have passed the SCA Brewing Intermediate course at least 3 months earlier. In addition, we recommend that students have a very good understanding of brewing techniques and sensory analysis of coffee.
Private Courses - All Levels
Private Courses
This is a course covering: subjects tailored to each student’s specific requirements. For these courses we will create bespoke content and a training session to suit our students’ needs exactly. Students can book a one-on-one SCA course, combine elements of different courses or create their very own syllabus.
Private courses are booked for: either a half-day (3 hours) or a full-day (6 hours) and includes up to two students per course. Additional students can attend for an additional cost depending on course length.
This is the perfect course for you if: you prefer to learn in a small group or one-on-one environment, you don’t wish to follow a standard syllabus or want to combine elements of different courses, picking a date and time that suits you.