Sensory Skill Experience.

Becoming a coffee expert begins with our senses and its scientific approach. The sensory skill of SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) is trade association built on foundations of openness, inclusivity, and the power of shared knowledge.*

The Sensory Skill class consists of 3 levels; Foundation, Intermediate, and Professional. In order to transition to the Professional level, it is required to pass the Foundation and Intermediate level combined with a minimum of 6 months experience. This time is dedicated to deepening your sensory skills before attempting the professional level. It is well understood that the science of senses cannot simply be learned in a short time with education, but takes actual experience through patient and continuous skill development.

The class begins with learning the essential “Protocol” of the SCA. This is a qualifiable recommended process that the standards committee has agreed upon and may also include individual standards. Only once the protocol is studied can the sensory skill experience begin.

In our everyday life, our senses overwhelm us with everything we see, hear, smell, touch and taste. For example, how do you know a fruit is ready to eat, or will be delicious, or satisfying? Instinctively, without even realizing it you select it by observing its color (sight), or gently feeling its ripeness (touch), or smelling its freshness (smell), or in some cases, lightly knocking it to check its age (hear), and then finally the moment of truth when biting into it and fully experiencing its taste and flavor. There is no difference when sensing coffee.

This scientific approach is further expanded by the principle of judging without bias. For example, simply seeing a red apple you would immediately assume it is sweeter than a green one, and although it may be true 90% of the time, the assumption may also prove wrong. After studying several cases, removing this bias allows an open mind of not simply following our senses with pre-judgment anymore. One test during the class was to distinguish the difference between water composition (e.g., mineral, chlorinated, natural, etc.) yet they all had the same color and only slight differences in viscosity. Similarly, this test was repeated with milk comparisons. Such examples, clearly show that our sight can easily fool our taste perceptions.

Moreover, this course introduces the 36 Aromas of coffee, which must be well understood in order to clearly describe the characteristics of taste using the SCA standards. No longer can one use their own descriptions without having references to these universal standards. These rigorous tests, known as the blind-test, occur in a red-light room, where your sense of smell is the only tool you can use to select the correct aroma.

Finally, the most important skill learned during this class is the Cupping Protocols. This is a method used in the coffee industry to estimate the quality of green bean impartially. Without such knowledge and expertise, setting a worldwide standard to coffee price with a quality score could not be accomplished.

After completing the Foundation and Intermediate levels of the Sensory Skill course, you awaken your senses and more importantly have the fundamentals of SCA standards and protocols, which are essential to the coffee community.