SCAA | coffeechemistry.com

Thursday, 23 April 2015 21:40

Cupping Fundamentals

Cupping is perhaps one of the most important skill anyone can develop within the coffee industry. Initially developed by green coffee buyer, "cupping" provides a consistent methodology for evaluating a coffee's quality before determining a price on a lot. In much the same way that a wine connoisseur would evaluate a fine Cabernet, cuppers must use a strict set of tasting protocols to assess quality.

Tagged under

Saturday, 25 April 2015 23:40

Certification

Coffee Science Certificate^®

^{Explore the Chemistry in Your Cup®}

Seminar Video

Coffee Science Certificate (CSC)

Program Introduction

Description

The Coffee Science Certificate^® (CSC) is the industry’s first and only training program aimed at providing a greater technical understanding of overall coffee science. The program which extends across a wide range of disciplines is focused primarily on the science and chemistry of coffee from ‘bean to cup’.

The CSC program is composed of three levels of certification (CSC-1, CSC-2, CSC-3). Candidates who have successfully completed all three levels of certification become an official Certified Coffee Scientist™.

Goals & Objectives

Participants completing the CSC program will gain a:

Comprehensive understanding of taste chemistry and its role in coffee quality.
Understanding of technical issues related to cultivation, production and post-harvest processing.
Understanding of coffee’s chemical composition and factors related to quality.
Understanding of coffee’s chemical transformation across all stages of production.
Understanding of quality dynamics, preparation and preservation across the entire supply chain.

Recommended Audience

The CSC program is intended to serve a wide range of coffee professionals including producers, roasters, importers/exporters, baristas, café owners as well as consumers.
Even if you've been in the industry for a while, we are confident that this seminar will greatly increase your technical knowledge of coffee.
In the past we've had roasters, baristas, product developers, technicians, engineers, quality control, marketing/sales and even consumers take the course with rave reviews.
This course is open to beginners with at least a basic understanding of coffee processing as well as coffee professionals with 10+ years experience.

Requirements

Students interested in enrolling in the CSC program are required to have:

at least 1 year experience in coffee and have a thorough understanding of basic coffee processing from bean to cup.
although not required, a technical background is beneficial.

Overall the Coffee Science Certificate (CSC) program is designed for coffee professionals whom don't necessarily have a 4 year in chemistry/science.

The program is designed to assist professionals in 'connecting the dots' between theoretical coffee knowledge, general chemistry and food science fundamentals for real-world applications.

After completing the course the knowledge gained will assist professionals in quality improvement, research & development (R&D), and serve as the basis for coffee/beverage innovation.

CSC Certification Tracks

CSC-1

Is aimed at building a strong technical foundation of coffee, exploring introductory coffee science, taste chemistry, and issues related to coffee as a raw product.

Modules:
- The Chemistry of Taste
- The Chemistry of Coffee I
- Green Coffee Chemistry
- Green Coffee Quality Processing & Storage

Students/Instructor & Testimonials

Former Students

Since 2014 we've had over two hundred students from around the world complete our Coffee Science Certificate (CSC) program. Many of these students have included existing Q-Graders, R-Graders, World Barista Champions (WBC), Authorized SCA Trainers from small to medium companies, to global Fortune 500 around the world.

Below is just a brief list of some of the more notable companies currently holding CSC Certification:

Instructor

Joseph A. Rivera
Director of Research & Development

After receiving his degree in Food Chemistry from California State University, Joseph A. Rivera served as a Research & Development Scientist for the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) a non-profit educational research foundation. During his role at CQI he served as the organization's lead scientist to bridge science, chemistry and technology with practical coffee science.

As such his work has allowed him to play a key role in the development of numerous internationally recognized certification programs including the: Q-Certification, WBC Certification, SCAA Certification, Roaster Guild Certification, SCAA Brewer Certification, SCAA/CQI Lab Certification as well as several others still in use today.

In 2000, Joseph accepted the position of Director of Science and Technology for the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) where he served as the industry's lead coffee scientist, lead instructor, and Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the SCAA's Professional Development & Education Committee.

Over the years he has been a frequent technical contributor to several trade publications, international conferences and has appeared on National Public Radio (NPR), Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the History Channel’s: Coffee documentary. He's been a frequent presenter at the SCAA's Annual Conference and has presented at numerous events including the Tea & Coffee World Cup, Nordic Barista Cup, National Coffee Assn, Russian Coffee Expo and SCAE 1st World Coffee Roasters Summit.

In 2004, he launched www.coffeechemistry.com - the largest scientific information portal on specialty coffee - which has gained global recognition over the years.

In 2009, after a decade in the specialty coffee industry, Joseph left SCAA to launch an independent consulting firm dedicated to technical training, consulting, testing and addressing the future needs of the industry.

