Advanced Green Coffee Course / Intermediate SCA
How is coffee quality evaluated and priced? Held in Florence, Italy, these two intense days focus on the essential skills for Coffee quality Control jobs.
You will master detailed analysis of defects, NY grading, sieve size, moisture, and density. Taught in English to students from all over the world, you will understand exactly how the coffee price is set. This knowledge is vital for wise business purchasing or selecting high-quality beans for your home roaster setup.
The course is valid for the international SCA Green Coffee Intermediate certification.
Where
One of the most beautiful cities in the world
Next dates
Spetember 18th an 19th 2026
From 10am till 6pm, with a lunch break from 1pm to 2pm
Price
including handbooks, slides and CVA protocols sheets
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?
During this class in Italy, you will
- Master techniques for measuring the density and moisture content of coffee beans.
- Understand common coffee diseases, toxins, and molds that affect coffee quality.
- Learn about coffee trading practices, including the Incoterm system and how price differentials influence coffee costs.
- Gain practical skills in identifying both primary and secondary defects in coffee beans.
- Develop the ability to use cupping tests to determine if the coffee sample matches the given profile.
This course allows access to two international certifications: IBC Advanced Green and SCA Green Intermediate.
Courses are held in English
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
Program Coffee Quality Control Course / Green Coffee Intermediate Sca
DAY 1: Commodity Market, Grading, and Physical Parameters
- How the commodity coffee market works: The C Price.
- The concept of the Differential in coffee price composition.
- The New York Grade (NY Grade): Introduction to the concept of defects and grading.
- Primary Defects: fermented, molded, severe insect damage, etc.
- Secondary Defects: parchment, shell, withered, etc.
- Practical exercises identifying defects in commercial coffee samples.
- Sieve Size (The Crivello): How bean size influences price.
- Practical tests determining sieve size in 64ths of an inch.
- Moisture Content and its implications for transport, storage, and roasting.
- Practical exercises measuring moisture content.
- The correlation between altitude, bean density, and quality.
- Practical sessions measuring bean density.
DAY 2: Trading, Specialty Market Dynamics, and Value Assessment
- Buying and selling coffee: The Futures market.
- Logistics in the coffee market.
- The Incoterm system (FOB, CIF, EXW): How transport risks are distributed between seller and buyer.
- Simulation of a coffee purchasing journey on international markets.
- Commercial samples: Cupping test to distinguish if the arrived coffee matches the reference sample.
- The concept of Specialty Coffee.
- How the specialty market works: Cup of Excellence and online auctions.
- The SCA Cupping Form.
- Cupping tests comparing specialty and commercial coffees.
- The impact of varieties and cultivars on the specialty market: Gesha.
- The impact of processing methods: anaerobic fermentations.
- Beyond the cupping score: the SCA Coffee Value Assessment.
Would you like to include this course
as part of a great coffee experience in Italy?
Green Coffe SCA - Intermediate Level Class
At the end of this course it’s possible to part-take in the SCA green coffee intermediate level certification. Anyone wishing to part-take in the certification exams is asked to report it to us when registering for the course. In our school you can also book the green coffee foundation SCA class and the Green Coffee professional class, for those who aim for the highest level of professional knowledge.
Costs
Certification
Practice
Are you looking for a job?
Coffee campus
What you will learn in the intermediate green coffee class
Through this course, you will learn about different coffee varieties and cultivars, going beyond just Arabica and Robusta and meeting famous names such as Geisha, Bourbon, Caturra and so on.
You will also study the structure of the coffee bean and how processing methods change its flavor and quality.
You will learn how to measure the density and humidity of coffee beans (fundamental for the roasting process) and you will be able to check common coffee diseases, toxins, and molds.
Moreover, importantly, you will do practical tests to identify different coffee varieties, primary and secondary defects such as shelves, broca, fermented and black beans.
But this course also has business purposes. You will explore coffee trading practices, like the Incoterm system and how price differentials work. You will also do cupping tests to see if the coffee you taste matches a given sample (fundamental if you want to replicate a blend).
Your Coffee professional green coffee 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 professional SCA courses in a row
Do you want to get the best for your coffee education? Join the SCA professional Coffee line. Take all the intermediate coffee SCA classes consecutively, maximizing the value of your 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.
[Find out more]
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 Trainers
Robert Brinck
