Coffee Skills Program Coffee Skills Program
The Coffee Skills Program (CSP) is a structured and practical coffee education program offered by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), an international coffee education organization. Students can learn step by step from the basics of coffee to specialized fields, with levels suitable for beginners through professionals. The program consists of six specialized areas, each with Foundation, Intermediate, and Professional levels.
- Introduction to Coffee
- Barista Skills
- Brewing
- Sensory Skills
- Green Coffee
- Roasting
An International Curriculum Focused on Practical Skills
CSP emphasizes not only knowledge, but also practical skills that can be used in professional settings. Students are evaluated through both theory and practical work, and SCA certificates are issued upon passing the examination for each level.
Value as a Globally Recognized Qualification
CSP is recognized worldwide and functions as a common language and skill standard in the coffee industry, supporting a wide range of career paths.
- Improving skills as a barista
- Deepening quality understanding as a roaster
- Strengthening evaluation skills as a buyer
- Building a foundation for education and instruction skills
ProgramsPrograms
Introduction to Coffee
Introduction to Coffee is a foundational subject that provides an overall basis for understanding the SCA CSP modules. It includes basic explanations of coffee-producing countries, coffee agriculture, brewing, roasting, sensory evaluation, and the overall coffee distribution structure. This course is suitable for those who are new to coffee or who would like to learn the general basics of coffee.
Course Specification
Green Coffee
The SCA-certified Green Coffee module is a systematic and advanced course covering essential knowledge for handling green coffee directly, including producing countries, processing methods, agriculture, green coffee evaluation, contracts required for green coffee transactions, transportation management, and storage management.
CSP Green Coffee Module - Foundation
The Foundation level is suitable for those who are new to the coffee field and want to learn about green coffee processing methods, varieties, and flavor differences related to quality.
- Differences between Arabica and Robusta
- Flavor differences by processing method
- Global trends in coffee varieties
- Coffee agriculture, including coffee tree management
- Flavor differences by harvesting method
- Coffee Future Market
- Storage and transportation
CSP Green Coffee Module - Intermediate
This course follows Green Coffee Foundation and covers more detailed processing stages and essential contract content for green coffee transactions.
- Global distribution of coffee varieties
- Coffee cultivation conditions based on various factors
- Coffee Farming ‒ Plant Management
- Processing Methodology: Washed, Natural, Pulped Natural
- Coffee market analysis: Cash vs. Futures Market
- Coffee storage and transportation
- Transportation and green coffee packaging methods
- Storage and labeling methods for green coffee packaging
- Documents required for transportation
- Certifications required for green coffee transactions
- Decaffeination
- Physical evaluation of green coffee
CSP Green Coffee Module - Professional
This course follows the Intermediate level and covers practical knowledge required for professional green coffee trading.
- Global coffee production trends
- Coffee farm analysis, including crop management
- Coffee market dynamics
- Storage and transportation, including container storage methods
- Grade classification
- Coffee conversion ratios
- Certification systems
- Decaffeination
- Green coffee trade planning and financial management
- Cupping defects
- Sample analysis
- Futures market mechanisms
- Contracts
Sensory Skills
The SCA-certified Sensory course is designed to help students conduct objective sensory evaluation and select and sell coffee appropriately through communication.
CSP Sensory Module - Foundation
Through the Foundation level, students deepen their understanding of basic sensory evaluation, its importance, the differences between specialty and commercial coffee, and aroma groups.
- Importance of sensory evaluation
- Comparison of specialty coffee and commercial coffee
- Understanding the flavor wheel
- Understanding basic aromas
- Checking coffee quality through sensory evaluation
- Understanding cupping
CSP Sensory Module - Intermediate
This course covers key organic acids in specialty coffee and flavor evaluation by origin and grade.