In 2013, he developed the first and only, Coffee Science Certificate (CSC) program with over almost three hundred students currently certified globally.

Testimonials

Few testimonials from previous seminars (2009 - present):

"Your seminar has awaken my curiosity to learn more and apart from knowledge, being able to pass this to my clients" - Carlos - London, UK

"Superbly taught with sheer amount of knowledge, more to learn…!" - Amuyo Tomoko - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

"The class was really interesting and you made it fun for everyone!" - Rick S., Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee

"A fascinating journey in really understanding the science of coffee." - Roger Whitaker | Consumer - Sydney

"Joseph’s scientific approach to coffee was a fresh change to the various coffee courses offered in Australia. The course gave me a huge hand in preparation for my Q training, and more knowledge to transfer to staff and customers alike." - Joe Tynan, Veneziano Coffee – Melbourne, Australia

"[The] seminar was great as well very interesting stuff. The chemistry side of things i've never really engaged but you made it fun and engaging..." - Michael Kehayias | Seven Seeds Coffee - Melbourne

"The seminar was informative and i enjoyed it very much!" - KangByoung-Woo | St. Ali -Melbourne

"It was so great to be in a learning environment and you’ll be pleased to know I have already used some information" - Lisa F., Hudsons Coffee, Australia

" Firstly I would like to thank you for the lovely seminar you had organised. For me it was very instructive and crucial for my own personal knowledge on the coffee world. Again many thanks Mate!!" - Joe Chalhoub | Caffe Molinari - Sydney

"Thank you very much. I think that the class [Chem of Coffee / SCAA Conference 2010] was very useful and insightful in the cause of certain flavor attributes in coffee and how they can be affected. I would definitely recommend the class to anyone interested in understanding more about coffee and coffee chemistry." - Steve - Roaster at Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea

"I loved your seminar! Never knew there was so much science in coffee" - Participant - Nordic Barista Cup 2011 - Copenhagen, Denmark

"Just wanted to thank you once again for a most enjoyable and informative set of classes. The information you presented was clear and practical, and I never found myself completely confused - much to my delight. I'll certainly be recommending the courses to my colleagues." - Chris Bonney | Toby's Estate

"Thank you very much once again for everything you did. The course was absolutely brilliant and all of the lessons were interconnected." - Dinuka Gunasekara | London, UK - Coffee Perception

"I learned many new things and some others from a different perspective" - masters student, Illy Coffee Science & Economics program

"The course was beyond my expectations and I really enjoyed every part. This course has been seriously the best I attended in my life and I am so glad and proud I passed." - Lupo Lab Roasters, Mirko Silvestri, SCA AST (Italy/Australia)

Upcoming Seminars

2020 Seminars

***We have discountinued our Coffee Science Certificate (CSC) courses***

If you are interested in attending, please fill out our signup list and we'll notify you.

Corporate Training/Hosting

If you're interested conducting a private training for your staff or simply hosting one of our events, please contact us.
Over the years we've conducted private sessions for numerous Fortune 1000 companies across the US, Canada, Australia and Europe.
If your are interested in hosting one of our upcoming Coffee Science Certificate (CSC) seminars, please contact us.

Additional Information & Registration

Registration

For more information visit our upcoming Schedule of Courses around the world.
If you are interested in attending, we ask that you please Pre-Register so we can gauge the level of interest in that particular session.
We will notify you of the event details as soon as we've confirmed our dates for that particular city/location.

Why enroll in a CSC course?

Over the years we've taught hundreds of coffee professionals around the world including numerous Q-Graders, Q-Instructors, AST Instructors, roasters, engineers, green buyers, cuppers and product development scientists.

We've literally wrote the book on coffee science and developed many of the training modules currently used in the specialty coffee industry.

Top reasons to enroll in our CSC course:

Significantly increase your technical coffee knowledge
Compliment existing Q-Grader or AST certification
Apply coffee science to real-world applications
Understand the "why" behind many of coffee's questions
Understand the "how" in objectively testing coffee
Connect real world food science principles to coffee
Further educate your consumers/clients
Debunk common coffee myths

Press & Media

Credit: Andre Eiermann (2017 Swiss Barista Champion)

A special thanks to one of our star students - Andre Eiermann, the 2017 Switzerland World Barista Champion for making this exceptional video. He is now one of Switzerland's very first CSC-1 certified student.

Press Coverage
Social Media

Press Coverage

Learn more about the Coffee Science Certificate (CSC) is the Mar/Apr 2019 issue of Roast Magazine.

