Brewing Module
Foundation | Intermediate | Professional
Course Overview
The Brewing module under the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Coffee Skills Program provides learners with both theoretical understanding and hands-on experience in manual and automated brewing. Through progressive levels, participants explore how grind size, ratio, water quality, and brewing techniques impact cup quality. This module is ideal for baristas, brewers, café owners, and quality control professionals.
Foundation Level
Duration: Minimum 7 hours
Assessment: Written Exam (60%)
Points Toward SCA Diploma: 5 points
Recommended Prerequisite: Introduction to Coffee
Learning Focus:
An introductory course designed to help learners understand essential brewing principles and execute consistent brews using various methods.
Detailed Topics:
- Coffee Knowledge
- Coffee species and process impact on flavor
- Importance of roast level and freshness
- Brewing Methods and Equipment
- Overview of brewing devices (manual and automated)
- Introduction to grinders and filter types
- Brewing Guidelines
- Seven essential elements of brewing
- Coffee-to-water ratio, grind setting, water temperature
- Brewing time and turbulence
- Brew Analysis
- Sensory description of a brewed coffee
- What defines a balanced brew
- Cleaning and Maintenance
- Basic cleaning procedures for brewing equipment
Intermediate Level
Duration: Minimum 14 hours
Assessment: Written Exam (70%) + Practical Exam (70%)
Points Toward SCA Diploma: 10 points
Recommended Prerequisite: Brewing Foundation, Sensory Skills Foundation
Learning Focus:
This level expands technical brewing knowledge with an emphasis on brewing variables, extraction measurement, and recipe diagnostics.
Detailed Topics:
- Coffee Knowledge
- Roast levels and sensory expectations
- Freshness and grind adjustments over time
- Advanced Brewing Techniques
- Grinder burr types and uniformity
- Brewing methods and device-specific extraction approaches
- Cultural and recipe-based brewing ratios
- Extraction Control
- Coffee concentration and strength
- Use of TDS meters and the SCA Brewing Control Chart
- Solubles yield, over-extraction and under-extraction diagnostics
- Brewing Process Deep Dive
- Blooming (wetting phase): importance, timing, and yield impact
- Cold brewing and brew cycle analysis
- Cleaning and Equipment Maintenance
- Routine maintenance to preserve brew consistency
Professional Level
Duration: Minimum 21 hours
Assessment: Written Exam (80%) + Practical Exam (80%)
Points Toward SCA Diploma: 25 points
Required Prerequisite: Brewing Intermediate
Recommended Prerequisite: Sensory Skills Foundation or Intermediate
Learning Focus:
At the professional level, learners focus on precise measurement, analytical brewing techniques, water chemistry, and brewing system evaluation—ideal for advanced brewers and quality control professionals.
Detailed Topics:
- Coffee and Roast Evaluation
- Influence of roast degree on solubility and flavor
- Sensory expectations and roast profiling for brewing
- Brewing Equipment and Technique Precision
- Gravity filter bed depth and shape impact
- Brewing process measurements and yield accuracy
- Particle size distribution: analysis, impact, and control
- Water Chemistry
- Water origin, total hardness, alkalinity, pH, and conductivity
- Testing and filtration systems
- Sensory impact of water composition on brewed coffee
- Advanced Brew Analysis
- Solubles yield and concentration balance
- Sensory triangulation in brew calibration
- Control Chart interpretation and recipe adjustment
- Bypass Brewing Techniques
- Calculating and measuring bypass
- Sensory role of bypass in large-batch brewing
- Maintenance & System Optimization
- Grinder burr replacement
- Equipment configuration for high-volume consistency
Certification
Each level concludes with an official SCA Brewing Certificate and contributes points toward the internationally recognized SCA Coffee Skills Diploma.
SCA Brewing Module / 咖啡沖煮單元
Discover the art and science of manual brewing in our SCA Brewing Skills Course, covering Foundation and Intermediate levels. Ideal for coffee lovers, baristas, and café professionals in Malaysia.