Advanced Coffee Brewing course / Brewing Intermediate SCA
Master brewing techniques and earn the SCA Brewing Intermediate certification, optimizing extractions with advanced tools for your coffee shop or home setup!
A course designed for those looking to create or manage the brewing area of a specialty coffee shop professionally, as well as for home baristas eager to use the latest tools and techniques—perfect for real coffee geeks!
In addition to allowing you to get the SCA Brewing Intermediate certification, this course will equip you with the skills to optimize your extraction and bring out the best flavors in your coffee. This course, along with others in the "Espresso Academy Coffee Week," will be an unforgettable coffee experience in Italy.
Courses are held in English
Where
One of the most beautiful cities in the world
Next dates
Price
including handbooks, slides and Brew Chart
Installment payments
You can pay our courses in three installments with Stripe, making it easier to manage your budget and enjoy flexibility.
*This option depends on approval by the payment provider, inform us in advance.
Coffee campus
This course is part of the “Espresso Academy Coffee campus”. The most advanced training program for professionals. Discover more
Are you interested in this course?
Through this coffee class in Italy you will learn
- Learn how to measure your brewing extractions with the brew control chart.
- Learn how to change the extractions parameters.
- Learn how to prepare an inverted Aeropress or other uncommon techniques
- Learn the many tools and methods of the cold brew section of the course.
This course allows access to two international certifications, both widespread and recognized in the world: IBC and SCA Brewing Intermediate.
Why Espresso Academy?
- 1500+ students from all over the world at our Italian headquarters
- All courses taught in English by certified trainers
- 30+ branches around the world
- #1 school in the world on Tripadvisor and Google
- The highest number of SCA, LAGS and IBC certified students
- And… we are in Florence, a city worth visiting
Advanced Filter Coffee Brewing Course / SCA Intermediate
DAY 1: Science, Water, and Grind Control
- The use of Brew Charts and identifying the ideal extraction zone.
- Practical use of the Refractometer for measuring TDS (Total Dissolved Solids).
- Calculation and meaning of Strength and Extraction Yield.
- The crucial role of water and its chemical composition on dissolution.
- Practical Session: Extraction with various methods (V60, Chemex) using water with different mineral contents.
- Granulometry Analysis with a sieve and the concept of the grind curve.
- The concept of bimodal grinding and the management of fines (fine particles).
- Practical Session: Analysis of granulometry and the impact of fines on taste.
- Discussion: How roasted bean size influences grinding.
- Practice: Application of Strength/Extraction data to initial sensory profiles.
DAY 2: Optimization, Methods, and Specialty Brewing
- Advanced Practice: Extraction Optimization through targeted grind adjustment.
- Water Lab: Extraction with various methods using water with different mineral contents.
- Troubleshooting: Measuring and modifying extraction to correct flavor defects.
- Extraction with different filtering materials (paper, metal, cloth) and their aromatic impact.
- Practice: Extraction with advanced methods like Syphon and Kalita Wave.
- Using brew charts to optimize grinding/time.
- Modulating extraction for Cold Brew (methods and preservation).
- Practical Session: Analysis of results obtained and comparative evaluation.
- Analysis of consistency and recipe stability.
- Preparation exercises for the optional SCA Brewing Intermediate theoretical and practical exam. Practice and tests with other coffees for non-interested students.
Would you like to include this course
as part of a great coffee experience in Italy?
Coffee Brewing SCA - Intermediate Level Class
At the end of this course it’s possible to part-take in the SCA Coffee Brewing intermediate exam.
Regardless of whether you choose to take the exam, you will receive a certified diploma from Espresso Academy upon completing the course. If you wish to pursue the SCA certification, the exam can be taken at the end of the course.
Please note that the SCA exam fee (€138) must be paid directly to SCA and is not included in the course price.
Anyone wishing to part-take in the certification exams are asked to report when registering for the course. For more info on SCA certifications, consult this page.
Costs
Certification
Practice
Are you looking for a job?
Coffee campus
What you will learn in the intermediate coffee brewing class
In the intermediate brewing course, you will engage in highly practical sessions designed to deepen your coffee brewing skills. You will explore the significance of the Coffee Brew Chart, learning how to interpret and apply it to achieve the desired flavor profiles in your coffee. You will also discover the purpose of using refractometers in coffee brewing, gaining hands-on experience to ensure precise extraction control.
Understanding how to measure and adjust strength, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), and extraction percentage will be key components of the course. You will practice modifying these parameters to fine-tune your coffee’s taste and balance. The course will cover techniques to control and enhance the cold brew extraction process and study the impact of water's chemical composition on coffee flavor, using waters with different mineral contents to understand their influence on taste.
Through practical exercises, you will experiment with various brewing methods such as V60, Chemex, Siphon, and Kalita Wave. You will conduct experiments using different filter materials to observe how they modify the aromatic profile of the coffee.
A specific section of the course is dedicated to train the cold brew methods.
Your Coffee brewing SCA intermediate class in Florence, Italy
One of the first surprises you'll encounter at Espresso Academy will be the opportunity to meet and connect with fellow coffee enthusiasts from around the world. Your course will take place in a vibrant international environment where you and the other participants will experiment, learn, and grow together.
Perfect for those aiming to become coffee experts or enthusiasts seeking the highest level of expertise, this course is set in Florence, one of the world's most beautiful cities.
You'll have the chance to visit iconic landmarks such as the Uffizi Museum, Ponte Vecchio, and The Duomo, and immerse yourself in the enchanting medieval city center.
If you wish to enjoy the city or participate in several courses, we have numerous accommodations offering discounts to Espresso Academy students.
It will be a great coffee course, It will be a fantastic journey, It will be an unforgettable experience!
Combine Multiple Courses in One Trip!
Are you interested in expanding your coffee knowledge beyond tasting and cupping? Our courses are always organized on consecutive days allowing you to participate in multiple courses through a single training trip. Check out our course schedule!
All the SCA courses in a row
Do you want to get the best out of your coffee education? Join the Espresso Academy Coffee Week—a full-immersion experience featuring all the SCA foundation classes in consecutive days! Maximize the value of your money and time!
The Espresso Academy Coffee Campus
Are you aiming for professional level education? This course can also be one of the starting points of the “Espresso Academy Coffee Campus”. The most comprehensive coffee training program globally for coffee professionals.
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Student says...
I left there very happy.
Overall, I cam only recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn about coffee machines and have fun along the way.
Highly,highly, highly recommend.
From the very first email, Cristina was so friendly, knowledgable and welcoming that she put my mind at rest and showed me that Espresso Academy know exactly what they are doing.
I booked my flights, my accommodation, and told the team I was coming for the course!
I could not recommend these guys enough - they are knowledgable, friendly and absolutely professional. I learned so much in such an engaging, interesting and thorough way that I have come home and been able to apply my knowledge immediately - starting my own small business in the UK.
The course leader - Robert - is so kind, welcoming and full of knwoledge - but most importantly he is an excellent teacher, delivering the information in an easy to understand way to a mix of abilities in the class.
I met some fantastic people and have made some friendships for life - and for even more joy, you get to stay in Florence when you're visiting for a course and what a beautiful city to stay in!
Thank you for such a wonderful experience, and I hope to come back and visit again in the future :)
I would also like to particularly commend Robert, our teacher, who has managed to show me in a very short amount of time a wealth of accessible and comprehensible information on a difficult subject. He is awesome, poised, didactic, knowledgeable, approachable and generally very pleasant to be around.
Milk art.
Our Trainer
