Introduction to the SCA Coffee Value Assessment (Online)
The way we assess coffee is evolving! After 20 years of utilizing the standard coffee cupping form developed by the Specialty Coffee Association, a groundbreaking system is being introduced. The Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) incorporates four assessments designed to provide a comprehensive view of a coffee's value. This course will enable you to understand and employ the four assessments in your context.
Who this course is for: This course is tailored for coffee professionals and enthusiasts eager to learn and adopt the new system poised to become the standard for coffee evaluation. It is particularly beneficial for Barista Championship and Brewers Cup competitors, as well as judges, considering the recent evolutions of these championships have been significantly influenced by the new system.
Prerequisite: A practical understanding of how to cup coffee
Course Format: Online, Live Video with Activity Guide & Supply List
Course Duration: 3 hours
Note: This course is aimed at general coffee professionals and hobbyists and is different from the more intensive and SCA accredited “CVA for Cuppers” course which is targeted at Q Graders and coffee sensory professionals.
The way we assess coffee is evolving! After 20 years of utilizing the standard coffee cupping form developed by the Specialty Coffee Association, a groundbreaking system is being introduced. The Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) incorporates four assessments designed to provide a comprehensive view of a coffee's value. This course will enable you to understand and employ the four assessments in your context.
Who this course is for: This course is tailored for coffee professionals and enthusiasts eager to learn and adopt the new system poised to become the standard for coffee evaluation. It is particularly beneficial for Barista Championship and Brewers Cup competitors, as well as judges, considering the recent evolutions of these championships have been significantly influenced by the new system.
Prerequisite: A practical understanding of how to cup coffee
Course Format: Online, Live Video with Activity Guide & Supply List
Course Duration: 3 hours
Note: This course is aimed at general coffee professionals and hobbyists and is different from the more intensive and SCA accredited “CVA for Cuppers” course which is targeted at Q Graders and coffee sensory professionals.
The way we assess coffee is evolving! After 20 years of utilizing the standard coffee cupping form developed by the Specialty Coffee Association, a groundbreaking system is being introduced. The Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) incorporates four assessments designed to provide a comprehensive view of a coffee's value. This course will enable you to understand and employ the four assessments in your context.
Who this course is for: This course is tailored for coffee professionals and enthusiasts eager to learn and adopt the new system poised to become the standard for coffee evaluation. It is particularly beneficial for Barista Championship and Brewers Cup competitors, as well as judges, considering the recent evolutions of these championships have been significantly influenced by the new system.
Prerequisite: A practical understanding of how to cup coffee
Course Format: Online, Live Video with Activity Guide & Supply List
Course Duration: 3 hours
Note: This course is aimed at general coffee professionals and hobbyists and is different from the more intensive and SCA accredited “CVA for Cuppers” course which is targeted at Q Graders and coffee sensory professionals.
Coffee is more than a score!
Since 2004, the coffee world has primarily used the cupping form developed by the Specialty Coffee Association to assign value to a coffee. Professional tasters, called cuppers or Q Graders would taste a coffee and assign a score based on it’s sensorial attributes (aroma, flavor, acidity, aftertaste, body, texture, etc.) That quality has typically been communicated a single number score.
But what if a coffee’s value can’t be boiled down to an 87? The new Coffee Value Assessment was developed in the context of an increasingly diverse and global specialty coffee scene, where different individuals, companies, and cultures value different attributes. The system is designed at helping the industry become better at connecting diverse coffees with the right consumers.
Four Assessments that Give a High Resolution View of a Coffee’s Value
The new CVA system is comprised of four different assessments, designed to give assessors different angles of perspective on a coffee’s value and more systematically document the attributes of a coffee that make it distinctive.
Through four hours of online live tutorial and a self-guided activity guide, you will learn how to conduct each of the four assessments of the CVA, with a significant focus on the sensory assessments that are typically conducted during a cupping.
What You’ll Learn in This Course
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Learn about the foundational principles and methodologies of the new Coffee Value Assessment system, gaining insights into its application for evaluating coffee quality and market value.
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While this course is focused primarily on the sensory assessments of the system, attendees will also be introduced to the physical & extrinsic assessments which are currently in beta testing, including how they can execute those analysis.
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How to meticulously conduct a descriptive analysis of coffee, focusing on identifying and articulating its sensory attributes accurately.
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Learn how to apply the 15-point intensity scale to evaluate the strength of coffee's sensory attributes, enabling precise and nuanced analysis.
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Learn how to utilize the CATA system for a structured sensory evaluation, helping you to identify and record specific sensory attributes of coffee.
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Create and utilize aroma and taste references, which are critical for standardizing and enhancing the accuracy of sensory evaluations.
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Learn how to perform the affective analysis, in order to compare a coffee’s attributes with personal preferences and potential consumer acceptance of coffee on a hedonic scale.
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Learn to integrate descriptive and affective analysis results using the combined analysis form, to get a comprehensive understanding of coffee's sensory profile and value.
Learn How to Use the New CVA Forms & Evaluation Scales
Learn how to use the new forms of the assessment complete with it’s 15-point intensity and 9-point hedonic scales, a “Check-All-That-Apply” system for descriptors, and freely elicited notes sections.
These forms are designed to allow you to conduct separate and distinct assessments of a coffee to minimize bias and focus more intently on a specific task.
About Your Trainer
Hi there, I’m Trent.
I am Calgary, Alberta. Canada based coffee educator and have been in the specialty coffee industry since 2014. I have extensive experience starting and running coffee shops and roasteries and now focus my time on helping coffee people advance in their career and achieve their coffee goals through providing quality education. I am also a certified World Barista Championship Representative & Judge and have been judging for the championship at the national level since 2016 and at the world level since 2018.
I look forward to connecting with you during this course and to help illuminate coffee for you in a new and exciting way.