- Objective methods for expressing flavor
- Understanding the flavor wheel
- Understanding and using cupping forms
- Organic acids
- Triangulation tasting
- Caffeine
- Sample roasting protocol
- Flavor evaluation of roasting defects
- Flavor evaluation by processing method
CSP Sensory Module - Professional
- Sensory evaluation
- Understanding coffee aroma kits
- Understanding wine aroma kits
- Organic acid analysis and practice
- Flavor wheel and objective language use
- Understanding cupping forms
- Various practical cupping sessions
- Cupping defects
- Practical cupping with various roasting profiles
- Cupping by continent
- Cupping by processing method
- Triangulation
- Flavor evaluation by brewing method
Roasting
The SCA-certified Roasting course is a specialized roasting program for those who want to deeply study core roasting techniques, equipment, and flavor evaluation of green coffee products, especially those planning to operate their own roasting shop.
CSP Roasting Module - Foundation
Through the Foundation level, students learn basic roasting techniques and equipment. It is suitable for those interested in roasting.
- Heat transfer during roasting
- Roasting basics and cycles
- Coffee drying stage and moisture
- Roasting stages
- Light, medium, and dark roasting
CSP Roasting Module - Intermediate
This course evaluates students’ understanding of roasting and ability to execute various standard roasting profiles, while improving their ability to recognize roasting defects through sensory analysis.
- Understanding heat transfer, including convection and conduction
- Basic roasting and roasting cycles
- Sample roasting methods and understanding
- Basic coffee characteristics and understanding
- Equipment structure
- Tools for roasting
- Cleaning, maintenance, and troubleshooting
- SCA cupping form
- SCA flavor wheel
- Practical cupping
CSP Roasting Module - Professional
This professional roasting course is designed to develop the core abilities and techniques required to roast excellent coffee. It includes knowledge of fundamental chemical changes in coffee and chemical reactions that occur during roasting. It also guides students in understanding roastery management, including efficient process design, capital expenditure, and decision-making.
- Green Coffee
- Green coffee chemistry
- Physical attributes of green coffee
- Chemical characteristics by processing method
- Green coffee health and related issues
- Physics of coffee roasting
- Physical changes in green coffee
- Solubility of dark-roasted coffee
- Chemistry of coffee roasting
- Flavor evaluation of roasting results using different profiles
- Sensory evaluation and cupping
- Business model planning
- Green coffee genetics
- Principles and practice of green coffee blending
Brewing
The SCA-certified Brewing course includes systematic, advanced instruction. Through the Foundation, Intermediate, and Professional levels, students can build globally relevant coffee skills and gain a broad understanding of coffee brewing.
CSP Brewing Module - Foundation
This course is for those new to coffee and covers basic techniques for brewing high-quality coffee.
- Differences between Arabica and Robusta
- Flavor differences by coffee processing method
- Understanding flavor differences by water-to-coffee ratio
- Understanding flavor changes by grind size
- Understanding flavor changes by brewing time
CSP Brewing Module - Intermediate
This course improves professional ability through chemical measurement in the brewing process.
- Basic understanding of coffee grinders
- Management of coffee machines and grinders
- Relationship between grind size and under-/over-extraction
- Types of grinder burrs
- Classification of grind size
- Effects of roast level on brewing
- Brew concentration and extraction yield
- Water-to-coffee ratio
- Understanding the brewing chart
CSP Brewing Module - Professional
This course trains students to professionally use the key techniques and tools needed to brew coffee precisely, and to understand the brewing chart in order to reach desired extraction yield and concentration.
- Brewing methods by roast level
- Understanding bypass
- Understanding flavor evaluation by grind size
- Understanding concentration and extraction yield
- Extraction by temperature
- pH changes during extraction
- Acidity changes during coffee storage
- Coffee lipids
- Organic acids
- Importance of water (TDS)
Barista
The SCA-certified Barista course includes systematic, advanced instruction. Through the Foundation, Intermediate, and Professional levels, students can build globally relevant coffee skills. The course includes comprehensive education from customer management and espresso concepts to precise espresso extraction and espresso flavor evaluation. Professional coffee preparation is an important field that values both refined skill and new insight. The SCA Barista course can become a strong asset in the specialty coffee market.
CSP Barista Module - Foundation
The Foundation level is for those new to coffee and covers essential barista skills and understanding.