December 2018 - CSC-2 Officially Launches in Italy at Nuova Simelli Global Headquarters
February 2018 - BeanScene Magazine - Coffee Science Certificate (CSC) coming to Australia
June 2017 - Nuova Simonelli - Coffee Science Certificate (CSC) hosted by Nuova Simonelli
April 2017 - Global Coffee Review - Nuova Simonelli officially offers Coffee Science Education Program
February 2014 - Caravan Coffee - A Note from the Master: Coffee Science Certificate
January 2014 - Daily Coffee News - Coffee Science Certificate (CSC) launches in North America

Media Partners:

Save

Tagged under

Monday, 18 August 2008 10:23

The Science of Coffee Aroma - Hot Off The Press!

August 19, 2008 - What do rotten eggs, bad breath, and stinky feet all have in common with coffee? Well, more than you think!

Tagged under

aroma
SCAA

Sunday, 31 August 2008 06:00

Coffee Tasters Know their Beans!

August 20, 2008 - Dora Jaramillo slides off the top of a wooden box to reveal 36 numbered vials of "perfume." Each number in the kit corresponds to a different aroma commonly found in coffee, some positive (lemon and butter) and some not so positive (medicinal and rubber). These codified aromas are part of Jaramillo's professional infrastructure...

See LA Times article

Tagged under

Thursday, 23 April 2015 22:09

Brewing Fundamentals

Unlike wine where the winemaker has complete control of the product up to the time of bottling, coffee requires that the consumers use a bit of their own skills during beverage preparation. This final step in coffee preparation is perhaps one of the most critical, since errors here can ruin the quality of the coffee and ultimately all the work that was invested into it.

Tagged under

Thursday, 23 April 2015 22:00

Grinding Fundamentals

Before we can fully appreciate a finely brewed cup of coffee, we must take the laborious task of extracting important flavoring materials locked within the bean. The easiest way to do this of course, would be to place the entire set of beans in hot water and agitate - eventually after much time the flavoring material would extract into solution, but this method would soon prove impractical.

Tagged under

Sunday, 17 May 2015 11:29

Quality

What is "fairtrade" coffee?

Under the overview of the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) the association provides certification for over 20 labeling initiatives in several countries including: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Mexico and the United States. In the US, Tranfair USA is the third party certification organization which ensures farmers in producing countries receive a 'fair' price for their product(s) and labor efforts. The certification also ensures a for a social development including:

1. Better and fair labor conditions.
2. Direct Trade with buyers
3. Community Development
4. Environmental sustainability
5. A more democratic and transparent organization

Although the movement initiated in Europe, the Fair Trade movement has gained significant awareness in the United States through various consumer conscious organizations. Conventionally grown washed arabica coffee from Central America, Africa and Asia receive a minimum of $1.26 USD/per lb FOB; whereas certified organic coffee's from the same regions receive a minimum of $1.41 USD/lb. In the event that world coffee price rise above this floor, farmers ensured a premium of $0.05/lb above market price.

What are "black beans"?

Black beans are severe primary defects that occur as a result of the following:

1. Picking over ripe coffee during harvesting.
2. Over fermentation and/or cross contamination during processing
3. Carbohydrate deficiency during maturation.
4. Poor drying or re-wetting, especially in dry processed coffee.

Typically these beans are easily removed by screening, hand, and/or density sorting. Recently many coffee mills have been equipped with optically sorting equipment, which rapidly reject these beans during milling. Black beans are typically slow to roast and rarely fully develop past a yellowish color. Their impact on the cup is significant imparting ferment, phenol-like, and sour mouldy characteristics. Photo below shows a typical black bean, though bean damage can vary in severance.

What is "C" coffee?

What is the recommended brewing temperature?

Tagged under

Tuesday, 17 May 2016 13:48

Dr. Maya Zuniga on Cold Brew Chemistry & Food Safety

Here's a video by Dr. Maya Zuniga that highlights some of the research (@9:45min) we did for their Product Innovation team at S&D coffee. It's a great video for those wanting to learn more about cold brew and factors related to food safety.

During the same event in Atlanta, GA resident coffee scientist Joseph Rivera presented his finding on Cold Brew chemistry to a maxed room of attendees.

For those who missed the presentation, we'll be presenting a condensed version of the study during our upcoming Coffee Science Certificate (CSC) seminar in Los Angeles on June 28-29th.

Tagged under

Log in

Displaying items by tag: SCAA

Coffee Science Certificate®

Explore the Chemistry in Your Cup®

Seminar Video

Coffee Science Certificate (CSC)

Program Introduction

Description

CSC Certification Tracks

CSC-1

Students/Instructor & Testimonials

Former Students

Upcoming Seminars

2020 Seminars

Additional Information & Registration

Registration

Press & Media

Credit: Andre Eiermann (2017 Swiss Barista Champion)

Press Coverage

See LA Times article

Coffee Science Certificate^®

^{Explore the Chemistry in Your Cup®}