The worldwide lockdown period caused by COVID 19, where each country has applied higher or lower restrictive measurements, has definitely had (and will keep having) a very strong impact on our lifestyles and as a consequence, in our case, on our possibility to provide courses.

In Espresso Academy we never stopped, we only shifted our courses from a classroom to an Online Platform which allowed students to keep accessing our courses in complete safety without leaving their homes and this very positive experience has led us to decide we should maintain this new format of courses as an added value even when we will be able to do them in class again once the national restrictions have loosened.

The SCA has moved in this same direction and the last few days, they’ve made some big changes in their format for releasing SCA Foundation certifications online to make the Coffee Skills Program more accessible to everyone.

SCA FOUNDATION CERTIFICATES 2.0

Indeed from June, the SCA Certifications at Foundation level will not require a practical exam in class anymore, there will only be an online written exam instead. This will allow us to hold courses both in class and online and in either case, they will be valid to obtain the SCA Foundation Certificate in the different modules of the Coffee Skills Program.

Clearly our courses in class have a much more practical approach to all we teach, with the possibility to try different equipment and improve your skills, but even online courses have some big advantages starting with no of cost of travel and the lower cost of the course itself and we are still able to provide the same possibility to interact with the trainer as in a live course.

Thanks to the ability to interact fully with the trainer and the possibility to go very much in-depth with theoretical aspects and practical demonstrations, our Online Barista Courses will allow students to pass the SCA Barista Foundation Certificate after passing the theoretical test.

Our Online Roasting and Blending Course will allow students to take the SCA Foundation Roasting Certificate Online thanks to the theoretical explanations and the practical demonstrations on different types of roasting machines.

The Online Brewing Course, where we analyze all the variables that influence coffee extractions with many different methods like espresso, french press, ibrik, Chemex, and Syphon is also more than enough to pass the SCA Brewing Foundation Exam.

The Online Green Coffee Course, where we use professional equipment to cover all the first steps in the coffee chain from farm to roasting company, allows students to pass the SCA Foundation Green Coffee Course.

In the Online Tasting and Cupping Course, we discover all the secrets of sensory analysis and how to apply them to coffee, from espresso tasting to Brazilian Cupping and it is preparatory to the SCA Sensory Skills Foundation Exam.

Instead of the practical test for the Foundation level exams, our trainers will need to fill a module, the Coffee Skills Report, for each student, where they will report the level of knowledge and practical abilities in preparation to the intermediate level.

Participating in our Online or Class Courses and passing the SCA Foundation Exam will allow students to get a discount on the next levels of exams of the Coffee Skills Program in our Espresso Academy.

 This innovation will make the courses and tests much more accessible to students because of the lower costs and wider range of options to access the course, even for baristas and coffee lovers around the world who used to have trouble with getting a visa or simply the excessive cost of the trip.

Basically you will be able to take part in an online course from the comfort of your home and increase your knowledge of the coffee industry with our courses that are based on the SCA Foundation Modules and you will be able to add the SCA Foundation Certificate to your curriculum.

On our website, you can find all the SCA accredited Online Courses that will be offered as an extra besides our classroom courses for Baristas, Roasters, coffee professionals, or simply people who have a passion for this amazing product.

Contact us for more information about Online Courses that are accredited for SCA Foundation Exams for all the different modules that we offer each month in Espresso Academy in our different schools in Italy (Florence, Salerno, Treviso, Pordenone, Cosenza, Cagliari) and in the rest of the world (Nepal, Thailand, Mexico, Taiwan, Dubai, Egypt, Malaysia, Brazil, Belgium, Switzerland, Giordania).