Among the changes introduced after the union between the SCAE and SCAA, surely one of the most important was the complete change of the old Coffee diploma System SCAE  which changed its name in Coffee Skills Program but also has modified the contents of the Brewing courses and the SCA certifications exams. After talking about the Brewing Foundation SCA Module in this post we are going to discover the second level of SCA certification, Brewing Intermediate.

Brewing

The Brewing Intermediate certification is part of the new training system created by the Specialty Coffee Association, the Coffee Skills Program. A credit training system that, once you have reached 100 credits, .allows you to have the Coffee Diploma SCA

The Brewing Intermediate module, like all the Intermediate levels of the other modules, allows you to obtain 10 credits and is designed to deepen the knowledge of the participants in the world of Coffee Brewing and filter coffee extraction. In fact, this module introduces the concept of scientific measurement of coffee extraction through parameter control with the aim of improving the quality in the cup. To take part in the Brewing Intermediate SCA exam, it is recommended to have passed the Brewing Foundation SCA exam, the first level of the SCA Coffee Skills Program brewing module and in Espresso Academy we hold Brewing courses that prepare for this exam.

Brewing

During the SCA Brewing Intermediate course, students will be able to carry out many practical tests to prepare for the SCA Intermediate Brewing exam by tasting a three-part of the extraction,  coffee with different extraction%, even outside the correct extraction between the 18% and 22%, and with different TDS to better understand how to adjust the parameters in search of the best cup of coffee.

All these tests that will be part of the SCA Brewing Intermediate Exam will be performed by measuring the beverage with the refractometer and using the SCA Brewing Control Chart.

The world of brewing is made for experiments and students will have to prepare different cups of filter coffee using different Brew Ratio so as to better use those that guarantee the possibility of extracting a cup of coffee that reflects the parameters of the Gold Cup Standard SCA , different granulometries and different infusion times to understand in detail how the modification of only one of these parameters can change the result in the cup.

Brewing

In the Brewing Intermediate SCA module we also talk about Cold Brew and how the temperature affects the extraction of coffee by analyzing the extraction in cold and hot temperatures at different temperatures through the measurement of dissolved solids and the use of the Brew Control Chart.

To better understand the importance of water in coffee extraction, in the Brewing Intermediate SCA module, coffee filter extractions will be carried out, with various extraction methods (v60, Chemex, Syphoon, Kalita wave …) using water with very different minerals in order to perceive their organoleptic differences in the drink.

During the SCA Brewing Intermediate tests are really many and one of these involves the use of different filter materials with the same coffee to understand how a filter paper that retains all the small particles and especially the coffee oils differs from a metal filter that lets them pass.

The theoretical part of the SCA Brewing Intermediate Exam  includes questions also focused on coffee grinding, on different grinding technologies, on the analysis of the granulometry introducing the concept of granulometric curve and on the impact of the different degrees of roasting on the aromatic profile of the beverage.

In Espresso Academy we regularly organize courses that prepare for the Brewing Intermediate SCA certification, contact us for any private courses !.