• What green coffee for what result in cup
• How the process, variety and altitude of coffee cultivation affect the roasting process
• How to choose the roasting machine?
• Physical and chemical elements of roasting: different temperatures for different coffee, first and second crack, degradation of acids and variation of caffeine in roasting.
• Conduction, convection and radiation.
• Recognize the colors of coffee in the various stages: yellow, cinnamon etc...
• Cooling and degassing of coffee
• The concept of profile and roasting curve
• Practice: roast management from start to finish
• The most classic mistakes in roasting coffee
• Professional coffee tasting in cupping
• Mixing: create our own blend starting from our taste or taste of our customers.

• Measuring the humidity and density of green coffee according to the roasting process
• The color measurement of the toasted with colorimeter
• Turning point and development time: how the various phases of roasting affect the final taste.
• Management of the phases during roasting
• The ability to define and record on a card the various steps
• Roasting software: Artisan, Cropster and others
• Roasting defects: scorching, tipping, baking etc... how to recognize them with the cupping method
• Practical roasting exercises managing (lengthening, shortening, modifying) the various phases
• Practical roasting exercises with high or low quality coffee/defects
• Blind cupping: the same coffee roasted at various levels and with different profiles
• Blind cupping: knowing how to recognize roasting defects

*SCA suggests, to take this exam, that you have already taken part in the SCA Sensory Foundation and SCA Green Foundation levels.

Theoretical part

• The technical terminology of organoleptic description of the toasted
• Ability to describe the main reactions of browning and degradation of acids, in terms of gustatory development and aromatic molecules involved
• Packaging: role of CO2 and oxidation. Packaging material, unidirectional valves.
• Mixing: grain selection, number of components, product purpose (espresso, filter, milk, sugar)

• The management of the rate of rise
• Ability to roast reaching a reference color
• Ability to roast by planning and following different profiles
• Knowing how to recognize subtle differences in the roasting profile in the tasting and blind
• Knowing how to recognize in the tasting and blind small defects in the toasted
• Ability to identify by sensory analysis different profiles of roasting of the same color with development times and speed of variation
• Describe the results using the correct technical terminology.

*SCA suggests that, in order to take this test, you have already taken part in the Sensory Intermediate SCA and Intermediate Green SCA course. It’s also required to have taken part in the Coffee Roasting Course Intermediate SCA at least three months before.