- Understanding grinders and extraction changes caused by particle size
- Understanding tamping
- Understanding espresso machine structure and terminology
- How to operate an espresso machine
- Milk steaming
- Pouring techniques for cappuccino and cafe latte
- Cleaning grinders and espresso machines
- Cleaning, management, and equipment troubleshooting
CSP Barista Module - Intermediate
Through this course, students acquire more advanced coffee skills and knowledge. It is intended for those with approximately six months or more of barista work experience and trains students to use coffee extraction recipes and provide requested beverages across categories quickly, at high quality, and according to service standards.
- Coffee varieties, origins, and processing methods
- Understanding the flavor wheel for flavor expression
- Understanding flavor differences by continent
- Understanding differences by processing method
- Understanding changes in particle size and dose
- Understanding flavor and body by extraction time
- Latte art
- Understanding efficient workspace
- Customer service
- Cleaning coffee machines and grinders
- Managing coffee machines and grinders
CSP Barista Module - Professional
This course is designed to verify the skills and chemical coffee knowledge of baristas with at least one year of coffee manager experience or equivalent professional ability. The curriculum includes understanding beverage components, service skills, providing a variety of beverages with high customer service, maintaining consistent quality, and equipment maintenance.
- Understanding coffee varieties, producing countries, and processing methods for blends and single origins
- Understanding flavor evaluation by roast level
- Understanding coffee factors that affect flavor and mouthfeel
- Understanding flavors of varieties, origins, and processing methods across brewing methods
- Understanding various decaffeination processes
- Understanding espresso flavor and extraction by freshness
- Understanding freshness differences by coffee packaging method
- Cafe structure analysis
- Understanding various grinders
- Understanding extraction measurement tools and espresso evaluation techniques
- Understanding interactions among various extraction variables
- Understanding milk composition analysis and production processes
- Chemical understanding of milk foam
- Free pouring techniques
- Efficient order processing
- Customer service
- Espresso machine maintenance
- Understanding factors that conflict with profitable pricing
SCA Skills Diploma SCA Skills Diploma
SCA Café Diploma
This diploma is designed to build leadership for creating, preparing, and promoting specialty coffee experiences. Learners deepen their understanding of the role retailers can play in supporting a sustainable coffee industry through communication with customers and colleagues.
Prerequisites
- Barista Skills Foundation - Intermediate - Professional
- Brewing Foundation - Intermediate - Professional
- Roasting Foundation
- Sensory Skills Foundation
- Coffee Sustainability Program Foundation
- Coffee Technicians Program Water and Preventive Maintenance Foundation
SCA Roastery Diploma
This diploma prepares learners to demonstrate leadership in the development, production, and quality control of roasted coffee. It also helps roasters communicate their role in promoting a more sustainable coffee industry to customers and colleagues.
Prerequisites
- Brewing Foundation
- Green Coffee Foundation
- Roasting Foundation - Intermediate - Professional
- Sensory Skills Foundation - Intermediate - Professional
- Coffee Sustainability Program Foundation
- Coffee Technicians Program Water and Preventive Maintenance Foundation
SCA Coffee Trade Diploma
This diploma prepares learners to demonstrate leadership in handling, evaluating, and trading green coffee. Learners also study their role in promoting a more sustainable coffee industry while communicating with customers and colleagues.
Prerequisites
- Brewing Foundation
- Green Coffee Foundation - Intermediate - Professional
- Roasting Foundation
- Sensory Skills Foundation - Intermediate - Professional
- Coffee Sustainability Program Foundation
- Coffee Technicians Program Water and Preventive Maintenance Foundation
SCA Sustainable Coffee Diploma
This diploma prepares learners to demonstrate leadership in developing and implementing best practices and special projects that promote a sustainable coffee industry. It also includes a broad understanding of skills used across different areas of the supply chain.
Prerequisites
- Barista Skills Foundation
- Green Coffee Foundation - Intermediate - Professional
- Roasting Foundation
- Sensory Skills Foundation
- Coffee Sustainability Program Foundation - Intermediate - Professional
- Coffee Technicians Program Water and Preventive Maintenance Foundation